'Look at my face!'

'Pam – '

'Look what that bitch did to my beautiful face!'

I could not help but sigh in discontent. Pam had been screaming this for the best part of two hours, her peeling face worsened by the untouched flow of blood tears. I wanted to shake her and tell her that this screaming would not help matters, that it certainly would not get her beauty back any quicker. However, there seemed to be no convincing her otherwise. For now, she was beyond my reasoning.

'I'll kill her, Aurora!' she fumed, her eyes as flaming as the witch who had caused her this anguish. 'I will fucking – '

'There's no need for that kind of language, Pamela,' I chided her. 'It's not going to help matters, is it?'

'It will sure do me some good,' she growled and was silent again, her anger succumbing to sadness now, with more tears flowing than profanities. 'Aurora, look what she's done ... to Eric ... to me ... '

I never thought I would live to see the day when Pam needed comfort, especially from me who she loathed unconditionally. I reached out my hand and touched her shoulder gently. She stiffened at this gesture and looked at me with saddened eyes, allowing me to see the full force of the witch's dark spell. Pam was barely recognizable; strips of flesh clung to the bones of her face but in time, they would rot away as the rest of her face had done. Streams of blood stained her ruined cheeks and her clothes as she continued to weep for her fallen beauty.

'Help me,' she pleaded. 'Fix me.'

'You know that there is nothing in my power I can do to fix this,' I whispered, taking both her shoulders so that she was facing me. 'I would fix you and Eric in a heartbeat if I had it in my power, but I don't. I am ... powerless.'

'And at two thousand years old, as one of the oldest vampires in the world, that must be damn annoying,' Pam managed to state with a spark of her unique humour.

I nodded softly, agreeing with her wholeheartedly. I was stronger than nearly every vampire I had ever encountered, but against this one woman, I was totally powerless. I was a mere puppet to her. I could be commanded and cursed as Eric and Pam had been.

'It really is,' I said softly. 'But we can do something. We're not completely powerless, at least not yet ... '

'What did you have in mind?' Pam croaked.

It took me a few moments to formulate a plan in my mind, the idea flowing as fast as the words on my tongue. 'Go and see the King. Compton or whatever his name is.'

'Bill? You seriously want me to go and see Bill?'

'Yes. He is the King of Louisiana. He must get involved.'

'But he was the one who sent Eric there in the first place. He's the reason behind this whole mess and Eric losing his memory. I'd sooner let the rest of me rot than kneel before the one who sent my maker into the lion's den.'

'Pam, don't you understand?' I said. 'Now that you have been afflicted by this witch, he has to do something. Insist that he help find this Marnie so that she will reverse the spell. Then, we'll have her cure Eric.'

Pam thought on this for a while before she nodded. 'I will go to him.'

I copied her action in agreement. 'Remember, Pam. He cannot know Eric's affliction or his whereabouts. He'll have Eric meet the True Death for supposedly endangering the safety of our kind. You can't imagine the danger it is having an amnesiac vampire somewhere in Louisiana, especially what with everything Russell Edgington did to ruin what we have built.'

Pam noted, 'That bit about Russell was very bitter, I noticed. Had a few run-ins with him?'

My hand curled into a fist as I thought of the vampire, the creature, who had maintained a habit of ruining things in my immortal life. 'Yes ... I guess you could say that.'

Pam nodded, knowing that this was a conversation best left alone, and made her way up the stairs of Eric's mansion. My brows furrowed as I made my way to the top of the stairs in the blink of a human eye.

'I thought you were going to see Bill.'

'I am, bossy boots,' Pam murmured. 'But I must make myself look ... presentable.'

It killed Pam to say something like this; normally, she would say something along the lines of 'goddess-like' or 'more voluptuous'. The Pam standing before me was completely different to the one I had met in Fangtasia so long ago. The fire was still there, but its beautiful frame had been shattered, beyond all recognizable and known repair.


Rome

I was sitting at the fountain in the courtyard of my home when Cassius bounded in, Godric following close behind. He leapt from one servant to another, obvious delight on his face, asking them in a hurried voice where I was. I stood and he saw me instantly, rushing forward and lifting me high into the air in the same way that he did when we were children in this very spot.

'Sister, it is a bright and beautiful day!' he exclaimed as he set me back on my feet.

'My brother, what joy have the gods bestowed upon you?' I said, laughing as I clasped his face in my hands. 'Is everything all right?'

'Better than all right, Aurora. Much better. I bring joyous news and – where's Godric?'

'Here, Master Cassius,' Godric chuckled as he made his way to stand beside me, touching my hand fleetingly in an affectionate manner. 'Tell your sister, Cassius, before you burst with joy.'

'Yes, Cassius, tell me!' I cried out.

