The Party No One Remembers
When Eric thinks of Godric, as he was before he died, in recent history, there's one night in particular that comes to mind. Only he, Pam and Bill still remember the event clearly, because all of the humans in attendance had had their memories wiped. All, that is, except for you and Sookie- but both of you had gotten so blackout drunk that glamouring wouldn't have been necessary, even if it had been possible for someone to do it to Sookie, and even if Eric had been able to bring himself to do it to you.
Flashback to the night in question...
It was late, only a few hours before dawn, around the time when the party had slowed down and most of the hangers-on had gone home. All of the decent ones, anyway.
"Let's play spin the bottle!"
One of the nameless humans suggested it, and had set the game in motion before anyone had even agreed.
The first spin stopped on Pam and Sookie.
Bill, who didn't know the aim of the game, hadn't been paying attention, and was caught off guard when Pam appeared beside his then-girlfriend, tilted up her chin with a manicured fingernail and laid a surprisingly chaste kiss on her mouth, finishing up with a suggestive tug on her lower lip.
The game had nearly ended right then and there when Bill had tried to throw Pam across the room- but Godric had intervened, ever the voice of reason, (albeit one interrupted every few seconds by Sookie's drunken giggles).
Eventually, Bill had simmered down, but he kept a protective hand on Sookie's shoulder for the rest of the night, and the bottle didn't settle on the pair again after that, always mysteriously wobbling in the opposite direction just when it seemed about to stop.
The second spin stopped on Eric and Jason.
Jason, who had been eyeing up the girl with the short skirt next to him, had jumped about a foot in the air when Eric's cold hand had closed around his bicep, eyes flying wide as the blond vampire ensnared his lips in a brief, but passionate, kiss.
The third spin stopped on Isabel and Jessica.
Ignoring Bill's disapproving look, the redhead practically leapt onto Isabel's lap, wrapping her thighs around the older vampire's hips and locking eyes with her expectantly. To everyone's surprise, Isabel indulged her in a minute-long make-out session before kicking her off.
The fourth spin landed on you and Godric, who had only sat down in the circle after resolving the commotion with Bill and Pam. Clearly, his intention had not been to play along- but then, what was a kiss to a vampire of his age?
Or so he had thought, right up until he had cupped your cheek and was leaning in to kiss you- and he had sensed Eric's displeasure.
********************************************
Godric cocked his head, so that his progeny, who was seated beside you in the circle, entered his field of vision. His jaw was set in a hard line, and his blue eyes were full of an emotion that Godric would not have needed their connection to name.
Yes, but underneath it lurked something more. He probed the feelings Eric was emanating through their bond, and was surprised to discover a twinge of guilt. Less surprising was the hunger, mingled with possessiveness and desire- but there was a stronger emotion threading all of it together, an undercurrent of--
"Godric, are you going to kiss me or not?" you huffed, tugging at the cold hand that was still cupping your face.
That was a good question.
Godric hummed, stroking your cheek and brushing his nose with yours, until your eyes fluttered closed again.
Eric hadn't kissed you yet. That much was obvious. You clearly weren't his, either- if you had tasted Eric's blood, Godric would have known. But why was that? Why was he pining for you? It was most unlike Eric not to act.
Of course, he had only just reconnected with his progeny, so he did not know of the circumstances surrounding the two of you, but all the same, it was hard for him to imagine what might be keeping you apart.
Perhaps he just needed an incentive?
A ghost of a smile graced Godric's lips before he closed the distance between you at last, claiming your mouth in a sensual kiss.
And as he did, several things happened at once.
The humans got bored of waiting for the kiss to happen and started spinning the bottle again.
At the same time, a few of the vampires got up and left the circle- Bill among them, leading a very wobbly Sookie away with him.
And then, just as your hand reached out and grasped Godric's shirt, Eric's fangs dropped.
Only Godric and Pam noticed this, but the former feined ignorance, taking his time with your lips before pulling back and placing a ticklish kiss on either side of your mouth.
You laughed, eyes fluttering open, and for a fleeting moment Godric saw you as Eric sees you.
But the moment passed as quickly as it had come, and, drunk as you were, you remained oblivious to it, excusing yourself before skipping off to the bathroom to freshen up. Godric chose that moment to wander outside, and Eric followed him, hastily retracting his fangs.
