Author's Note: Another chapter for you all to sink your teeth into.

Again give it a shot. I know it's different, but change can be good right? Right? :P

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Read and Review please.

XOXO-SharaMoon


I landed on the plush carpet of my room and I immediately started to rip the clothes off my body, throwing them in the trash bin as I walked toward the bathroom. I sighed as I turned on the shower. I stood back, rolling my shoulders to get the kinks out. That damn vampire really did a number on me. He was older than most that I have killed. My highest record was killing a vampire that was at least eight hundred years old. It was tricky and I still have the scar on my back to prove it. Score for Sofia!

I hopped into the shower, closing my eyes as the droplets of water assaulted my skin, sending my sore muscles into a somewhat relaxed state. I tried to stay calm, breath deep and even as I let my hands fall to the shower tiles in front of me. Thinking of my life before I was saved is still very haunting for my soul. It's bad enough that I dream about it all the time, let alone torture myself by thinking about it when Im awake.

I watched as the vampires blood ran off my body and down the drain. I guess I have more than one reason why I kill supes that grandfather asks me to. I do it because in some sick, strange way I feel like I am repaying my mother and father for the mistakes I caused, leading to their death. I guess you could call it living for them. They aren't here, so I must live on. There must be a reason why those vampires saved me, right? Now I just have to find out that reason.

I am a great assassin, the best that they had ever had. I learned quick, absorbed everything that grandfather could teach me. I had no trouble with swords; actually they are my strongest weapon. I am fast, strong, and I can kick supernaturals asses. What more could I have asked for?

How about a life for myself? I sighed.

Here in Faery I am a princess, like my mother, yet not so much. I don't let people fawn over me, I have no right to let them do so. It's not like I should have even existed anyway, right? None of these fairies knew of me before I came here. I guess I just feel ashamed, not because of who I am. No, I am proud to be a half fairy, but I don't think I am worthy of being a princess. I have seen too much, know too much, done too much and lived through hell. I don't have the right to even consider my options on that subject. I want out most of the time. I don't want to be stuck here in this world.

I sighed again as I turned the water off my form, grabbing a towel from the side, I slid it on and exited the shower. I walked over to the counter and gripped my hands on the edges as I looked in the mirror. Other than looking beat to hell, I guess I am what humans call beautiful. My face was strong, high cheek bones that held honor, my eyes; a brilliant light brown that looked tired from exertion, to my plush lips that were mashed in a thin line, and my long brown hair falling in think curls that framed my face. Yes, beautiful to outsiders, but not to me. Looking into the mirror now I couldn't even locate the girl that I used to be.

Over the years I have developed a shell, hiding the emotions inside for no one else to see, not even myself. As I look at the dark haired beauty in the mirror I couldn't find any trace of the person that was me. I haven't been able to for years now. I was looking at a stranger, have been for a very long time.

I closed my eyes for the briefest of seconds, counting backwards from ten. Maybe if I thought of who I wanted to be and then opened my eyes, she would be standing before me. My eyes opened and I wasn't shocked to still see the stranger's eyes.

I have accomplished a lot in my time, but why doesn't it feel that way? Simple, I am not the girl I set out to be. The world is harsh and my inferior thoughts of how I used to view it, is a slap in the face. I was a fool to believe in fairy tales to begin with. How could I have let myself be such a fool? I turned away from the stranger and headed to the door, opening it swiftly before closing it, as I do with my emotions.

I quickly changed into a summer dress, a light blue that hugged my curves, fitted against my form. I rolled the towel into my hair, scrubbing it quickly to let it hang and dry. I had a meeting and if I didn't leave now I would be late.

I exited my room and began the long hall that led to grandfather's study. The fairies that lined the wall knew not to bow in my presence. I hated that above anything else. Again, I am not worthy of their followings.

I reached my destination, standing against the wall with my arms covering my chest. Grandfather wasn't here and I knew why. He was visiting his great-granddaughter in her world. I believe in the town called Bon Temps. Her name was Sookie, as I have come to learn. She was very important to grandfather, and he goes to check on her regularly. He isn't the only one that sees to her, Claudine does as well, or she did, until she became pregnant. I smiled. Claudine was a good fairy, trying to make her way up to become an angel. I envied her in a way. I knew I would never get wings, let alone ever reach God.

There was a popping sound to my left but I made no move. Grandfather had returned, smiling as he usually was. I looked at his long pale, almost white hair as he studied my body.

"I see you had a hard fight." He commented.

"Just the same as every other fight I've been in." I sighed as he came over and grabbed my arm, holding it up in closer to his face.

There were hand marks on my right bicep, showing where the vampire grabbed ahold and squeezed. It didn't hurt- the bruise. Grandfather sighed too, running his hand over my purple tinted bruise before letting my hand fall to my side once again.

"He has been killed?" He asked me.

"Of course he has." I said curtly. "Do you not believe in my ability?"

