This will be just a teaser of a brand new 'verse unless I get people telling me that they want more. Your choice, readers.

I own nothing.

Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Rosemary Herveaux wasn't your typical six-year-old. Of course, seeing how her parents were Alcide and Sookie Herveaux from Bon Temps, that really wasn't saying much. From the time that she learned to talk, Sookie knew that her faerie blood coursed through her daughter's veins. However, she also ran considerably hot all the time. What could this mean? Her and Alcide wouldn't know until she was a bit older if she was human, or if she was were. Either way, she would still be loved unconditionally. The fact that she was fae; however, this would be a problem later on. Vampires would be attracted to her, just like with her mother. Both parents were aware of this; it only made them want to protect her more. No matter what her other half was, she would still be in danger.

Ever since the epidemic with Hepatitis V finally died down, Alcide swore that he would always be there to protect Sookie. And he meant that. The two married a couple of years later, and became pregnant shortly thereafter that. Having Rosemary wasn't exactly planned, but neither wolf nor fae complained. Being happy in Bon Temps didn't last long. They took whatever happiness they could get before shit hit the fan once again.

Sookie stood in the doorway to her daughter's bedroom, watching Alcide as he held little Rosemary and told her a story. This was their nightly routine; he would tell her a series of stories that were passed down from generation to generation in his family. Rosemary loved it. It got her more time to spend with her pops. And mama would always come to tuck her in once the story was over with. The new family was still staying at the old Stackhouse home. Sookie hated even the thought of leaving this home. So, with the help of some of Alcide's employees from his contracting business, they extended the home for the growing Herveaux family.

The were looked down at his young one, who was already long asleep. She had her mother's long, silky blonde hair and doe like brown eyes. Rosemary was a miniature version of Sookie, and Alcide couldn't be more thrilled to see her grow each and every day. He could smell her distinct faery scent, but there was something else there. She was a werewolf. Alcide didn't have to wait for her first shift to know that.

Sookie came across the threshold, taking a seat on their daughter's bed. "She's out like a light. C'mon, let's leave her be," the fae whispered, giving Alcide a warm smile. She watched as her husband carefully moved around Rosemary, tucking her back underneath the covers. He really was an amazing dad, and a wonderful husband. Sook waited for Alcide to leave the room before getting up herself. It was hard to believe just what six little years can bring. And for these two, it brought a happiness that neither of them had felt before. The blonde went over to her child and ducked down to kiss her forehead. Rosemary scrunched her face up in her sleep and flipped over onto her side. With that, Sookie chuckled softly and left the room. She always had her daughter's door open ajar, just in case something happened in the middle of the night.

Alcide was channel surfing when his wife came into their bedroom. He left the TV on some random black and white show, all of his attention now on Sookie. "Rosemary still asleep?"

The fae climbed into bed beside her wolf, pulling his arms around her and settling in close. "She is." Sookie tipped her head back to kiss her husband twice. She then looked to the TV, "nothin' good on, I take it?" If there wasn't anything good on at night, the couple loved to watch old black and white shows, like "I Love Lucy", which was Sookie's favorite. It was just a thing of theirs.

When Alcide nuzzled against Sookie, he had to pause for a moment. There was a particular scent on his wife's skin, something he knew that he had smelt before. And it wasn't her usual faery scent, either. Oh. That's when it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Honey, are you alright?" Sookie asked. She could feel his body tense for a moment; it took her everything in her power to keep from listening to his thoughts.

The were rested his chin on his fae's shoulder, pulling her that much closer and cupping a hand over her flat stomach. "Sook, yer pregnant again," he confessed, strumming his thumb against her belly softly. There was no mistaking that smile coming across Sookie's lips.

"I love how there ain't no need for a pregnancy test when you're married to a werewolf," the blonde replied with a soft chuckle. She put one of her hands over Alcide's and just closed her eyes. This was the start of yet another chapter in their lives. Sook knew that she should be happy—and she was. But there was this dread in the pit of her gut. Like something bad was going to happen. Everything had been going so well for so long. Too long for Bon Temps, the fae had to admit.

Alcide might not have been a telepath, but he could tell when his faerie was lost in her own head. He then sat up in bed, bringing Sookie to rest against his chest once more. He pulled her hair out of the bun she had it tied up in, running his fingers through her tousled waves as they fell down to her shoulders once more. "I ain't a mind reader, Sookie. Let me in that pretty li'l head of yours."

