deadly {trueblood}

twenty three

hadley leaned over to godric's ear, a small smile on her face. "i'm going to find sookie, maybe talk to a few people. i'll be right back, okay?"

the man nodded at her, she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before walking off. a knowing smile formed on his pale face as he watched eric follow loosely behind her, his eyes not leaving the back of her head as she approached the stackhouse siblings.

sookie and jason smiled at the girl as they finished up their conversation, glancing at eric who continuously glanced up at her as he spoke to a couple nearby. when she was close enough to the blonde woman she put a hand on her arm, "hey sookie. i just wanted to thank you again, mr. stackhou-"

"you can call me jason."

"jason." she smiled, "if you are ever in trouble, feel free to call." the man nodded at her and she looked to sookie, "are you alright?" her eyes flickered down to the woman's busted lip.

sookie looked at the woman's bruised cheek, "i think i should be asking you that. why didn't godric heal you?"

"i didn't want him to." the woman shrugged, "but i'm fine don't worry." sookie nodded with a smile that hadley could see was forced, her gaze focused behind her head.

eric placed a hand on the woman's back and smiled softly at sookie, "may i steal her away for a while?" sookie and jason nodded, the woman giving him a hard look as he gently pulled hadley towards an empty corner.

"eric what's-"

"has godric fed since you've been back?" he interrupted, his head low next to hers.

hadley thought about it, she had given him a tru blood at her house but she only saw him take one sip of it before putting it down. "he had a tr-"

"actually fed." he snapped at her and she crossed her arms across her chest, he sighed quietly. "i'm sorry, i'm just worried about him."

"well you don't have to take it out on me!" she whisper shouted, her back coming off the wall for a second before she leaned back on it. "he hasn't had any actual blood, but whenever i asked he said he was fine."

eric nodded, leaning his shoulder against the wall next to the smaller woman. they stared into space for a while, neither of them knowing what to say to comfort the other. "do you believe he might want to die, eric?"

the man looked at her like she had grown another head, "he would've told us." he sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair. "so how long have you two been an 'item?'" he used air quotes around the word making hadley playfully roll her eyes.

"i've known him a year, we have only actually been together for six months. we both decided to wait because we wanted to get to know each other, we didn't want a lustful relationship."  eric nodded, deep down he could feel his stomach knotting as she spoke of her and godric. "but i do love him with every inch of me."

eric nodded and used every ounce of his strength to not look at her, "you told sookie that you didn't understand love." the man sighed and finally looked at her, "who hurt you eric?"

"nobody can hurt me."

"cut the bullshit everyone breaks, whether you're vampire, human, hell even demons can break." she looked like she was about to cry, deep down she felt like it. hadley was so relieved to have godric back but she hadn't gained control of her emotions yet, "everyone breaks mr. northman, but it's how you build yourself up after, that matters most."

eric watched the blonde woman walk off, he leaned against the wall once more. "my child."