Aurora sat at one of the booths in Fangtasia, engrossed in a sketchbook, paying no attention to the ongoing commotion around her. With a glass of Tru Blood and her iPod next to her, Aurora sketched something she had been working on for an hour, carefully marking out edges and smoothing them out with the flesh of her fingertip. She let the music from her iPod run through hundreds of songs from each decade she had lived through; her favourites were from the nineteen twenties and the sixties and when she heard a song from either of those eras, a smile would tug at her red lips and she would hum to herself, her lips occasionally shaping some of the words that she remembered by heart. Every now and again, she looked up to watch her inspiration, her muse and smiled softly as she turned back to her work, shaping and perfecting it.

Suddenly, her music, which had been successful in drowning out the techno atrocity booming out of the speakers in the bar, was switched off by a clumsy human hand. Aurora's head snapped up to see three guys and two girls towering over her, swaying a little from side to side due to their extreme drunkenness. The guys were dressed in what Aurora could only describe as the tackiest clothes she had ever seen – and she had lived through the nineties. The girls' clothes were barely there, clingy fabric that hardly covered anything, and their shoes were the skyscrapers of the high heel world. Aurora did not need her heightened senses to smell the alcohol adhering on their breath and their clothes; her nose crinkled at this and she looked at them with an expression of disgust and contempt. Pam would be proud of that, she thought with a humorous chuckle.

'Can I help you?' she said icily.

'Yeah, you can,' slurred the guy closest to her. He had mid-length brown hair and wore a hideous green shirt, a beer bottle clasped in his right hand. 'You can move out of this booth.'

'I see you were not taught any manners,' Aurora commented. 'Ever heard of a little word called 'please'?'

'Oh, yeah,' one of the girls said in a terrible attempt at a threat. 'Will you please get the hell out of here?'

Aurora rolled her eyes and ignored the drunkards, going back to her drawing. Then, a grubby fist banged the table and her eyes narrowed at it, demanding silently for it to be removed from her.

'What part of that was so hard for you to understand, little girl?' another of the guys sleazily growled into her ear. 'Better you run off home, isn't it?'

'How old are you, anyway?'

'For your information, you sleazy good-for-nothing son of a jackal, my brother owns this bar.'

Their eyes flashed slightly before they started to laugh like ridiculously stupid hyenas. The laughing grew into hysteria and soon, nearly all of them were doubled up. Aurora left them to it and did a double take when she noticed that her drawing wasn't there. She glanced up hurriedly to see the guy in the green shirt holding it in front of her face, waving it at her like the matadors of Spain do to bulls in arenas.

'What's this, hey, little girl? Let's see how quick you are when – '

Aurora had had enough. She reached for him with her hands, but one of his idiotic friends was surprisingly fast and did what she did not expect from an intoxicated human. He smashed a bottle across her arm, scratching it. Aurora hissed and looked down to see deep scratches in her arm. Thankfully, she knew that she would heal soon. Now, she was angry. She saw the one who had hit her and she lunged for his throat, pinning him down on the table. His friends started screaming and yelling at her, but they did nothing to assist their comrade. The clients of the bar, meanwhile, stopped to watch this exchange but were far too interested in whatever mindless activity they were partaking in to watch what was going on.

'Get off him! You're hurting him!'

'What the hell are you doing?'

'What the f– !'

The crude exclamation was cut off as Aurora turned to show them her newly retracted fangs, still with one hand pinning her attacker down. The drunken friends took a step back and were silent. One of the girls then strangely took out their phone, holding it up to face Aurora and a red light indicated that she was recording something.

'Let's see how much we can get for actual footage of a vampire attacking an innocent bystander,' she said.

Her friend agreed, smirking at Aurora. 'I heard ABC's offering fifty grand for a real vampire attack.'

'Fifty grand? I reckon seventy-five should do it nicely.'

Aurora froze and knew that if that happened, she would be in so much trouble with both the American Vampire League and with her brother. After the Edgington fiasco, humans were desperate to gather up evidence to show vampires behind their smiling charade, eager to show the world what these monsters were really like.

Unwillingly and slowly, Aurora's fingers loosened on the guy's neck and he leapt to his feet, gasping and massaging the area where her fingers had squeezed. His friends assisted him and looked at her just as countless humans before them had done – with fear and horror. She closed her eyes and let her fangs which pronounced her a vampire to the rest of the world slowly retreat into her gums.