Cassius took a deep breath and smiled, showing me the brightest beam my eyes had ever found themselves beholding. 'Lucretia has had her child.'

My mouth dropped open and my hands, clamped now on his hands, squeezed tightly. I was an aunt. My sister had brought a wondrous life into this world. I said a thankful prayer to the gods and for my sister's health.

'How is she?' I pressed Cassius for answers. 'And the baby? How are they both?'

'Calm yourself, sister,' Cassius chuckled. 'She is well, as is the baby. It is a boy. They have a son.'

'And Father has his heir,' I whispered, mostly to myself than to either my brother or Godric, before I rushed forward, leaving both boys in my wake. 'I must see her.'

'Then, we will all go,' Cassius said as we hurriedly made our way to the villa Fabricius and Lucretia owned. 'Although, they have not had time yet to miss us.'

'We have only just left,' Godric explained as he kept pace with me, leaving my brother a few steps behind. 'Your brother wanted to call in on his sister and discovered that she was in labour. After hearing his first cries, we both agreed that we had to rush back and inform you.'

'But she was not due to give birth for another month,' I said, concerned. 'Have the physicians and the midwife thoroughly checked that she and the baby are safe?'

'Yes,' Godric said exasperatedly, amused by my fervent attitude. 'You worry too much, Aurora.'

'And you do not worry enough, Godric,' I teased him as I sped up faster, eager to see my sister and greet my nephew.

I arrived at the villa where I was greeted by my elated father, who kissed both of my cheeks, his eyes sparkling and his grin far wider than I had ever seen. I passed my brother-in-law and took his hand as he smiled at me and led me through to a little room where my sister – my beautiful, wonderful sister – sat, cradling a bundle that contained my nephew. She seemed to be talking to him as she rocked him gently back and forth. I made no sound but she somehow seemed to sense my presence and looked up at me, her lips breaking into a smile.

'Aurora,' she sighed. Words failed her then and she looked down at the bundle before slowly looking back up at me, her eyes beckoning me forward.

I took small, lithe steps into the dimly lit room, illuminated solely by candlelight and the shimmering light of the silvery moon that cascaded in from an open window behind Lucretia. She had never looked more radiant and full of life as she sat there, bathed in moonlight, cradling her newborn son. She smiled up at me as I leant over her and kissed her forehead, peering into the bundle as I did so. The baby – my nephew – stared up at me with eyes bluer than lapis lazuli and skin as white as milk. His mouth broke into a smile as his mother's had done only moments previously and reached out with a tiny hand, his fingers stretching for something ...

'Little Fabricius wants to meet you,' Lucretia whispered and lifted him upwards. 'There you go, my son. Go to your Aunt Aurora.'

I carefully took my nephew into my arms and cradled him expertly as though my arms were meant to hold him. Little Fabricius watched me intently as I rocked him and his fingers found a lock of my hair to hold onto.

'Hello, little one,' I whispered. 'Look at you. You're so ... I cannot even find the words. I am going to be the best aunt that ever lived.'

'And the best godmother,' Lucretia added.

I stopped and turned to face her, so overcome with emotion that a tear rolled from my eye down my cheek. 'Godmother? You mean it?'

'Of course I mean it,' Lucretia murmured. 'Who else would I choose?'

My smile became even brighter as I looked down on my nephew, now also my godson, and had never felt such a swell of pride in my life. For as long as he lived, I would protect him.


The phone rang as soon as Pam left. She had dressed as though she was going to a funeral in a black dress complete with a veiled hat to hide her rotting face from the world. It was the first time I had seen her in black and the material wasn't Latex or for the benefit of eager fangbangers. I bade her farewell, but she barely looked back as she sped off to see Bill Compton. She wanted this curse got rid of and soon.

I picked up the phone and held it to my ear, not knowing who would speak on the other end. 'Hello?'

'Aurora? Is that you?' The voice belonged to none other than Sookie Stackhouse, the human hiding my amnesiac brother. I smiled as I heard her voice, timid at first but with hints of strength.

'It is indeed,' I said, smiling at the voice. 'Hello, Sookie.'

'Hey, listen, I kinda need to talk to you. It's about Eric.'

I stiffened and was alert immediately. 'What about Eric? Is he all right? What's happened?'

'Don't worry,' she assured me. 'He's fine. At least I think. He's just woken me up, saying something about a bad dream.'

'Bad dream? What did he say about this dream?'

'That there was a vampire and he wanted Eric ... to drain me. Aurora, I think he was talking about ... Godric.'

I took an involuntary step back. Eric had had a bad dream about Godric? Godric had wanted Eric to drain Sookie ... No. This was not my Godric, the man I loved unreservedly century after century. I had had dreams about my maker, but those were different; if I was perfectly honest, I would rather have lived in my dream world with Godric than spend one moment in reality.

