AN: Hey guys! I wanted to get this update out soon because I will be spending the new month working on a writing challenge for another fandom, and I felt bad about leaving you with that cliffhanger.

Revenant: A person who has returned, especially from the dead.

In her dreams, Godric stood before her, underneath the old willow tree. The sun made a halo over his body, his skin more like porcelain in the light. Birds chirped in the distance. In his hands, he held four red seeds.

Pomegranate seeds, Danielle realized.

His other hand reached down and delicately grabbed one out of his palm and held it out to her. Curiously, Danielle held out her hand for him. He dropped the seeds into her palm. It dissolved into a red liquid that looked suspiciously like blood and sunk into the skin of her hand. She looked up to Godric in confusion.

Piercing silver eyes met hers. "Three left,"

In a mile away from an abandoned junkyard where the magister held court, was a lake. This lake was two miles wide and three miles long and was so polluted with algae and trash that it was rarely ever visited. It was not home to many fish, nor surrounded by rare flora or fauna. The water was murky and gray, the grass surrounding was overgrown and home to many different snakes and rats.

The lake was an ugly thing, mostly ignored by its locals. Only a small few found use of the lake. Those looking to hide a body, one was one such few.

And the Magister and his court of vampires were frequenters of this lake. At 2:34 AM, they dropped Danielle Newlin's lifeless body, attached to a few weights, into the middle of that lake. They watched her sink, laughed and jeered, and then took off back to the junkyard. And they forgot about Danielle Newlin.

Because she was dead. They had seen the bullet tear through her back and out of her chest. They had seen the huge exit hole the bullet had made out the front of her that gushed dark blood. They had heard her heart stop beating as it had ruptured, and the bones protecting it crack. And now the human girl had been dropped to the bottom of a lake where she would rot, likely not to be found for many years to come.

And at 9:48 AM the next morning, the water of that lake began to bubble. It started slow, steady; small little air bubbles that rose every few seconds. The bubbles grew, and grew, rising faster and larger, until a small fountain of bubbles reached upward. Seconds later, ahead of dark hair broke the surface of the water, a hurried inhale of air taken in as she tasted oxygen on her tongue for the first time in hours.

Danielle kept herself afloat as she took in hurried gasps of air, filling her starving lungs. She swam towards the edge of the lake, her body haggard and heaving and exhausted. Every few minutes she stopped to breathe, and then continued towards the shore. Over an hour of this cycle later, Danielle found herself at the bank of the eastern side of the lake. She clutched the bank with trembling, blue-tipped fingers. Her lips trembled, her shoulders shivering with the cold.

She coughed water into the overgrown grass, clutching at her chest. She froze as her fingers curled over a ragged hole in the top of her shirt. She glanced down, memories of the night coming back to her; Pulse, the Magister, Eric, and the bullet through her heart. Yes, she remembered now. She pulled herself entirely from the water, sitting on the bank of the lake, and pulled back her shirt from her skin. Looking down at her chest. There, right over her sternum. An angry red scar, patchy and ugly. Danielle traced her fingers over it curiously, feeling the ridges and raised edges.

She pressed down into the scar, curious if she could feel the pain of her broken bones. No pain. Her bones, somehow, had healed completely and without any lingering discomfort.

Danielle glanced around her. She had no idea where she was. The sun hung high in the sky, beating down its hot, humid rays upon her skin. The sky was clear, pretty blue, not a cloud in sight above her. All around her, tall grass enclosed her in on all sides, the water of the lake at her back.

Danielle stood, steadying herself on wobbly legs and took one step into the grass, and then another. The earth was riddled with twigs and burrs, digging into the soles of her feet and making her wince. She looked ahead of her, seeing only the tall grass in front of her for at least a mile.

It was going to be a long walk.

Two hours later, Danielle walked along an old, cracked road. The lines on the road were faded and overrun by tire tracks. Danielle was uncertain where she was or where this road led, but she was headed in what was essentially south.

