PART ONE

Chapter 1

It was a few months after the vacation that they had sorely needed and life had been more of the same. Not that they saw it as a bad thing and of course, those crazy people who would show up at either Fangtasia or Bellefleurs to get a shot at one half of the couple was enough to keep that excitement alive, that sense of adventure, nothing was comparable to that which happened on this particular late summer evening.

That they had enjoyed extra time together was one thing but they had also enjoyed having Aurora remaining in a state of appearing five years old. But the morning came when there were not the noises of morning cartoons coming from the bedroom of the faerie-vampire child, but the shocked and startled cries of a much changed Aurora. As evidenced when Sookie went in to check on the noises she heard from the room down the hall. There, amongst the clutter of the toys, a bed that had been too small for the former child was broken, unable to support the weight of the doe eyes, stunned looking woman standing amidst the light destruction. Her hair was blonder, down to the small of her back and her eyes had changed color as well, blue eyes streaked with the brown that were so much like Sookie's. And even though it was morning, the big Viking had been aroused, on the alert having heard the strange noises from down the hall in their basement suites.

"I didn't mean to break the bed…..I was waking up and then I felt funny and the next thing I knew, there was a light and noises and crashing and cracking…" Aurora was rambling, clearly shaken by her sudden growth. She had gone to bed appearing as a five year old and now? She stood taller, appearing to be as a 20 something woman. Beautiful didn't begin to describe the new version of their daughter-she had been blessed with excellent genetics, to be sure. Though she was a dangerous being to cross as well, being a faerie vampire hybrid as her mother was. And one would be foolish to mess with her when so many knew full well who her father was. A more protective and fierce set of parents would be hard to find. "Aurora…." Sookie said slowly, carefully moving around the bedroom, stepping over scattered stuffed toys, a collection of shirts from their recent Disney trip. Gently, she went to touch her daughter on the shoulder and found herself looking just slightly up at her daughter. Clearly, she had inherited the height from her father and not Sookie.. The young woman stepped back, still on edge as she looked at her parents to the mess surrounding her.

"I didn't mean to….." she said softly, tears in her eyes as she glanced from Sookie to Eric, who looked back in amazement at what had transpired. Even he was at a loss for words but he too walked carefully into the room and right up to Sookie's side as they stood within a foot of their daughter.

"How do you feel? I mean, I could get Niall here and-" Sookie was interrupted by a flash of light as the very fairy she spoke of appeared before them.

"It's bee quite some time but I knew I would be needed….my young one, you certainly have grown, haven't you?" Niall said as he greeted his great granddaughter, a smile on his face and seemingly unconcerned about the change in her. He gingerly reached for her face and though for a moment, she stepped back, she felt a calming sensation overtake her and Aurora let her grandfather place his hands on her temple, closing his eyes as she did hers and there came a soft glow before it faded and both opened their eyes.

"Well? Is she ok?" Sookie asked, hoping for the best, fearing the worst. But with a look from her grandfather put her fears to rest and she sighed in relief, falling into the waiting arms of Eric, who looked relieved, but yet cautions. His eyes met those of Niall.

"Are you certain she is alright?" he asked with narrowed eyes. It was not that he didn't trust the fairy king. There were few people that he did in fact trust. Still, this was a unsettling moment for them all and with Aurora being as scared as she was, nothing would be taken to chance.

Niall patted the shoulder of the Viking before patting Sookie's back soothingly. "She is perfectly fins, just shaken up some faeries react matter of factly and others are quite shaken by the change. And your daughter, clearly, is in the latter." Niall explained as he turned back to Aurora and without warning, placed his hands on her temples again, the woman falling backwards gently upon the bed that had suddenly been replaced by a brand new bed, reformed and reshaped from the remains of the old one. Far more adequate for a person of her new stature, Aurora looked like the princess she shared a name with.

"Why did you do that?" Sookie asked as she went to the side of the bed, using her magic to send the scattered tows and other things on the floor sweeping to the side to as not to trip up anyone.

"She needs a good rest for her body to acclimate. And when she wakes, she will be feeling better. But I think she is still going to be fearful and will be trying to come to grips with what had happened. And that, my dear, is a job for her parents to do. I can only do so much but it is the guidance and love of her parents she needs at this time. This may sound like a easy thing, to be there for her, to teach her to come into her own…..but the past that the two of you share most definitely has affected her in ways not even I fully understand. Think of her as being damaged goods….that may not be the best way of putting it but…..the thing to remember is that she can be helped. Healed. By coming to terms with what she is, what she can do. Where she came from. As a child, those things were not a worry to her but now? She's an adult now and things have rushed back to her, the past rushing back to meet the present. Maybe the kidnapping weeks back played a part in it, even as young as she was, her mind certainly was able to absorb what had happened…."