The fae snuggled up against her were's chest, a small smile growing on her face. "Alcide, I'm happy. I really am, but—" she paused, reaching a hand out to cup Alcide's face, "I've got this awful feelin' in my gut that this is all too good to be true."

Alcide looked into his wife's brown eyes, a heavy frown tugging at his lips. "Sook, how many times do I have to tell you that I will protect you and our family?" He leaned forward to give her a kiss, pulling the halfling into his lap. The were's arms went around her once again for better leverage as they continued to kiss. Sure, something could go wrong at any time. But there wasn't any need to spend the rest of their lives worrying about it. "I meant it then and I still mean it now," Alcide added after they pulled away from the kiss. He then bumped his forehead against hers, their eyes locked once more.

Sookie just nodded; she knew that Alcide would try and protect them, but there were no guarantees. There were never any guarantees. The blonde gave her husband one last kiss before tucking her head underneath his chin.

"Get some sleep, Sook. We'll talk about this in the mornin'," Alcide murmured, beginning to stroke her hair again as he watched her doze off.

o—o—o

Little Rosemary sat up in her bed, not too long after her parents tucked her in for the night. Something wasn't right, even the six-year-old could sense that. She knew that she was different; she could hear everyone's thoughts, after all. Mama and Pops were scared that she could be in danger, because of what she was. What did they mean by that? Her mother often thought about her being fae. Rosemary had no clue what that was, nor why it was such a big deal. (Maybe that was why she and her mama could hold a conversation just by thinking. She can't talk to anyone else like that.) And her father thought she was a pup? The last time Rosemary looked in a mirror, she wasn't a dog.

There was a light rattling by her bedroom window, something that had woken up the young child in the first place. What if her parents were right? What if she really was in danger? Rosemary was too scared to look out the window; any six-year-old would be. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on hearing the thoughts of those around her. If someone was out there, they would be thinking about something. For someone so young, Rosemary was highly in tune to those around her. She learned all about that when she got punished for the first time; she read her parents' thoughts and was able to use it to her advantage.

Chocolate brown eyes opened once again, unable to catch the smallest interference in her head. But the noise didn't stop. In fact, it got louder and louder. Rosemary was now scared out of her mind. She didn't even hear her parents', which meant they were both sound asleep. The young girl did what most children her age would do; she burrowed herself under her covers and refused to surface for air until the sound was gone. With her heart thundering a mile a minute in her chest, Rosemary started calling out for her mama in her head. Maybe it would wake her up. Only, it never did. Once the rattling window began to calm down, the young blonde found the courage to peek up from the covers. Nothing was in her room, but that didn't mean she still wasn't freaked out beyond belief. So, Rosemary did what she always did when she was too freaked out to sleep in her own room. Whether if that was from a nightmare or anything else. She picked up her favorite pillow and tucked it under her arm along with her teddy bear and proceeded to head for her parents' bedroom. Rosemary found her Mama and Pops curled into each other, just how they fell asleep every night. She squeezed her little body in between them, face planting into her mother's chest.

Sookie stirred at the sudden movement, her eyes blinking heavily. She looked down to see her daughter holding onto her for dear life. This wasn't unusual by any means; the elder fae, however, still took it upon herself to make sure Rosemary was alright. She wrapped her arms around her fae child, kissing the top of her head. "Are you okay, darlin'?" Sook asked mentally. Alcide was a heavy sleeper, but she still didn't want to risk waking him with the two of them talking.

Rosemary poked her head up, blonde waves framing her face. "Somethin' was making noises outside my window, mama," she answered internally.

If there was anything that Sookie Stackhouse-Herveaux learned from living in Bon Temps for so long it was that strange things happened all the time here. She wasn't scared anymore. She couldn't be. There now were two little lives that depended on her. And she would do whatever she could to protect them. Her little girl was half fae; vampires all around would be lining up just to drain her dry. Sookie knew that from personal experiences.

Rosemary clung to her mother that much tighter when she felt her trying to get up. "Mommy, where are you going?! It's scary out there!"

Sookie tipped her daughter's chin up, kissing her once on the cheek. She sent her a warm, comforting smile. "I'll be fine, okay? You jus' curl up with your pops and try to get some sleep."

The six-year-old shook her head vigorously. "No!" She spoke again, this time aloud. Very loud, at that. "Mama please stay here!" In turn, her mother just let out a heavy sigh. Sook had a feeling that if she tried to leave, Rosemary would probably follow her right out the door. She was stubborn, just like her mother but she was also loyal like her father. Anything you did, she would be right there.