Another hour of walking and three cars rushing past her later, a police car came to a halt beside her. She paused, licking her dry lips, and turned to face the car. Out stepped a man that Danielle vaguely recognized. As she stared at his face, a name popped into her mind.

Andy Bellefleur.

Yes, she knew him, she realized. Andy looked at her with something akin to worry, his mouth hanging open as he took in her appearance. Danielle glanced down; ah yes, she had forgotten. She was still relatively wet from her time in her watery grave; her hair was damp now and frizzing up, but her clothes were still wet, and she was barefoot, having lost her shoes and socks in the lake. Furthermore, while the water had managed to remove some of the blood from her, there was a large, burgundy stain over her chest, bleeding out from the hole in her shirt where the bullet had flown out. She imagined there was a similar stain on the back of her shirt as well.

She must look rather alarming, she thought vaguely.

"Dani," He started, voice gruff but concerned. "Sam said...well, you don't look so good, kiddo. How long have you been walking this road alone," He glanced down at her feet. They were red and blistered, bleeding. "barefoot."

"A couple of hours," She answered blandly. She looked at his car. "Can I have a ride? I need to find Godric,"

Andy didn't hesitate. He nodded, moving around the car and opening the side door for her. She climbed in and curled up in the seat, pulling the seat belt around her numbly. Andy got in the driver's side of the vehicle, started the car back up, and took off down the road. He glanced at her every few minutes, the worry in his eyes only seem to continue to grow.

"What...what were you doing out here?" He asked, after nearly twenty minutes of driving. Danielle glanced over at him, her eyes lacking any emotion or feeling. It unsettled Andy, and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure," She answered, in that same monotone voice as before. "I think they dropped my body in a lake after they killed me." The words were said without a hint of sarcasm or emotion, no clue at whether she was joking. Andy felt disturbed; she wasn't lying, he realized with growing dread.

Danielle reached down, pulling up the leg of her pants and staring at what looked like rope burns around her ankles. Andy eyed them nervously.

"Yes, I think this is where they tied the weights to me, to make sure I sank." She dropped her pant legs back down again and curled back up into the seat. They didn't speak again for a while. When they did, it was Danielle who spoke.

"I'm hungry," She stated, looking over at Andy blankly.

Andy grunted, "Don't worry, we're almost at Merlotte's. We'll get Lafayette to make something up for you there," They fell back into silence.

Andy side-eyed her. She stared out the window, seeming unperturbed. That only unsettled him more. He should be taking Danielle to a hospital first, and then a sheriff's department to give a statement. But, after what Sam had told him earlier… he worried this was a scenario in which he needed to get her back home, to Sookie, and that vampire she always hung around. He doubted she'd take well to a hospital anyway. After all, she may have looked like hell, but she was up and walking around just fine.

Ten minutes later, Andy pulled off the freeway and took the backroad down to Merlotte's. Andy parked near the front and moved to open Danielle's door for her. She stepped out, wincing as bare feet dug into the loose rock; at least she could feel pain, Andy noted.

He led her inside, the near majority of the restaurant going silent as they caught sight of her. Wordlessly, Andy led Danielle to a booth and told her to sit down. She looked up at Andy, that dead look still in her eyes.

"I'm hungry," She stated again. Andy shuffled from foot to foot nervously, and then reached over to the hostess' bar and grabbed a menu off of it and handed it to her.

"You decide what you want, and we'll get Lafayette to make you up something real quick," He promised.

"Dani!" Andy jerked and whirled around, coming face to face with Holly. She stared at Dani with surprise and shock, her red-rimmed eyes wide and disbelieving. Yes, Andy realized quickly, Holly had been there when Sam had told them the news that morning. Holly wasn't particularly close to the girl, Andy believed, but she was a mother and a good woman; she was heartbroken for the supposed death of Danielle Newlin.

Danielle slowly slid her eyes up from the menu, to glance up at the woman addressing her. She cocked her head to the side.

Holly Cleary.