'Good evening,' said a cold voice behind them. Aurora looked up to see Eric standing behind the humans, his face a calm and unreadable mask.

Each of the humans turned to face him, captivated by his beauty and his deadliness, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He smiled slightly and locked in a gaze with them. Aurora knew this instantly – he was glamouring them. After a few seconds of holding their attention, he began to speak in a low and commanding tone.

'Now, all of you will forget what happened tonight. You came to Fangtasia for an hour or two and went straight home. You will not remember this girl or her actions tonight. Go home and forget about this.'

The humans, entranced and glamoured, obeyed his words and left the bar, silently as if hypnotized. Eric sighed and his eyes followed them out of the door. When it closed after them, he turned to Aurora and his eyes hardened as he approached her.

'What were you thinking, Aurora?'

'I'm sorry,' she mumbled. 'I ... I just snapped.'

'Snapping is not something that should be done in these times. Do you know how closely we are being watched? One false move and everything built since the Great Revelation will be undone.'

'I know. Forgive me, Eric.'

Eric nodded and he took her arm, examining her arm where the shards of the broken bottle had slashed her delicate porcelain skin. 'This looks deep. You need some blood to heal.'

'I'm fine, Eric.'

'Aurora,' he said sternly and she was forced to look at him squarely.

'Eric,' she countered using the same tone.

He rolled his eyes and glanced down at her injuries, which, to his amazement, had already begun healing. The slashed flesh knitted together and the blood that had been shed vanished like evaporating water. After a few seconds of shocked astonishment, there was no sign of a cut, not even a blemish to ruin her creamy skin.

'See?' Aurora said. 'You worry too much. I'm two thousand years old and you still treat me like a child.'

Eric sat down at the booth with her and stared at her, one arm over the edge of the seat. 'You are my sister. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't worry about you?'

Aurora raised an eyebrow. 'Worry about me? Eric, you glamoured five humans – which I could have easily done myself, thank you very much – to stop me from being hurt.'

'Aurora, you looked ready to kill that human. I had to intervene ... for the sake of both of us.'

Aurora heaved a sigh and looked back at her drawing which was nowhere to be seen. No sooner had she started to look for it than she found it in Eric's hands. She made to ask for it back, but she noticed Eric's examination of it. He lightly traced something with the tip of his finger and smiled at it before turning to his sister and placing it on the table.

'It's very good. But then again, it is of me.'

Aurora took it back and looked at it. Indeed, it was a drawing she had done of Eric and she had captured him perfectly. She had expertly shown him in all his power and dominance, his ferocity and his danger; however, she had managed to portray what she and only she saw in him – his vulnerability and his caring side.

'When did you learn to draw like that?'

Aurora shrugged nonchalantly. 'I do not know. I just did.'

'No-one just does something to that standard, Aurora. And also, I can tell when you're lying.'

Aurora put the drawing down and stared at her brother. 'I ... I had a friend. She was good at drawing. Well, 'good' doesn't even begin to describe what she could do. She was so talented, Eric. She could literally pick up a pencil and create a masterpiece in minutes. It was truly inspirational.'

'Was this friend vampire or human?' Eric asked curiously.

'Sadly, human,' Aurora murmured. 'She died about twelve years ago. She was sixteen years old.'

'How did she die?' Eric's tone was soft and thoughtful, taking care with every word he chose.

'She had pancreatic cancer. She was too young ... far too young ... '

'What was her name, Aurora?'

Aurora felt herself welling up with tears, her mind already transported back to that night more than twenty years ago.

'Esperanza.'

'What news can you give me, Doctor?' Aurora quietly inquired to the man in the white coat, clutching a clipboard. 'My grandmother ... is she going to die?'

The doctor nodded gravely and offered Aurora a seat in the hospital corridor. He scratched his bald head and sat with her, his eyes filled with sadness and pity for the poor girl. Aurora knew that she had to listen to the doctor, but her attention could not help but be drawn back into the room where Vera was now. The blinds were drawn and she could hear people talking in hushed tones, imperative words and commands that she instantaneously recognized as only used in emergencies.

'Your grandmother is a great age, dear.'