Alcide woke up instinctively, a feral growl escaping his lips. He was extremely protective over the ladies in his life. Hearing his daughter cry jolted him out of his deep slumber. The were looked between Sookie and Rosemary, wondering just what the hell was going on. His wife locked eyes with him and he could tell that something was bothering her. "Sook, ya wanna tell me what's going on?"

By the time those words escaped the wolf's lips; however, a loud crash came from what sounded like the living room. Rosemary attached herself to her mother, whimpering into her stomach.

"Wh—what was that?!" the hybrid child cried, her voice muffled. She crawled into Sookie's lap, who just wrapped her arms around her distraught daughter.

Sook looked up to Alcide, who was already off the bed and heading for the door. His eyes were starting to glow golden at the mere sound of an intruder. "Be. Careful," she told her husband. The were just grunted in response before disappearing out of the bedroom.

On the way downstairs, he slipped out of his pajama bottoms and shifted. He could smell other wolves around. What the fuck were they doing on his turf? Alcide was met with two shifted wolves in his living room. He bared his sharp teeth, ready to attack if they tried anything stupid. But they weren't there to fight. They were there solely as a scare tactic.

The two wolves reverted back to their human form. As it turned out, standing in Alcide's living room was Rikki—he remembered her of course, but the other werebitch? He had never seen her before. The former packmaster shifted again, staring them down like they were nothing.

"What the fuck do I owe this visit to, huh?" Alcide sneered, stepping closer to the werebitches before him. "I told ya'll I was done with this pack shit!"

"But your daughter isn't, now is she?" Rikki began, boldly closing in on the former packmaster.

Herveaux's eyes began to glow once again, but he restrained himself. "You leave her out of this, you hear me?!" He was now right on Rikki, glaring her down. She didn't flinch, no matter what. "I quit the pack, there ain't no way I'd expose her to any of that."

The mystery wolf laughed, strutting up to stand beside Rikki. "Do you think you have a choice on this?" She was of a short stature; a feisty redhead with way too many freckles decorated across her body. "You owe us, Herveaux."

Alcide's brows furrowed, taking his glare from Rikki to this nameless werebitch. "And who the hell are you?"

The redheaded were smirked. "The name's Mackenzie." She glanced over at Rikki, her eyes taking her in up and down, that sultry smirk never wavering. When Mackenzie looked back to Alcide, she nudged Rikki out of the way, seemingly unafraid to get all up in the male were's inner space. "I heard you ran away from the pack," she let out another low, raspy chuckle escape from her lips. "Cowardly move, but whatever." Mackenzie then made yet another bold move. She took a seat on the couch, lounging back against several of Sookie's throw pillows that her Gran had made her years ago. "Herveaux, you are aware that there are rules for our pack, right?"

The Shreveport pack had been keeping close tabs on Alcide ever since he left the pack. When they found out that he had a were daughter, a half were, half fae at that, well that was all the more reason for them to take her into the pack. After all, the vampires needed some kind of reparation for all the V the wolves get outta them. There wasn't a new rule, but Mackenzie was going to do everything in her power to make Alcide think so. If you're a packmaster, you have to know how to negotiate.

"I don't fucking care about the rules. I ain't a part of your damn pack anymore," Alcide growled, stomping over to the new Shreveport Packmaster and yanking her off of his couch. "Get the fuck outta here," he spoke in a dangerously low voice, "before I throw you out."

Mackenzie looked between Rikki and Alcide; she couldn't wait to kill this fucker. But first he would have to witness his faerie wife and daughter die horrible deaths. "Come along, Rikki," the packmaster spoke. Then she sent one last imploring look to Herveaux. "We have eyes everywhere, my dear. You have two days to bring her to Shreveport or everyone you've ever loved will die."

He couldn't believe that he let them go, just like that. Alcide was contemplating shifting and going after everyone in Shreveport. But it was too risky to go by himself. He had too much waiting for him upstairs. He slammed the front door behind him, a booming echo in its wake. As he climbed up the stairs, he was met with a straight-faced Sookie. She had heard everything.

Alcide's face fell at the mere sight of his wife. He gathered her in his arms and held her there for as long as either of them could take the silence. The were finally just kissed the top of Sookie's blonde head of hair before pulling away. "She needs to know, Sook. Before things get worse."

To Be Continued…?