Yes, she knew her too. She knew many people here, she noted.

"Hello Holly," She greeted. "I'm very hungry. Can you tell me what I usually order? I can't remember what I like."

Holly looked at Andy for help. Andy shrugged helplessly, his own eyes as wide and lost as hers. Finally, Holly turned to Danielle, placing a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. Her shirt was mostly dry by now but stunk of the lake water.

"Are you...alright, Dani?" She started hesitantly. "Sam told us this morning...well, he said that you had died."

Danielle's eyes pierced through Holly's, darkly, coldly, without feeling. "I did," She answered. "I was dead."

Holly and Andy shared another uneasy look.

"A-alright," Holly started, trying her best to put on a comforting smile. "Well then, you usually like either the Bon Temps burger deluxe or Crispy chicken tenders, with fries and a coke. Do either of those sound okay to you?" Danielle nodded.

"Bring them both please," She requested, "I'm very hungry."

Holly shot one last alarmed look at Andy and then hurried to the back, grabbing the arm of a distracted Arlene and pulling her with her. Danielle looked up at Andy.

"How did Sam know I was dead?"

"I think Sookie told him this morning, but I'm not sure," He admitted. "I think he's in his office, I'll go get him," And then Andy hurried away, desperate to get Sam and move away from her.

Danielle sat silently at the booth, staring at the smooth tabletop. A few minutes passed, and Sam Merlotte approached the table carefully as if Danielle were an injured bear he couldn't decide if he wanted to help or run away from.

"Dani," Danielle looked up at him. "It's good to see you." He started nervously.

Danielle nodded. Sam Merlotte, she recognized easily. She was getting better at recognizing them quicker, she noted.

Sam gave an uneasy laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just that, Sookie called me this morning and told me she wasn't going to come into work today. She said...well, she said that you were dead. That you'd been killed."

Danielle nodded again. "Yes," She agreed plainly. She offered no elaboration. That only made it creepier, Sam decided.

"Are you...okay? What happened?"

Danielle's eyes went unfocused for a moment, and then returned sharper to meet Sam's. "They shot me," She told him simply. She showed him the hole in her shirt. "I died. They dumped me in a lake. I came back," For the first time, Danielle showed an emotion, as she frowned dazedly. "I don't think I'm fully back yet though," She glanced down at her hand, turning it over and back. "I think I am still somewhat in limbo. Here, but not. It may take me a while to recover fully," She looked up at Sam. "I need to eat."

Sam walked away just as alarmed and confused as the others, meeting Holly, Andy, Arlene, and Lafayette at the back window leading into the kitchen.

"Well?" Lafayette asked, glancing over Sam's shoulder at Dani. She was staring at the table again.

"I...don't know what to make of it," Sam admitted. "I need to call Sookie, though."

Holly had just set down the plate of food in front of Danielle when Sookie came barrelling in the door of Merlotte's. Her wild eyes searched the booths, zeroing in on Danielle and locking onto her face. Sookie was actively crying, a sob leaving her lips as she rushed across the restaurant to Danielle. As Danielle brought the burger to her mouth, Sookie crashed into the side of her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

Danielle paused and glanced over at the blonde head of hair.

"Hi Sookie," She said, and then took a bite of the burger. Sookie didn't seem to hear her; she sobbed into Dani's shoulder, keeping a tight hold on the girl in her arms. When Eric had told Sookie last night that she was dead… she hadn't believed it. She'd also known that Eric wouldn't have lied. He wouldn't have shown up at her doorstep looking so disheveled, bloody tear tracks leaking down from his eyes over his cheeks.

She'd known then that Dani was dead.

And now, here she was. Alive. Visibly in front of her. Sookie could touch her. But...something wasn't right. Sam had mentioned that over the phone, but… Sookie paused in her crying, pulling back to study Danielle's face. She ate silently, barely even noticing Sookie's staring.

"How?" Sookie croaked out, voice hoarse from sobbing all night. Danielle paused in her chewing, glancing over.