'She's ninety,' Aurora said. 'Many people live past that. She will. She's strong.'

'Her spirit may be, but her body is not. Sweetheart, she's very weak. Her organs are failing. Any minute now, her heart will give up. It just doesn't have the strength.'

'But you're not going to let that happen, are you?' Aurora demanded. 'You're gonna help her. You're going to make her better. Please ... '

'We'll make her comfortable, but I'm sorry, dear. You have to prepare yourself for the worst.'

Aurora nodded and glanced back to the room where her friend lay, dying. She had been with Vera for fifty years and she had cared for her like a sister. Watching her grow old and frail had been hard enough on Aurora, but she knew in her heart that there would come a time when her friend would leave her. She could do nothing to help – she had made a vow to herself not to turn any of her friends because she could not bear to inflict the same pain she was going through onto someone she loved.

'You're looking a little pale, dear,' the doctor remarked. 'Have you had any sleep at all?'

Aurora had actually just woken at sunset when she discovered Vera unconscious on the kitchen floor, but to keep up appearances, she shook her head silently.

'Go and get yourself something to drink. We'll call you if we have any change.'

The doctor then entered the room and shut the door. Aurora was alone – just what she hated. She wrapped the cardigan around her tighter and set off down the corridor. She spied a phone and thought for a few seconds about calling her maker. She had been within only a week ago and although they had agreed when to see each other next, she still felt so far away from him. She needed someone here, someone to hold her as she mourned, to stroke her hair and tell her that everything would be all right. More specifically, she needed her Godric here with her.

'You look lost,' said a voice from inside one of the rooms directly opposite Aurora. She was startled at first, but she approached the room, the door slightly open and entered it.

Upon entering the small room, she found a teenage girl sitting in the bed, hooked up to countless wires and machines. She was a beautiful girl, no more than sixteen or seventeen, with long jet-black hair and eyes the colour of fresh almonds. Her olive skin made the hospital gown she wore look like a garment in a fashion show and Aurora could faintly see a bright shade of pink on her nails. On her lap was a sketchbook and all types of drawing pencils surrounded it. The girl looked up at Aurora with curiosity and friendliness.

'So, are you?' she asked plainly in an accent that was clearly American but there was something underlying in her pronunciation, a slight accentuation to some of her syllables.

'Am I what?'

The girl rolled her almond coloured eyes. 'Are you lost?'

Aurora nodded hesitantly, not knowing quite what to make of this girl. 'Yes, I am.'

'I've never been lost here. I know this place like the back of my hand.'

Aurora smiled plainly and waited until the girl had thought of another conversation starter.

'Why are you in here?' the girl enquired. 'Cause I can see for a fact you're not sick. You're far too pretty to be even remotely sick.'

'Thank you. I'm visiting. My grandmother's ... here.'

The girl tutted slightly, knowing that she had reached a touchy subject with her new acquaintance and gestured to the chair with one of her hands, the one that was attached to a drip.

'Please sit down.'

'I'd love to, but I have to wait for her.'

'They're not gonna be done anytime soon, you know. You might as well stay here and keep me company.'

Aurora could not help but smile at the young girl and did as she requested, taking the armchair beside the bed. The girl watched her carefully and beamed as she sat down.

'So, stranger, what's your name?'

'It's Aurora.'

'Aurora,' the girl said. 'It's a nice name. A bit long. Do you have a nickname?'

'A what?'

'A nickname. You may be pretty but you're a bit slow.'

It was now Aurora's turn to roll her eyes exaggeratedly. 'I've never had one. It's just ... Aurora.'

'Right. Well, I'll be the first to give you one.' The girl thought long about the moniker to bestow on Aurora and when she discovered it, she snapped her fingers. 'Rora.'

Aurora cringed at this, but she knew that this name would stick with this girl. 'Rora, it is then.'

The girl grinned. 'I'm Esperanza, by the way.'

'Now that's a pretty name,' Aurora said.

'You think so? Mine's so long and half my friends can barely say it, let alone spell it.' She inclined her head towards a pile of cards, some made and some bought, announcing their best wishes and for Esperanza to get well soon. 'The cards are from them. These stupid doctors took the chocolate they sent. Apparently, it's bad for me. I've definitely read somewhere that chocolate is good for you.'