'Anyway, it's spooked him,' Sookie continued. 'He's here with me now. I thought I would give you a call, seeing as you're his sister. Maybe you could talk to him ... '

'Sookie, he barely even knows who I am,' I said in a pained voice. 'How can I speak to him about Godric if he barely knows me?'

'You're going to have to try. I don't know what else I can say. Please, Aurora ... for Eric.'

At these two words, I knew that I had to go. I had to see my brother. There was no question about it. When I arrived at Sookie's house, I was greeted by a nightgown-clad Sookie, her hair loose and blowing in the wind as she opened the door to allow me entry. She smiled at me warmly as I entered and took my hand to lead me upstairs, chattering away as she did so.

'I didn't know what else to call. I thought about calling Pam, but I didn't think she would know Godric as well as you ... '

'No one knew Godric as well as I did,' I murmured to Sookie's sad smile.

'He's just through there,' she said, gesturing to her bedroom door. 'Go on in.'

I pushed it softly and it swung open to reveal a pleasant room with a bed complete with its own half-naked vampire. Eric lay curled up, cheeks reddened by blood tears he had clumsily wiped away. Upon noticing me, he leapt to his feet and stared at me, only recognizing me from our brief meeting when he had first been cursed with this memory loss.

'Eric,' I said like a tamer approaching a wild lion. 'Do you remember me?'

'Aurora, right?' he asked in a soft voice that the real Eric would never even dream of using. 'Yes, I remember you. You're my ... sister.'

I nodded and walked further into the room. 'Sookie called me. She says that you had a bad dream. Why don't you tell me about it?'

Eric looked eager to tell me, but his eyes averted to Sookie as though looking for her approval first. Sookie made a hand gesture that told him to continue before she disappeared downstairs to make a cup of tea for herself and to heat up some Tru Bloods for myself and Eric. Once she had closed the door, Eric sat back down on the bed and looked at me, waiting to begin his tale. I sat next to him, watching him as he stared off into the distance, remembering what he had witnessed. When he had finished his account, he looked at me, hoping that I would have the answers to his unanswered questions.

'I know that I'm a vampire,' he said softly. 'I know what I am. I just ... I just don't know who I am.'

'Well, Godric is part of both what and who you are,' I murmured. 'He was your maker. He made you a vampire and he made you the man you are today. Without him, you wouldn't be Eric Northman.'

'But how can I be that man when I remember nothing?' he said, frustrated with himself. 'I have lost myself. Apparently the old Eric is completely different to me.'

'You're not wrong there, you know,' I muttered, suppressing a knowing grin. 'Listen, Eric, it might be comforting to you if I told you about the real Godric, not the mockery that featured in this nightmare of yours.'

Eric contemplated this for a moment and agreed. 'That would be ... good. Would you mind terribly, Aurora?'

I smiled at this sweet Eric and shook my head. 'No, of course I wouldn't.'

To my complete and utter surprise, Eric made himself comfortable and laid his head in my lap, one hand resting on my knee, the other behind his head. I was taken aback by this, but I fell into the rhythm and as I spoke, I absentmindedly stroked his hair, watching his eyes close as he listened intently to my words.

'Godric was the best man I have ever known,' I began. 'He found me and brought me to a world of night and stars. We walked the world together for many years and then he found you. He made you his son, his brother, his father ... '


Rome

Godric, Cassius and I strolled home, taking our sweet time, savouring each and every moment together. I was elatedly happy; nothing could bring me down today. I was an aunt and a godmother to a beautiful baby boy. I had my Godric, the love of my life. And I had my brother, my lifelong companion and my best friend. It seemed as though the gods were smiling at me from above.

'You looked at home with Fabricius in your arms, my sweet love,' Godric remarked as we walked together through the streets of Rome that led to our villa. 'You glowed almost as much as Lucretia did.'

'You think so, Godric? I had never been happier than with him in my arms.'

Godric pretended to be stung by this. 'And what about me? Here I am, cast out of your affections by a boy who is not even a day old.'

I quickly kissed him on the lips to stop him from speaking. 'You know that I love you and being in your arms is the place where I would gladly spend the rest of my days.'

'In that case then, I guess I can share you with Fabricius.'

I grinned and looked forward at Cassius who was walking ahead of us, not wanting to intrude on the private moment between Godric and I. He also served as lookout so that our affection could be hidden away quickly and out of sight in seconds.

'Well, look who it is,' said a voice from the shadows of one of the houses.

We three turned, stiffening at the voice; I grasped Godric's hand tightly to stop me leaping on this person and clawing his eyes out with my bare hands. Brutus Tiberius emerged, staggering from side to side, his clothes dirty, his hair matted. I could even smell the wine on him from where I was standing and it repulsed me, making me sick to my stomach. He staggered closer and closer. I felt Godric tense up and Cassius stand closer to me, surrounding me like a barricade. They were protecting me. From what, I could not say, but it terrified me to even think about it.