"I came back," She stated plainly, as she had told the others. "The shadows weren't very happy about it, but I'm too strong for them now," Danielle stared off into space then, eyes unfocused as she seemed to reach a place that wasn't physically before them. "They didn't think I'd be this strong so early. They thought they'd be able to reach me this time. They were very angry when they couldn't pull me over for good."

Sookie had no idea what she was talking about.

"Do Eric and Godric know you're alive?" At Godric's name, Danielle's head snapped over to stare at Sookie, her eyes narrowed with a light of something. Some primal emotion or feeling that Sookie couldn't place, but she would take it because it was something other than the apathetic blankness she was before.

"I need Godric," Danielle answered. The girl clenched her fists at her sides, her knuckles going white.

Sookie nodded eagerly, taking one of Dani's hands and holding it on her own. "The second he wakes up I'm sure he and Eric both will sense that you're alive," Sookie wiped the tears from her eyes, giving Dani a watery smile. "For now, you should finish eating, and then we'll go home, okay? You look like...well, you look like you need a shower," Sookie finished with a short, forced laugh.

Danielle nodded absent-mindedly, the emotion retreating from her eyes. She returned to her meal, and Sookie stood and approached Sam and the others.

"What happened? When did she come in here?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Sookie was ready to cry in relief all over again at seeing Dani alive, but she needed to cry later. Danielle wasn't okay; whatever had happened to her, had done something to her mental state, and Sookie wasn't sure how to help her.

Sam looked over at Holly, and then Andy. Andy grunted and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I found her walking along with an old beat-up road off of I-10, about twenty-five miles out. She looked like she'd been walking a while." He explained.

Sookie nodded. "Was there anything she said?"

Holly, Sam, and Andy all shared a collective, unnerving look. It was Holly that answered.

"She said she had died, and that she was hungry. But she knew who we were," Holly offered up. Sookie sighed, glancing back over at where Danielle was voraciously eating her burger. At least her appetite for greasy food seemed unaffected.

"I'm gonna take her home. Maybe she just needs some time to process,"

Twenty minutes later, Sookie and Danielle loaded into Sookie's car and took off down the road towards her house. Sookie tried to ask questions, but this version of Danielle seemed very capable of answering questions as plainly as possible without actually giving away any information. Nothing she said made much sense. All about shadows, death, something called Styx occasionally, and weirdly, a continued announcement of hunger, despite the fact the girl had scarfed down a quarter-pound burger and an order of chicken tenders and fries.

When they arrived, Sookie turned on the shower for her, picked out a set of pajamas, grabbed a towel, and instructed Danielle to clean up. With a gentle warning that she'd check in on her in five minutes, she pushed Danielle into the bathroom.

Whilst Danielle was showering, Sookie tried to get a hold of, well, everyone. She called Bill first, but of course, he was dead for the day, as was Jessica. She tried Eric next, calling him three times, to no avail. She even tried Pam, though that was certainly also a lost cause. She settled for leaving Eric a message explaining the weird situation and telling him to come over as soon as he woke up. And to bring Godric if he was there.

Danielle walked out of the bathroom, steam billowing in the air behind her. Her hair was wet and limp hanging around her shoulders, but she looked refreshed, and no longer in clothes stained with blood. Sookie sat her down at the kitchen table next and took a look at her feet.

They had burns on the bottom, were red and blistered, and cut, though they didn't bleed. Sookie got out her first aid kit and applied burn cream to the burns and antiseptic to the cuts, and then wrapped her feet in gauze and bandages to protect them from any further harm.

When Sookie looked up to tell her she was all finished, she caught Danielle staring at the ceiling with an inscrutable frown.

"What's wrong?" Sookie asked in concern. Danielle snapped her head down to look at Sookie, blinking her eyes owlishly.

"It's the shadows," She glanced down at her wrist. "I lost my bracelet that helps keep them away, and since coming back they are far more persistent in getting my attention," Well that wasn't creepy at all, Sookie thought dryly.