His brows knitted together as he looked at me. "No, of course I don't Sofia. That vampire was four hundred years old."

I smirked. "You worried about me."

Grandfather chuckled. "Of course I did. He was caught trying to kill a fairy, he almost succeeded. I wanted to make sure that you weren't harmed. He was old."

"I've faced older." I countered.

"Yes, you have." He said simply.

Turning away from me, he walked back over to his desk and sat in the chair behind it. He motioned for me to follow with his fingers.

"How is your great-granddaughter?" I smiled slightly as I pushed myself off the wall and stalked toward him. I plopped myself down in the chair and sighed. "You rarely talk about her, you know."

"I do?" He said, looking intently in a book. "Ah, well, she is doing fine."

The room became quite then, not uncomfortable but definitely different. After we talked about an assignment, I would usually leave, but grandfather hasn't waved me off. This was odd. I began to stand up from the chair only to hear his soft voice.

"No, stay we have to talk about something." He said without looking from his book.

I raised a questionable eyebrow before rolling my eyes and sitting back down in the chair. I tapped my fingernails on my bare knees, waiting and waiting and…some more waiting.

"Niall?" I said, trying to gain his attention.

Still I didn't receive an answer.

"Niall, do you have something you wish to talk to me about? I am pretty confused here."

He sighed. "I wanted to talk about Claudine."

Okay, even odder. "What about her?"

"As you know she is pregnant, going into her fifth month." Niall said, stopping short and waiting for my answer. I had no idea where this was going, so all I could really do was nod. "She had someone to protect, do you remember us talking about this once?"

"Yes, when you told me about Sookie." I said cautiously.

"Claudine is unable to protect Sookie; she has been, oh, I would call it on 'leave'. Therefore Sookie has no one to guard her." Niall said.

"Where is Claude?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Claude is at his strip club." Niall waved his hand, showing his distaste for it. "He is not Sookie's guardian. He doesn't have the temper for that kind of thing. You know him, Sofia, when has he ever cared about anyone but himself?"

Now I was really confused. "Niall, just tell me what you want from me. My head is starting to hurt." I chuckled.

"I need you to protect Sookie." Niall said bluntly.

"Pardon me?" I blinked a few times.

"I need you to protect Sookie." He said a little louder.

"No, no. I heard you." I sighed. "Niall, I have never protected anyone. I've never been stationary. I am an assassin, not a bodyguard."

"You are the best." He said simply.

"She's dating a vampire right?" I asked. Niall told me a few things about Sookie, but he pretty much left her evasive.

"She has dated two vampires." He answered swiftly.

Two vampires? I shook my head. Not going there. "So, why can't her vampire protect her?"

"Sookie needs a lot of protection. She has been targeted in the supernatural world because her association with vampires and also meddling in other areas."

"She meddles?" I raised both eyebrows that time.

"Not intentionally. She has signed an agreement with a vampire a while back. She would do work for them, using her mindreading abilities."

That got my attention and I leaned forward in my chair. "She's a telepath? Like me?"

Niall smiled. "Yes, she is, but as I was saying; because she was in this agreement she would be lent out to use her ability. That created attention and many supernatural beings know of her existence."

"You wanted to keep her hidden?" I accused.

With being half fairy, even in this day and time, it was still frowned upon; mainly by other fairies. With Sookie bringing attention to herself, I could only understand why Niall would want to keep her hidden, but that didn't mean I liked it. It was like she put a target over her chest, she clearly didn't know how the world worked for half fairies like us.

Niall didn't answer, because he knew I already knew what he would have said anyway.

"Why do you ask this of me?" I leaned back in the chair and crossed my legs.

"As I have said, you are the best. You would be able to protect her better than anyone else. You could also help her contain her fairy abilities." Niall's eyes pierced mine. "You could live in the human world, Sofia. I know that is what you want too."

He was right; there was no way I could deny that. I wanted to live the way I wanted to live and I couldn't do that here, but I have never protected someone before. I have never stayed in one place too long when going to the human realm.

"I don't make friends." I said nearly a whisper.

"You could if you opened up to someone." Niall said, reaching across the table to grab my hand. I let him take ahold of it. "Sofia, you need to realize that not everyone is untrustworthy."

I rolled my eyes and looked at the wall. I couldn't take this speech. I didn't have trouble trusting, that wasn't the issue. What the problem I had was that I never could let anyone in, never let anyone see the real me. Hell, I don't even know who the real me is.

Finally I looked into Niall's eyes, they were soft and he was looking at me gently. He was the only person that had ever seen me cry, the only person I could let in before. I counted on him as he counted on me. I trusted him with everything I had.

"Alright, I'll be her protector." I said slowly, taking in his features.

His eyes sparkled before mine and his smile dazzled across his face. He was proud of me, for making that decision. "Good." He said simply.

I got up to leave, heading to the door before his voice stopped me again.

"You'll be able to get along with Sookie. She is very nice." He said.

I smiled and kept walking.