Even though the book, Trick gave her, was certainly interesting, without the right name it was useless for her. And that was the thing. She didn't know her real name!

Trick had told her, the name Dan used, wasn't very typical for this group of fae - during her research, it became obvious what Trick was talking about. At that point Lauren considered the Morrigan's answer as a lie what made Dan very well a dark fae.

But then there was Dan, who said she was a Shield of Light - what WAS definitely light fae - therefore her name was some how in this book. Or not, or yes - Lauren just didn't know.

She sighed.

The problem with the fae was, whenever you think you know them, they do something completely unexpected and kick you off the game.

So it was with Dyson, Trick, Dan or … Bo.

The fact Bo was with Tamsin right now strained her nerves. She remembered her inner battle against the wolf once and now, when this was over … there was suddenly this new girl in town. Sure, Lauren said, she and Bo were friends because she believed that was exactly what Bo needed, but nevertheless she still loved Bo, with every piece of her heart and so it hurt … more than it actually should.

The doctor slightly shook her head and frowned. This wasn't the right time to think about it.

Her eyes wandered back to the books on the table and so her thoughts returned to another fae she cared about.

In her memory flashed the face with that white teeth smile and those blue sparkling eyes, the tanned skin and short hair, dog tags around her neck resting on the white shirt, strong arms folded in front of the chest.

She remembered Dan's laughter, all full and warm and hearty and thinking of her made Lauren smile.

Being honest to herself, she did had a crush for that girl, the moment she met her. There was this feeling, this 'everything-is-going-to-be-okay' - feeling when ever she was around.

Today she knew - this was part of her faeness, but she couldn't care less.

Dan was what she needed and yes - also wanted, but she was too busy saving lives, it was a worse timing, inappropriate behavior as well, unallowed too, the world they lived in was mad and her life sucked anyway. At least it was what she told herself and so she let this opportunity slip.

She once heard a saying: Never regret what you did - but what you did not.

It was true.

Somehow.

Tired and with her eyes burning, her neck and her back aching and this terrible taste in her mouth she desperately wanted to get rid of, she walked over to the fridge to find her a beer. Taking a nip and pressing the cool body of the bottle against her forehead, she closed her eyes and noticed this incredible headache forming in the back of her head.

"Where are you? Who are you? And how do I suppose to find you, Dan?" she complained.

Things were never easy with the fae. She took another huge gulp of the liquid and breathed heavily. No, never easy.

Lauren opened her eyes again and looked back to the table.

She learned, that most of the Shields of light died in the year of the Great Battle, what meant that Dan was something between a newborn or a teenage fae, probably younger than 15 or 16.

So Lauren took all the female newborns from the last 20 years before the great battle and checked them, hoping one of them would be her soldier friend. Sorting out all who died she planned to list the remained females.

Unfortunately the list was short. To be true, it wasn't a list at all, there was just one name. A fake name. Dan Sorrow.

The blonde tilted her head and massaged her temples.

So - Dan WAS dark fae … and Evony DID lie to her.

The doctor stared vacantly into space as the knocking at her door interrupted her. A quick check of the time, nearly 2 a.m. Reluctantly she moved to answer it.

"Lauren." the blood king greeted her with a warm smile. "Trick! What happened? …can I help you? Do you need something?" she asked confused.

"No, but may I come in?" he asked, his eyes all dark and honest.

"Sure." He still was the Blood King after all and so she let him pass and watched him entering the apartment.

"It is two o'clock in the morning, Trick...what …" she paused but she wasn't in the mood of being not rude. "Is there something I can do for you? Otherwise.." But the man ignored her question and looked curiously around. "Beautiful place Lauren, very beautiful place… suits you well!" he smiled and took off the hat and the coat. Obviously he intended to stay a bit longer than she wanted him to stay. "Yeah…well, thank you …" she said sightedly and closed the door behind him. "...why you don't make yourself comfortable…" she added and followed him in, curious to hear what he was up to, because Trick never really left his bar. This visit was indeed surprising and … rare and it meant no good.

"So .. Trick ..." Lauren started and gestured him to start. "what do you want?"

Deadpan the man turned to her and his black orbs were burning heavily on her. "You won't find her ...and you will stop looking for her!" Trick told her.

"What, but you gave me this book. And you said…" his hand came up and stopped her, not as distant as before but still - there was authority in his behave.

"I know, what I told you and I am sorry I misled you." he sighed "But things have changed." Lauren was certainly confused and hurt. Brown eyes couldn't understand what was happening. "Please, Lauren, take a seat and let me tell you a story."

Although this was her place she felt like a stranger in her own walls right now.

The old man took a seat in front of her and interlaced his fingers. He hesitated a moment, as if he didn't know how to start at best, but finally he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

"Some years before the Great Battle took place, there was a young girl. Her name was Theodora Dorothea Lightenheart. I knew her father quite well, Theoderich of the Lighten Heart. A general. He was a brave man, a great leader. Good father. He was as you probably guess, a Shield of light himself and he was a powerful one."

"Yeah, I read that name..." Lauren answered truthfully and earned a soft smile of the old man.