"We'll get you another bracelet," Sookie promised, and stood. Danielle followed. "For now, why don't you go lay down? I'm sure you're tired. I'll let you know the moment the sunsets." Danielle nodded, turning on her heel and walking upstairs, heading straight for the door that led to her bedroom.

Sookie sighed.

This was completely out of her element.

The moment the sun began to settle in the sky, Sookie's phone rang insistently in her pocket. She knew exactly who was calling without checking, and so she picked up the phone without checking the screen.

"You better not be lying to me," Eric seethed.

Sookie was a little offended. "Why would I lie about that?" She hissed angrily into the phone.

"I saw her die. I heard the bullet pierce her heart, so please explain how she's alive right now." He demanded, and Sookie winced at the volume of his voice.

"You think I know? I've asked her but all she says is a bunch of nonsense about shadows and being dead and coming back and being hungry." Sookie retorted. Eric paused for a moment.

"Hungry?" He asked lowly.

"Yes," Sookie said, picking up on his train of thought. "But it's not possible, Eric. She walked in the sun for hours without burning up. She doesn't have fangs, and besides looking a little worse for wear she doesn't look any different."

"Tell him I need Godric," Sookie jumped, whirling around and clutching her heart. Danielle stood only a foot behind her, and Sookie was a little unnerved that she hadn't heard her coming down the stairs at all.

Eric was silent over the phone. Sookie knows he heard her speak.

"Tell her we're on our way," Eric said quietly into the phone. The call ended, and Sookie set her phone down with another sigh. She turned back to Dani.

"You're frightened," Danielle said, eyeing Sookie curiously. Sookie didn't know how to respond, so she just stood there. "Don't be. I like you, so I would never do to you what I did to the vampires at Pulse," Pulse? Sookie questioned. Then her eyes widened in shock. Pulse. That night club that was on the news the other night, where twenty-two vampires were murdered. They couldn't find the culprit.

And it was in Dallas.

Pieces were starting to line up.

"Dani, are you the one that killed those vampires at that night club in Dallas?" She asked hesitantly, needing confirmation. Danielle nodded. Sookie gulped. "Why?"

"Styx demands it," Was all she said. Sookie felt a shiver go down her spine but did not get a further chance to ask any more questions. There was an insistent rapping on her front door. When Sookie checked out the window, the sun had fully gone down. Danielle turned and moved towards the door, opening it up.

"Godric," She breathed. Godric stood in the doorway, looking more like a desperate animal in search of safety than a powerful vampire. His eyes narrowed in on Danielle and didn't move from her face.

"Let me in," He ordered lowly. Danielle turned to look at Sookie.

Sookie swallowed. "Come in," She said softly. Godric was a mere blur as he sped into the house. A second he and Danielle stood in front of each other, and the next they were gone.

Eric stepped up in the doorway, looking over at her. He raised a brow.

"Let's have a conversation."

Godric had grabbed Danielle and pulled her along with him up the stairs and into the room that smelled most like her. He slammed the door shut behind him all while keeping his hands around her waist. He sat down upon the bed with her enveloped in his arms, and he pressed his face into her hair and breathed in deeply.

She was alive. She was okay. She was here.

Danielle rested pliantly in his arms, not moving to wrap her arms around him or return the hold. She simply sat there and allowed him to hold her for as long as he wished. And Godric kept her close for a while; taking in the smell of her hair, her skin, the way her riotous almost-curls tickled his face and neck. She felt small and fragile in his arms, even more so than before.

"Godric," She spoke softly, after a long while of sitting together in silence. Godric tilted his head back to look down at her. He tried to hide his emotions, lest they frighten her. "I need your blood," Godric cocked his head to the side. Dani had never asked for his blood before. She had taken it, several times and without protest, but never asked for it. More so, she didn't seem to be aware of the implications of such a request. Blood was sacred to the vampires.

