This story is based upon characters created by Charlaine Harris, and is an homage to her.

As Long As We Both Shall Live is a sequel to Live With Me And Be My Love………

A/N – All reviews are welcome. Please share your thoughts with me.

A heartfelt thank-you to Gjers1 for her invaluable input.

AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about. And that was the beginning of fairies…." J. M. Barrie

Prologue

The rays of the early morning sun struggled to break through the thick pines, journeying to join and then dissipate the morning mist, creating a magical effect. I stood silently on the edge of the woods, watching this beautiful human creature once again. I watched every day as she worked. Sometimes she would be tending to her garden. At times I watched through the window as she worked in her kitchen, baking pies or roasting birds. Today she was hanging her clothing on the line. Her lovely face, her golden hair, awaited my caress. She swayed as she moved through her chore. Her exquisite form - wrapped in the dress with blue flowers – was ripe and firm, driving me mad as she bent and stretched. Today, she sang as she worked;

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!
You cannot think how beautiful they are;
They all stand up and sing when the Fairy Queen and King
Come gently floating down upon their car.
The King is very proud and very handsome;
The Queen - now can you guess who that could be
(She's a little girl all day, but at night she steals away)?
Well - it's ME!

Her song shot through me to my core. I will touch this woman today. I will love this woman.

Chapter 1

June, 1987 - Adele's Letter

The woman sat at her desk by the window, willing herself to begin - she knew it had to be done. She took her deepest breath and put pen to paper.

My Darling Granddaughter:

I write this as you sleep; drained from the ordeal we have faced for the last week. My beloved son is gone, along with his wife. Your father and mother have been taken from us and now it will be the three of us together facing what the world gives to us.

There are things I must now commit to the record, so that you will know the truth. Truth is all we have Sookie. You are just a child now but in short time you will be a child no longer and there will come a day when you must know. So I will tell you.

Almost 30 years ago, he came out of the woods. He was the most exquisite man I had ever laid eyes on. He approached me at the back of the house, as I was beating the dust from a rug on the clothesline! Such a mundane chore to precede such a miraculous change. For from the moment we spoke to each other, I knew my life, my future would change and be forever bound to him.

His name was Fintan, and he was your grandfather.

He asked me for water and of course I immediately ran into the house to get it for him. My instinct told me to find out where he had come from – people don't just appear out of nowhere in the middle of a woods. But I quickly realized that it really didn't matter who he was or where he came from. One look into his eyes and I knew he was my destiny. I know you will understand this Sookie because my heart tells me that when you find this letter, you will have known this kind of love. I need say nothing more.

Sookie I still struggled. I thought I knew what was right and what was wrong, what was black and white. Now I was seeing shades of grey. I loved my husband, but I desperately wanted a child and I would never have one with him. And I was so enraptured by Fintan. I loved him also. You need to know this. I loved Fintan. This is what I mean by shades of grey. How can a woman love two men? Before Fintan walked out of the woods, I would never have allowed for this possibility. But as you move along in life, you learn that all things are possible. I accepted what I was being offered – your father and your Aunt Linda were his gifts to me.

We loved each other for years. I learned of the world he came from. He gave me the book. This is your heritage. Believe it.

Sookie, I have watched you intently and I know that you are of Fintan's world. You have gifts – some you have not yet discovered, but you will come to learn of them, I have no doubt. You and Jason are of a royal lineage, and there are those who will be watching over you. All around us, there are forces both good and evil. I caution you Sookie to be watchful, and wary. But always trust your heart – therein lies the truth and you will know it.

I love you my darling granddaughter. God be with you.

Gran

She folded her letter into thirds and slid it into the envelope. She wrote her granddaughter's name on it, and sealed it. She put down her pen and wept.

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TBC