"So…I..uhm .. guess you already figured things out?"

"What things?"

"That they are dead."

Lauren eyed him and anger grew in her chest. "Not all - there is still Dan…" But Trick just smiled mildly and held his hands in defence but Lauren saw there was another part of the story he withheld.

"Of course." he paused and waited until Lauren calmed down. Then he continued. "Theodora was pregnant and gave birth to a girl… The child was officially born as a 'Lightenheart'."

Lauren walked over to the table and took the list she got from Trick. "The girl is listed as ...C. T. D. Lightenheart." Her finger tipped on the name as she informed the old man, who just nodded patiently. "But she died. The same night she was born." he noticed shock in her face.

"Theoderich was a wise man.." he continued quietly. "..he knew what was coming and so … he secretly gave the child away. Told everyone it died right after it was born. Even his daughter never learned about the truth."

"But why? " but this was something Trick couldn't tell her or didn't intent to tell.

"She was engaged to a young man called Hendrik Sorgenreich. As he heard his daughter didn't survive the night, his world crumbled and losing his wife shortly after made him a broken man."

"According to this he wasn't .. a Shield...then…"

The Blood King left his place and started to pace. "No - he wasn't."

"And Dan wasn't with him either ..."

"No. Theoderich did quite a good job to hide her. There isn't much known about your friend from this time." he said and watched her a moment.

Thoughtfully she chewed on the inside of her cheek and couldn't change to feel betrayed.

She moistened her lips and breathed in. "You do know a lot about her …all of a sudden..." And Trick nodded apologizing. "I know what you might think now, but I wasn't aware it was her, as you asked me. The girl in this story and the girl you were talking about, they weren't the same person for me. But yes. I do know … that about her." The blonde doctor eyed him skeptically and knew he was lying. Dan Sorrow was the only living Shield of Light and he pretended to not know of her? the human woman pretty much doubted that. She tried to swallow her anger but it was hard. Trick was a friend but he was also a manipulative bastard.

At least he was telling her now.

"Sorgenreich sounds German.." she stated, with that look in her eyes, she always got when she was driven by something.

"It is." he acknowledged and watched her finding things out.

Details he already knew but wouldn't tell because they won't change anything. Things she needed to find herself out as unimportant as they are he understood that Lauren needed time. And so the Blood King waited patiently, listened to the sound of her fingertips hitting the keys as she filled the word into a translator.

"'Sorgenreich' - adjective, composed of 'Sorgen' and 'reich'; meaning: 'worried' 'filled with worries'; translation: rich of sorrows.'" She leaned back. "So 'Dan Sorrow' is dedicated to her father…" she told herself quietly.

"Obviously.." Trick turned around. "You do not look exactly happy, Lauren." It was this sadness he noticed a lot lately. In her smile, in her eyes, her face, her composure. The fae didn't treat her well, he knew that. But Lauren was …no. Lauren was his friend too. He liked that girl, she was loyal to Bo, even after they broke up, she always tried to help his grand daughter. And he was grateful for this. Lauren was family!

"I just realized again I don't know anything about her." she admitted with big brown puppy eyes, a sad bitter smile on her lips. "Why I always pick the difficult ones?" she asked and let her arms fall powerlessly in her lap.

"Dan is an old fae, considered to her life expectation, you knew her less than a heartbeat…" he said and patted her shoulder and for a moment he felt so incredibly sorry for this woman.

"Yeah… I just thought…we had something."

"You did. I am pretty sure she liked you a lot."

"Oh really? I am not so sure about that right now…" but Trick just smiled widely. "I saw her looking at you. Her eyes hold the same love I saw in yours." but she just huffed bitterly. "Words will never be enough."

"No, but sometimes they are all that left. Good night Lauren …" his hand on her shoulder gave her a final squeeze before he turned around and head to the door.

"Wait. You didn't just came by in the middle of the night to tell me that story, did you? Not without a reason … why are you really here?"

He stopped and met her eyes again, then pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to the human.

"I am sorry, Lauren." he said and then he was gone.

Lauren stared at the folded paper that laid offending on the modern kitchen counter and waited to be enfolded, be read and to finally release all the information it held.

But she was afraid because she knew this kind of stationery.

It was an official notification of the Ash and she knew to expect the worst.

After she couldn't take it any longer, she downed the shot she was holding for a while now and enfolded the paper with sweaty and shaky hands.

It was a list, the list with the names of the fae that lost their lives at this war.

Scanning through the sheets she was looking for the name of her friend, but there was no 'Sorrow, Dan'.

But then, she suddenly understood why Trick told her this story.

So she went back to the list with the letter "L".

And there it was.

"Lightenheart, Clothilde Theodora Danaea Sorgenreich'" she whispered and her fingertips kissed the ink on the paper, felt the structure of the font, remembered the swift if her name right before her tears fell down her cheeks and erased the name from the sheet.

Fin

So, no doccubus, no valcubus, just some sad shit.

I really had a hard time writing this, that's why it took me so long.

There are probably a lot of mistakes and after such long time I wasn't very creative in the writing. So ...

Cya...