Godric could vividly remember the argument Eric and he had after his progeny had discovered how freely he had gifted his blood to her. The blood of a vampire as old as himself was considered alike to ichor of the Gods to younger vamps. It was to be preserved and protected at all costs. Blood such as his was more than enough to give the humans what they needed to truly fight back against their kind.

His fangs snicked down and he bit into his wrist easily, holding it out for her. Dani's fingers curled around his arm and lifted his wrist to her mouth. She lapped up the blood flowing from his wound, and then pressed her mouth against the bitemarks and sucked. Godric tried not to be affected by it, sitting rigidly in place.

Sooner than he would've thought, (for vampire blood often had a euphoric effect on humans, who then seemed unable to stop themselves from taking more,) Dani pulled her mouth off of his wrist and let it go. He lowered his arm to his side, the bite already healing. She looked up at him with wide eyes, a bit of life returning to her gaze.

"Will you tell me what happened?" He murmured. She wet her lips, considering his request.

"I died," She said lowly. "Now I'm not. I will need a bit more time before I can go more in-depth about what happened. I am still not fully myself," He nodded, placing a hand on her neck and pulling her head down to rest against his shoulder. This time, Dani did reciprocate his touch. She wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder. Her steady heart rate soothed the frantic monster inside of him.

Eric and Sookie sat together, discussing the implications of what Danielle had revealed to her. Dani and Godric descended the staircase sometime later, Dani's hand wrapped around Godric's, her body closely pressed against his side. One look at her told both Eric and Sookie that some of the old Dani had returned, though not nearly enough.

"How are you feeling?" Sookie asked hesitantly.

"Better," Dani answered. She sat down on Sookie's couch and pulled Godric down next to her. Godric wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close; it became clear to Eric that it was perhaps Godric who was more concerned about keeping close rather than Danielle. He had been unlike anything he had seen in centuries when he'd felt Dani's death. He had felt the dark fury and anguish rage inside of him the moment she had died, had felt the fear from his maker interlaced with the fear he felt from Danielle. Godric had arrived at Fangtasia nearing dawn, and he'd looked every bit the maker he remembered from centuries ago; cold, calculating, and cruel.

For the first time in a long time, Eric had been afraid of his maker.

Now, it was as if the mere presence of Dani tempered that side of him, brought out the softer Godric he'd met in Dallas.

Eric zeroed in on Dani. "Sookie tells me you are responsible for the deaths at Pulse, just as the Magister claimed," Just like that, the room went tense. Godric narrowed his eyes on his son, communicating his displeasure through their bond. Eric wouldn't be deterred though; if he was to protect Danielle and keep his maker alive, he had to know what they were up against.

Danielle was perhaps the only person in the room who did not seem stressed by Eric's question. She looked at him without an ounce of guilt or anger or any of the fear he'd seen reflecting back at him last night.

"I am," She answered.

"You don't have to explain right now," Godric said to her softly, sending another sharp glare at Eric. She shook her head.

"I do," She answered. "Unfortunately, I don't have all of the answers for you. I can only tell you what I know," And she did. Danielle started from the beginning, explaining that something had changed in her after her death at Godric's house. It drove her to get interested in magic and witchcraft, and she discovered that she was good at magic.

Too good. She told them about how her fingers would turn black, and her veins would darken, and the darkness would crawl up her arms with the more magic she used. She explained the shadows that wouldn't leave her alone, the dream she had the previous night of them talking to her.

She told them about how she was attacked at the cemetery. How a vampire sent by Jared had come to kill her, and destroyed her family's graves. She explained how something inside of her snapped, or more like, took control. How she became a passenger in a car that had previously always been driven by her, and she did things that shouldn't have been possible. She did them without a spell or knowledge of the magic.

And she told them how she blacked out, that she hardly remembered her attack at Pulse. But she knew it was her fault. And that she had to run.

She told them everything that led up to her death last night, and when she finished, the room was overtaken by silence.

