Author's Note-Sorry if this story isn't one of my better ones, but I worked hard on it and didn't want it going to waste…..I decided I am going to make this my second to last one in my series and then start from scratch, making up a season 8 that will follow the series a little more but be (hopefully) better than the last dumpster fire that was season 7. I just got too much writers block on my current path and so the story after this one will wrap things up in a good way I hope. Thanks for your support!

PART ONE

Chapter 1

They had gone through the motions that any other family would, introducing the little one-already the size of a two year old and as they had learned, by the end of the week, thanks to the inclusion of brujo magic helping make this child possible, he would be fully grown, the form of a young adult by the end of the week. And as such, the shopping trip she had made earlier in the day had had a severely, almost hilarious array of clothing and supplies in a range of sizes. To be prepared for every growth spurt and need of the youngster. That they had Aurora Matilde Adele because honestly she hadn't liked her original one and wanted a middle name from her fathers heritage that means something to her more than the old one did (no once remembered what her original middle name had been, with the hustle and bustle of things coming after them, all that they had to go on was her first and last ones. A small hiccup in the grand scheme of things and her middle name meant "mighty battle maiden". to which her parents had both approved mightily, to her relief. But now they had to see what name suited the boy. And hopefully they wouldn't have the same minor thing with the middle name. the fact was that had been a oversight and this time, everything would be finalized and set in stone. Lesson learned.

"Well…he is a barrel of energy." she said under her breath as she chased the toddler around the house after a healthy lunch. Part of which was on the floor and the other half in the stomach of the hybrid child and his clothes. The laughter made her forget the mess and she had to smile at the fact she was once more, albeit temporarily, mother to a little one. In a matter of days that would be over and they would be teaching him to fight. To use the gifts he was born with, to learn the family he was born into. Their family and friends had met the kid last night and here they were on day three. Every one in their close knit circle had handled the news well and Aurora was thrilled that she had a brother, though she had certainly not expected it any more than anyone else had. Very little seemed to shock anyone anymore though this addition certainly had turned head and mad led to some amusing faces when they revealed the then small baby to their family last night here at their home. And now, the kid was mobile, had teeth that he wasn't quite mastering the use of yet-and leaving a trail of kid sized destruction in his wake. To her surprise and yet relief, though it was only three in the afternoon, the door to the basement opened just as she was chasing the kid up the polished hardwood floor. And there came a pair of hands, scooping up the little one before he slipped and crashed into a table where photos in rose gold frames rested.

"Gunning for trouble, that one…hey…..that makes me think of a friend of mine from way back. His name was Gunnar. He…he was one of the men who stood by my pyre the night…..the night everything changed for me. The night I got a new life." he paused, still gently holding the toddler who was pulling his hair playfully. "what do you think? it's a strong name, meaning fighter. And with Aurora having a middle mane meaning something as equally strong…..perhaps his middle name can reflect your heritage? I now you had thought about going with Adele for Aurora instead but…..maybe this time-"

"I like it. It suits him. And Gran….she would be tickled to simply have great grandkids to play with, to meet. Naming them after her and granddad, it would have been nice to honor them in that small way. But I think….the garden out back with the stones….I think that's been a good tribute, don't you think?"

The garden out in the far corner of their sprawling backyard was a three tiered fountain surrounded by tall hedges, rosebushes and other flowers, a swinging bench capping off the little sanctuary protected by tall weeping willow trees. On the base of the fountain rested a plaque with her grandparents names. It had been something she had long wanted to have, a memorial of sorts, since she no longer lived in the farmhouse her gran had spent years in. in this way, she felt more connected with her late grandparents, who she admittedly loved more than her actual parents. Her grandparents had never judged her, never feared her for what she could do. And though she had some to forgive her parents and still loved them, the fact remained that they were little more than a memory to her and a memory she sometimes wished she could forget forever. And that certainly was not normal, to think of your own parents like that. But it was what it was. Some legacies were less tarnished than others and that her grandparents were memorialized forever here on their property was comforting.

"I wish I had had the chance to meet them. I never got to meet your grandmother when she was alive and the manner in which she passed…that you walked in and saw that…" Eric took one arm and wrapped it around her, seeing the pain this discussion was bringing up, the memories. "We have that in common, I suppose, walking into a room and seeing…" the thoughts of his own family's demise was never far from his mind but couldn't be closer now with their conversation they were having. "What about a middle name? not that it is mandatory but…" he wanted to turn the conversation into one less painful for the both of them. "I am going to leave it in your hands. I think we have done well honoring both of our heritages, Aurora having two middle names. But we don't need to go crazy…."

"I wish you had had the chance to meet my grandparents too. I mean, you saw her spirit once in the whole witch incident but you didn't really have time to chat." Sookie said, reminiscing on the time she had come to the rescue of her Viking, burning thanks to Marnie and her magic that had conjured flames that had nearly burned Eric and Bill to ash. "Earl. Aurora has gran's name in her name so why not have…I mean, if it is ok with you…."

There was a silence and then a almost wistful smile crossed his face. "That we have been able to give them both names that reflect both of us…..I never really thought of myself as being one to compromise….the things you have brought out in me…." he shook his head in mock shame. "So long as this doesn't get out there that I am willing to compromise. I do have a image to think about you know."

"And what a image it is. And its all mine….when not working it at the bar, anyway." she said with a devilish wink and a kiss on his nose. She took the kid from his arms and sighed, content. "Well at least I can stop going "hey you." she said as she tousled the hair of the boy who was as blonde as his dad but had the cocoa brown eyes of his mother. "This has been weird. But a good weird. " she said after a few moments of peace. Right before the little one took off in a flash, already showing he was faster than the average kid. And as he ran, they literally watched him get taller as he ran, more leggy. Yep, this week was gonna fly by and thanks to the house's blinds that were down during the day, they were free to spend every waking moment together. It was promising to be quite a week. And it was only Wednesday.

TO BE CONTINUED