'I wouldn't know,' Aurora admitted. 'I've never had any.'

Esperanza's eyes bulged and she looked as though she was going to start hyperventilating. 'Never? Chocolate? Dios mio ... You haven't lived, my friend.'

'Oh, I've lived all right,' Aurora chuckled.

'Esperanza?' said a voice from the doorway. A woman stood there, the older version of Esperanza with her hair and her eyes. She held a cup of coffee and a piece of paper in the other. She stared at her daughter and then at Aurora, who immediately leapt up out of the chair.

'Mama, this is my friend, Rora.'

'Rora?' Esperanza's mother repeated.

'It's Aurora, ma'am,' she said. 'Pleased to meet you.'

'You're a very polite young lady,' the woman remarked and smiled. 'I am Maria and I'm Esperanza's mother. Are you visiting or are you ... ?'

'Visiting, I'm afraid. My guardian is ... She's ... '

The words were difficult for Aurora to produce, but thankfully, the woman, Maria, understood perfectly what she was trying to say and how hard it was for her to say it.

'I'm sorry, dear,' she apologized and looked at her daughter. 'They're going to have to run more tests, mi querida.'

Esperanza groaned. 'Again? Haven't they done enough tests?'

'They want to help you get better. This is all necessary.'

Esperanza threw Aurora a weak smile as she made her way to the door. 'I'll see you around. You'll come and visit me, won't you?'

Aurora nodded sincerely. 'Of course I will.'

'Thank you for staying with her,' Maria said quietly. 'I've been here since this morning and I just – '

'You shouldn't worry yourself. It was no trouble. You have a wonderful daughter.'

Both Maria and Esperanza smiled as Aurora left the room, but the happiness and light that filled the vampire were short-lived as a doctor approached her, a different one to the other one from before but wearing an identical look of sadness and sympathy. He informed Aurora that Vera had passed away only minutes ago. Whilst Aurora thought over his words, he told her that Vera had left her a note, feebly pushing it into this doctor's hand as she slipped away. He handed it to her and stalked off somewhere. What his destination was, Aurora did not care. She was so overcome with emotion in that moment that she barely had the energy to stand. Finding a room so she could cry and not be interrupted, she fell to the floor in a heap. She had not been with her friend when she had departed this life for the next life and Aurora knew that she would regret that for as long as she lived. However, as she sat there, her heart breaking over the loss of a dear friend, she remembered the note and with shaky hands, trembling from head to foot, she opened it. Each word was written messily but with care and thoughtfulness.

My dear Aurora,

If you are reading this, then my life here with you has come to an end. And what a happy life it has been. It began with such promise and then tragedy struck at the point in my life when I believed that happiness did truly exist. I lost my daughter, my beautiful Edith, only fourteen. I lost myself then. I blamed myself. Then, I met you.

You changed everything about me. You made me see the good in myself that I believed was lost forever. You helped me discover a meaning to life I believed was gone.

When I discovered what you were, I was scared of you, I admit, but then I saw the goodness in you and knew that you were not like the ones I had heard of. You became the daughter I always wanted. I grew to care for you and love you. I can only hope that you did the same for me.

Unlike you, my immortal child, my time on this earth is only temporary. I knew that this day would come soon so I kept this note on my person at all times and that way, you would surely find it. I wanted to live this life as a human and have the human experience that you wished me to have. You, my daughter, have made that human life filled with laughter, love and happiness. I wish to thank you.

I'll be watching you always.

Vera.

Aurora clasped the note to her heart, which now ached more than ever. Wiping the blood tears from her face, she opened the door to find a familiar person standing there. Having felt her pain, her maker had travelled all the way here to comfort her and be there for her.

'I'm here, my Aurora,' Godric whispered and she fell into his arms, resuming her sobbing. He lifted her up and kissed her forehead, wiping away fresh tears as they sprang to the eyes he loved. He hated this, what she was putting herself through. She was involving with humans and their lives, knowing that they cannot stay with her forever as he could yet she did it because she cared too much. She loved so easily.

'My Aurora,' he mused. 'Always too caring for a vampire.'

A/N: There will be more about Esperanza in the next chapter as well as the return of Sookie and the events of Season Four. Suggestions and reviews would be amazing - thank you very much for reading!