"Vampires can't bring back someone who has already died," Godric told her softly, but even he didn't seem to believe it. "But it is difficult to know when a person is truly dead. People who have no heartbeat have been brought back through medical or magical means before, but it has always been assumed that those people's spirits had never left their bodies."

"Mine did," She said quietly. "But I don't know how I came back or why. Perhaps your blood helped,"

Eric hummed thoughtfully. "When is your associate supposed to be here?" He asked Godric.

"Tomorrow night," Godric answered swiftly.

"Associate?" Sookie asked.

"While I was away, I researched what Dani told me. I still believed that she had not truly died, but I was concerned with the paranormal events she was experiencing. Eric kept me updated on all findings, and I searched for someone who would have answers about Danielle's condition."

"What did you find?" Dani asked curiously.

Godric shook his head. "Not much," he admitted, "but I did meet a vampire who specializes in the supernatural. He did not have any definitive answers about you, but he agreed to meet you. We were supposed to meet at Shreveport in a couple of weeks, but when I felt your panic I sped the meeting along."

There was silence.

"Is...is that why you left?" Dani asked quietly.

More silence. Godric looked down at Dani with an inscrutable look. He pushed hair behind her ear and leaned into her ear.

"There are many reasons," He murmured. Danielle frowned, unhappy with that answer. She also knew from a single glance at Godric's face that she wouldn't be getting any more answers on that particular topic tonight. Whatever the reasons he left, they were not something he wanted to discuss now.

Danielle nodded, too tired to argue about it.

They talked for a few minutes more, making arrangements and plans for meeting this mysterious vampire Godric had come into contact with.

"You need to rest," Godric sighed, helping her stand. "Eric, we will speak later," Godric ordered. Eric nodded, standing as well.

"I'll be returning to Fangtasia then." He took off out of the house without another word. Sookie watched, trepidation filling her, as Godric kept hold of Dani's waist and walked with her back upstairs.

Godric was an ancient vampire, and Danielle was no weakling, but everything in her screamed that she really shouldn't allow a teenage girl to be up in her room alone with a man. She had allowed it earlier, but now… She chewed her lip nervously but decided against saying anything. She wasn't Dani's mother, and besides, she doubted Godric would ever in a million years take advantage of Dani.

He cared for her too much.

Godric led Dani to her room, sitting down on the edge of her bed as she pulled back the covers and crawled up on the sheets, lying down against the pillow. Godric moved to pull the blankets over her. Dani's hand gripped his wrist, stopping him. He met her gaze.

"Stay for a little while?" She whispered, a hint of hope threading throughout her voice.

He hesitated for a moment and then laid down beside her. He reached down and pulled the covers over them, tucking them in around Danielle carefully. She didn't seem cold, but he couldn't be too sure with his skin being so cool. However, the moment he laid next to her Danielle pressed herself against his side, curling one arm over his chest and resting her head on his shoulder.

Godric tensed, closing his eyes and taking a slow, steady breath through his mouth.

This. Godric could give a million reasons why he had left Shreveport, but the answer was this. This girl. She had forced her way into his life, demanded his time and attention with who she was, her pain and strength, how she was both soft and abrasive, so smart and clever, and yet so innocent and naive. She felt everything raging inside of her with her whole heart, and yet she fought to pretend all of those feelings didn't exist.

He glanced down at her, curling his arm over her shoulders. She was a mess. She was smarter than she was given credit for, more brutal and demanding than she had any right to be. He never knew if the words coming out of her mouth were going to be soft and sweet or brittle and thorny.

He had no idea how to respond to her. He had never cared for someone like he cared for her; the desire and need to protect and possess her. With Eric, he had been a demanding maker. He had coveted his strength and prowess on the battlefield, but it was not the same as it was with Dani. Rarely did Godric ever feel the urge to protect Eric, because he knew Eric was all too capable of protecting himself. And Nora was more Eric's creation than his own if he were being honest. She was his progeny, and he cared for her as well, but it was not the same.

Nothing like Dani.

He wanted Dani, but he did not want to break her.

And he had never experienced that feeling before.