They said nothing, but looked down at their now grown daughter, worry and pain replacing the recent joy and fun they had shared on their recent vacation. Part of Sookie was angered at losing their little one and yet she was still there and they were all well able to lead long, long lives together as a family. And the other part of her was simply grateful that they even had a child together, as it was never supposed to have happened, but thanks to some strong magic and a bit of help from Niall, the sleeping beauty in front of them was in existence. "She looks…peaceful." Sookie said after a thoughtful silence as she came to grips with the new version of her daughter. "But I sense the turmoil in her….she's in pain."

"This will not be an easy road for you two….not that either of you have ever really had a easy road in life….but it is up to the two of you to help her cope and if I could take her pain and torment away, if I could remove that which the both of you still carry, I would. But life is not meant to be easy for anyone and it is the challenges that help make us stronger. I will always be around if you need me but this is up to the two of you to help see her through this difficult time. Life can change in a heartbeat as you can both see and know…..the sleep I out her into will help take the edge off the pain and confusing but the rest of up to you and so I wish you the best." with a respectable bow of his head to the two, Niall vanished, leaving the two with a challenge ahead of them that would prove to me more daunting than they ever could have foreseen.

Chapter 2

They remained at the bedside for hours and it was not until night had fallen when the young woman awoke, her hair askew and her pink pajama shirt and bottom a little wrinkled from her rest. She scooted up unto her back was against the backboard of the bed and she could only blink at her parents who were seated in a loveseat across from her. The room had been further tidied up and made to look more appropriate for someone of Aurora's age. Even the open closet was revealed to have clothes that were adult sized rather than that of a five year old. Of course, they would be able to work as fast as they had during her long sleep, look at who and what they were, Aurora thought to herself as she took her eyes away from a new vanity that was set up and instead drifted her eyes to look at the anxious looks on the faces of her parents. Tossing off the new comforter atop her, she noticed her room looked nothing like it had before.

"Your father hated waiting for you to get up and wanted something to do….other than going out looking for a fight to soothe his nerves." Sookie explained gently as she strode over to sit on the edge of Aurora's bed, embracing her daughter for the first time since she had changed. however, the other hug that Aurora desperately wanted, needed apparently wasn't forthcoming. At least, she hadn't thought so. Though she knew there was compassion and love in the embrace she was receiving, there was something else that the astute and now grown Aurora was sensing. And it was something quite troubling. Try as she might, she tried to get her father to meet her gaze but he couldn't …..wouldn't.

"Dad?" Aurora said as she watched her father stalk from the room, leaving not only herself confused and hurt but Sookie too seemed taken aback by his seemingly cold behavior. She looked to her mother. "What's the matter with him? I didn't mean to grow up, I couldn't help it and-"

"He's still having trouble….adjusting. I think he knew this time was coming but he didn't expect it so soon. And as much as he looked forward to teaching you how to fight…..this new life…..this way of life….it's still something he has trouble with I think. The vacation we took…I had hoped it would help rid him of the worry, the concerns he was having about raising a older version of you. Especially after what happened to Andy Bellefleur's faerie daughters….." Sookie gave her daughter a brief rundown the fate that had befallen three of the four faerie daughters of the town sheriff. "I think maybe part of him fears somehow…."

"That he would lose control around me…that he would…" Aurora dared not finish her train of thought, never thinking for a moment that her own father could be the one to end her. Though she knew well enough how well she would smell to vampires…any vampire. And though she was part vampire herself, the fairy blood in her was strong, as she descended from a strong and famous faerie bloodline. To say nothing of the vampire bloodline she descended from. But something was clearly amiss and though there was no doubt that the Viking loved his wife and daughter, something was unsettling about him in the brief time he had bore witness to his now grown daughter.

"Its me isn't it….he is really worried me might-"

"Losing control when it comes to you….I can't possible see such a thing happening. He is fiercely protective…." Sookie said as she glanced at the spot where he had briefly been sitting. Where they had last seen him before he had so abruptly left. "I can go talk to him, just….wait here, ok?"

Aurora looked like she wanted to protest but a look from her mother, that pleading in her eyes made her pause. "If you don't come back in a half hour, I am definitely getting involved. Well, I mean, I already am involved but you know what I mean."

"Why not enjoy your new room while I talk to him, ok?" Sookie said as she took her hands and placed them into her daughters, looking at the eyes that were so much like her father's. Full of fire, life. Love. And there was still that impatience there too.

Sighing, Aurora nodded and turned to get a better look at her rapidly remodeled room. To think mere hours ago it was a room fitting a kindergartener…..and she had yet to attend school…..not that she really needed to. It was knowledge that had been granted to her upon her latest growth spurt that she had come to know that with every spurt, faeries attained the knowledge of their pasts, their parents and the common knowledge that all ordinary people would pick up in their schooling. Aurora knew that her brain was working at an evolved level, that her educational level was beyond a mere mortal, let alone a college educated individual.. Not that she had to worry about ever needing a job, not with her being who she was, what family she belonged to. Still, Aurora was determined to make it on her own, that streak of independence making her want to go out into the world-be it this one or Faery-to become a great figure in her own right, rather than resting on the laurels of her parents.

TO BE CONTINUED