This is my first True Blood story (as well as my first bit of fan fiction in five years), so reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

He heard nothing but his own breath, coming out in short and sharp rasps and mingling with the din of the fluorescent lights. He was momentarily livid, seeing something that he hadn't truly seen. A man hunched over a small girl, clawing at her clothes, shouting obscenities, promising horror. This was a scene he had witnessed before, and in watching these two bodies splayed out in that same familiar fashion, his mind involuntarily regressed back to that painful memory. But only for a moment. In as much time as it took him to forget his surroundings, he again remembered them.

He acted. He pounced. In an instant, the man was pulled off of the girl, dangling in the air by nothing more than his shirt collar. The monster was immediately reduced to a whimpering child, flaying about and begging for mercy. The girl, still in a state of shock on the floor, pushed herself up to better observe the commotion. He looked into her face and saw the array of emotions that played out deep within her. Confusion, disbelief, and finally understanding.

"Godric?" She asked.

He smiled.

The girl – Sookie, he knew – was undoubtedly comforted by her own comprehension of the situation, and began to gather herself, buttoning buttons and pulling up straps. Godric watched her with detached curiosity; he simply wanted to know that she was alright before he turned his attention back to the man who still struggled beside him. Gabe, they called him - big, lumbering, and brutish. Here was a man who used his size to get what he wanted, including, it seemed, sex. Godric was not pleased with this creature, and, despite his conscience, had every intention of ending his miserable life.

"She's alive," Gabe gasped, choking on his own heavy breaths. Godric's head snapped to attention, staring Gabe in the eye. "She's alive! She's in the woods!" He continued.

Sookie looked on in both horror and bewilderment, not knowing what Gabe was referring to nor what Godric planned to do next. The powerful vampire stared at the now weak human man, assessing his words. Godric's eyes were sharp and cold, both threatening and anxious at the same time. Was Gabe so desperate to live that he would lie to Godric? He must know that an unfulfilled truth, especially pertaining to this matter, would only bring him more physical pain. Godric had planned to make Gabe's death quick and easy, but if he continued to toy with Godric's emotions – well, there would be more than Hell to pay.

"Let me live and I'll take you to her!" Gabe pleaded, clawing at Godric's stony forearm. The boy felt like a cool rock covered in flesh. At that second, Godric made up his mind, knowing that he shouldn't hope but not being able to contain his ever-evolving humanity.

"If you're lying," Godric whispered. "I will kill you." Simply stated, but heavily enforced. Thousands of years of experience had taught Godric that he needn't be flashy or cruel to make his point. Humans knew that he was powerful simply by looking in his world-weary eyes.

Gabe's own eyes grew wide with horror before Godric carelessly tossed him to the ground, barking at him to hurry. The cowering human stumbled to the door as Godric followed, but the two men weren't able to take two steps before a tall, dark figure entered, his chest lightly heaving with emotion and exertion. Eric.

"Godric," the word was a prayer from Eric's lips; a whisper of devotion to his maker. Eric stared at Godric in wonder and awe, relieved by the older vampire's safety but knowing that there had never been a reason to doubt. He was nearly overwhelmed with the sense of solace that washed over him, coating his grief and worry like a salve. Unfortunately, Godric was too enthralled by his new quest to pay much attention to his beloved friend.

"Eric, get the human out of here." Godric commanded. Eric stared at him with incredulity. He had just arrived and he was already being pushed away?

"Now." Godric ordered. Eric shook himself free of his trance, looking around in a daze. Did he know where he was? Yes. He was with Godric, and, as he looked to his right, Sookie. As he helped Sookie to her feet, Eric felt a powerful gust of wind behind him and knew that his maker had left him alone with the girl.

Before Gabe could properly gather himself, Godric had grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and ran the two of them through the church, stopping in the middle of the woods. What fools these humans had been to think that they had contained a vampire as mighty as Godric. His ease of flight with Gabe was proof enough of how capable he was of escaping. Of course, nothing had compelled him to willingly leave – nothing until now.

"Where is she?" Godric growled, pushing Gabe forward into the crackling leaves.

"This way," Gabe sniveled, tumbling forward and struggling to maintain balance. It was plain to see that Gabe's fear of Godric was consuming him in every way, including his physical being. He was hunched over, crushed by the weight of his anxiety. Unable to contain his impatience, Godric caught Gabe by his shirt and spun him around, their faces nearly knocking into one another in the process.

"Just tell me where she is," Godric demanded, his voice dripping with urgency and anger.

"A mile down the road," Gabe said through his tears, throwing in pitiful pleas to live another day. "There's a toolshed – she's in there!" Godric stared Gabe in the eye a moment longer before bringing his fist to meet the man's nose. A loud crack resonated throughout the trees and Gabe fell backwards to the forest floor, knocked unconscious by the blow. Godric didn't care who or what found Gabe; he only cared about finding her.

He raced down the dusty path, the cold wind burning his skin like lashes from a whip. He didn't mind. He didn't feel them. He didn't feel anything but the longing in his heart and the tiny voice in his mind that cried out the word please over-and-over again. If there was no sign of life at the end of this road, Godric would find Gabe, and he would rip every limb from its socket. There would be no remorse.

A building emerged up ahead, and Godric flew to the door, only to find that it was sealed with silver chains and locks. Furious, he roared into the night, determined to find a way inside. Effortlessly, he pulled at the rotting wood planks and tore them from the structure, each discarded piece letting a little more moonlight into the shed. When at last he had removed an entire wall, he stepped inside and let his eyes rapidly adjust. He scanned the small space, taking in each inch that glowed eerily in the moon's rays. Bugs, dirt, weeds – he saw everything but the one thing that he had come looking for.

Until there, in the corner, a pearly patch of skin shone in the light. Godric was there in a second, kneeling next to a lifeless girl. Her hair was heavy and matted with dirt, and her body was frail and limp as Godric cradled her in his arms. A sob broke from his chest and blood poured from his eyes, pooling on the girl's pale flesh.

"Please, please," he pleaded with the prone form, desperately trying to shake a bit of life into her. To his amazement, her heavy eyelids fluttered open and two familiar green orbs stared back at him.

"Godric," she whispered, her voice raspy and weak.

Godric was doused in pure elation, smiling through the bloody tears that covered his face. In an instant, he was digging his fangs into his flesh, filling the shed with the sound of a sharp tearing. He frantically, clumsily in his joy, offered his arm to the girl, and she sucked greedily on his rich blood, never breaking eye contact. The more she drank, the stronger she became, her skin warming against his own.

Godric never took his eyes from hers, afraid that one faulty glance would steal her away from him again. Yet the vampire was aware of Eric's presence as he hovered on the outside of the toolshed; he was aware of the questioning and jealousy that filled his friend's heart. He was also aware of Sookie's approach, her heavy human feet crunching the fallen leaves as she ran towards them. She stopped beside Eric and looked on in wonder, perplexed by the intimacy of the moment. The two figures in the corner hadn't changed positions, and the girl still drank heavily from Godric's arm, all the while thanking him with her eyes.

"Who is she?" Eric asked to no one in particular, knowing that Godric wouldn't answer, and thinking that Sookie wouldn't know.

But Sookie knew.

She knew the instant she saw the two, their bodies so close together that they were sure to merge into one being at any moment. She knew when she saw the focus that the girl held for Godric. She knew when she saw the tears of sadness and then joy that drenched Godric's face and stained his clothes.

"She's his human."