"Is there something you want to say to me, Eric?" Godric asked, in their mother tongue, glancing at his progeny.
Eric remained silent, avoiding his maker's gaze. Godric could tell that he was at once trying to find the words, and unsure whether or not he should speak them.
"We have shared food before, but this was different, yes?" he prompted. "You do not want to share her with anyone, not even me."
Eric shook his head emphatically. "I would do anything for you."
"Ah, Eric..." Godric sighed and turned his face up to the moon. "I have lived for what feels like an eternity. I have seen and done what feels like everything, and have met and tasted, killed and savoured what feels like every human there could be, such that few things have meaning to me anymore. Very few, indeed.
"But for those few things in which I can still find meaning, I would do anything. I would not give them up, or let them from my grasp, even if my own maker ordered me to."
Eric still recalls the thrill of fear he had felt at these words.
This wasn't the Godric he knew. Something within his maker had changed- that had been clear from the moment he had rescued him from that accursed church's basement. There was so much he wanted to say. He felt like he had to say something, anything, to snap Godric out of it and bring back the man- the vampire- he knew, before it was too late. He couldn't help but feel like he was running out of time.
Yet the silence stretched on and on between them, until finally, desperately, he blurted, "You are important to me."
Godric smiled knowingly and held his gaze. "As you are to me. That is why I am giving you this advice."
"I don't need--" Eric protested.
"You love her. Have you told her this?"
Eric clenched his jaw and shook his head. "It's... complicated."
"Well, long as our lives may be, they are still finite. True death awaits us all- we are not so different from humans in that regard. If I were you, I would not waste too much time. Think about what this life means to you, my son."
And with that, Godric had gone.
********************************************
There was one other memory that stood out to him from that night, though this one didn't really involve Godric at all.
Flashback to the night in question...
It was after Godric had left him alone outside. You caught up to him on the stairs leading up to your rooms for the night, and wasted no time in (as Eric thought of it) pushing his buttons.
"Did you enjoy your kiss with Jason?" you teased, poking him in the ribs.
"No," he said, shortly. "Did you enjoy your kiss with Godric?" The question came out a little more sharply than he had intended, but thankfully you didn't seem to notice.
You nodded frantically, then quickly shook your head, frowning.
The corner of Eric's mouth twitched. "Well? Which is it?"
"He took way long- too long," you said, stumbling over your words and, at the same time, careening into Eric's side, nearly pushing him over the edge of the bannister and falling down the stairs yourself. He caught you with some difficulty, one hand gripping the bannister hard enough to warp the metal, the other grabbing your arm much more gently and tugging you into an awkward half-hug.
Your hands, meanwhile, were less well-behaved. Somehow your floundering fingers had come to rest on the front of his trousers and under his button-up shirt.
"Mmph. This is dangerous," you muttered, squeezing the denim- or, rather, the hardening length you could feel through it.
The situation was absurd enough to be comical, but Eric couldn't laugh.
You were right- it was dangerous. He was overstimulated, and vulnerable- what with your hands squeezing his cock and scratching at his bare skin, your delicious pulse thrumming right under his nose, the turmoil of his feelings for both you and Godric swirling in his breast, the sight of you kissing his maker still fresh in his mind's eye...
For the second time that night, his fangs dropped.
In the blink of an eye you were both inside his room, with the door locked and you pressed flat against it. One of his hands had your arms pinned above your head, while the other tangled in your hair, pulling your neck just so, making the vein there stand out against your skin. His teeth grazed it...
He released you, and a split-second later he was sitting on the edge of the bed on the far side of the room.
You stumbled over to him, confused. Eric very much doubted you had even been able to process what had just happened, and felt a further stab of guilt as you asked, "What's wrong?"
But he just shook his head.
"We'll talk about it in the morning."
If you remember any of this.
"I don't feel so good..."
And with that, you face-planted onto the bed beside him, groaning in pain. He saw you safely into bed in your own room, and spent a restless day in the too-big bed in his separate, temporary, light-proof suite- alone.
********************************************
Of course, you hadn't remembered anything about the party when you had awoken late the following afternoon with a terrible hangover.
So that conversation had never happened, and since that night, nothing else has happened between the two of you, either.
But the more Eric reflects on these memories, the more he thinks: Maybe it's time he took Godric's advice.