When it came to desire, it had never once been fueled by love or affection. Before or after he became a vampire, it was always about power and fulfilling a need; that was it. He'd never cared about the state of his partner afterward.

Furthermore, rarely had Godric ever been with humans. In his first one thousand years of life, he'd taken without thought or care, with little notice of the damage. In the thousand years after that, he'd only ever been with humans on two occasions, and he was ashamed to admit the night had not ended well for them.

He didn't know if he even knew how to be gentle with someone, sexually or otherwise.

And he was worried his nature would break Dani.

That his world would break her. It was easy to forget sometimes that she was only a seventeen-year-old girl who had never truly experienced the world. From his understanding, she'd only had a few, brief relationships with other teens her age. And even if you took his feelings out of the equation, there were also all of the other concerns and consequences. What had happened last night is the prime example. This development of strange powers was his fault. Her entrance into his world was his fault. She never should've come into contact with the magister or Nan Flanagan. She never should've had to take a bullet to the chest.

Eric told him how she had started learning magic to be strong, to stand up to his world, and protect herself. But she shouldn't have to. She should not have to mold herself into something different, dangerous, in order to live in his world. That was why he had left; he had already changed her, given her sharp edges. He did not need to infringe upon her life any more than he had, at least not now, in such a fragile period of her life.

And yet, now he realized he had left too late. Perhaps, he should've never gotten involved in the first place. He had changed her world the moment he had entered her life, but he had hoped, vainly, not so irrevocably.

But things were different. She was different, and he had a feeling, she would never go back to the way she was. She couldn't; his world had left a permanent mark upon her, and even if he left again, it would still seek her out. And he would not be around to protect her.

Not unless he stayed.

And he couldn't stay, not without wanting her. Not without getting put in situations like these that tested his self-control and newly developed moral code.

He heard her heart slow with sleep, her warm breath puff against his neck. He untangled her hands and legs from him carefully and stood. He stopped at the edge of her bed, glancing down at her peaceful, sleeping face once more, and turned and left.

Reviews:

: Sorry about the cliffhanger! :/ Thanks for reviewing!

Karmabites: Hello! Yes, Godric does feel all of her emotions and feelings, and it is very disorienting for him, lol. He can block her out a bit, but not entirely. Thanks for reviewing!

Bluerose160: But...she came back! ;) Glad you enjoyed. Thanks for reviewing!

Kineret: Hopefully this answered some questions about where Godric has been. Thanks for reviewing!

Brookeworm3: He's back! XD Also you were so spot on it's like you're psychic, lol. Thanks for reviewing!

angel897: Dani will be meeting the King of Mississippi soon. ;) We're about to get into season 3 territory in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for reviewing!

LPWomer: ;) That's what being a writer is for, lmao. Thanks for reviewing, glad you enjoyed!

Wolfvane14744: Glad you enjoyed, thanks for reviewing!

kykyxstandler: ... ... O.o not a joke...I'M SORRY! I'M THE WORST! But it got better right? I'm a writer, cruelty is just part of the job description...lol. Thanks for reviewing!

Dream sequence:

In the dream sequence, there is a scene where Dani approaches a pile of bodies. On this pile of bodies, is a blood-covered wooden cross. This represents the magister, who was once a part of the Spanish inquisition. Dani's body in the remains represents her join his victims, but then her body coming back obviously represents this chapter. Also, I feel like I can give you guys this one, the wolf is Eric. In Norse mythology, Fenrir is a son of Loki, and he was extremely powerful. In order to avoid Ragnarok, he was chained to a boulder.

I've been waiting to get to this chapter for a while. Tbh, I'm not entirely happy with how it turned out, but I still like it. Also, just to let ya know, I HATE that last scene of Godric admitting why he left and his feelings and conflicts around Dani, because it's SO CLICHE. But at the same time, I feel like it was a necessary scene because I feel like these feelings and thoughts are expected in this situation. So as much as I hate this twilight-Esque scene I had to put it in.