'You know,' he continued, 'that isn't the best greeting for your fellow soldier, Cassius.'

'Get yourself home, Brutus,' Cassius growled sternly. 'You are drunk. Go home and leave us be.'

'Hello, Aurora,' Brutus said, ignoring Cassius and leering at me. 'I've been thinking a lot about you lately. Especially during the night ... '

Godric lunged forward, ready for his fist to collide with Brutus' face, to kill him where he stood. I held him back, crying out for him.

'No, Godric, don't! He is not worth even the dirt beneath your feet.'

'Harsh words, Aurora,' Brutus leered. 'Maybe I can sweeten them for you ... '

'I give you one last warning, Brutus,' Cassius said, trying hard to keep his anger under control. 'Go home.'

'And I give you a warning, Cassius Soranus. Do not toy with me.'

Then, Brutus produced a knife, the blade directed at my brother. I gasped as I noted the recently sharpened blade. I did not want my brother or my Godric hurt. I could not bear that.

Cassius saw the blade and placed one hand behind him so that I was pushed further back, away from him. Godric did the same, knowing that violence could only ensue if we were not very careful. It was obvious that this knife was meant for me, that its blade was meant to pierce my skin and spill my blood. However, there was no way that I was going to stand by and allow either boy to risk his life to protect him.

'Do you know that my father knows about the disturbance at your villa?' Brutus continued, playing with the knife, knowing how it unsettled the three of us. 'Apparently one of the guests found the need to inform my lord and master. Do you know what he did? He cut me off. He said that I did not deserve a single penny until I learned to better himself.'

'Your father is an intelligent man,' Cassius commented.

'So you would think,' Brutus sneered. 'As for me, I've been keeping myself busy at the whorehouse. Plenty of wine and food. The company's not bad either. Although, I am missing my favourite whore ... '

It did not take long to figure out that he was talking about me. I had never felt more disgusted and I could almost feel his hot breath on me again, his hands on my flesh ... At this, Godric leapt at him, fists curled and ready to do whatever damage he could. His fist collided with Brutus' face and he fell back a little, but he swung the knife, narrowly missing Godric's stomach. Cassius knew that it was time to intercede, but I did not know whether his intentions were to stop the fight or to finish what Godric had started.

'Stay back, Aurora,' he commanded me, pushing me further away. 'Stay back. You'll get hurt.'

I cared nothing for myself or my own well being. My attention was now fully concentrated on my Godric as he expertly dived every attack Brutus clumsily launched, but he was close to being cut on many occasions, making my heart stop momentarily. Cassius ran at him, tackling him to the ground where they both landed with a sharp thud. Then, I heard Godric reach for the knife, to prise it from Brutus' hands before he did some serious damage. He grabbed it and Brutus knew that he had been defeated, struggling only slightly now. My brother knelt on top of him, his weight keeping him firmly pressed to the ground, unable to move.

'Godric, give me the knife,' Cassius commanded.

Godric reluctantly passed it to him and walked back to me, his eyes not leaving Cassius until they reached me. He held me for a few moments before holding me at arms' length to check that I was all right.

'Godric,' I whispered. 'I'm fine, my love.'

'I was only checking, my beloved,' he assured me as we turned back to Cassius.

I had never seen him this angry before. His face was reddened and his eyes were burning brightly; the words he spoke to Brutus were said with such venom that it took me a few moments to come to the terms with the fact that it was my twin brother saying them.

'My sister is not a whore,' Cassius hissed ferociously. 'She is an innocent, who you revile at every opportunity. You sought to violate her both physically and with your words.'

'Then, you don't know her at all then,' Brutus managed to get out before Cassius brought the knife down so that the blade was only inches away from his throat. That soon stopped him talking.

'I am not finished,' he snarled. 'If you ever so much as look at her again, I will find a good place to stick this blade. I warn you now and I want you to take this as my final warning. This is not a threat. This is a promise. Stay away from Aurora, or I will kill you.'

'If I don't get to him first,' Godric murmured, loud enough for them both to hear.

Cassius glanced back at the both of us and nodded sternly before turning back to Brutus. 'Go. Get yourself back to whichever hole you have climbed out of like a sewer rat. And I warn you now. Leave my sister be.'

I watched as the knife was cast away to Brutus' side and Cassius stood, taking every opportunity to stamp on whatever body part he could. He walked over to us and I threw my arms around him, holding him as though he was about to disappear.

'It's all right, Aurora,' he whispered into my ear, squeezing me tightly. 'No one will harm – '

I heard it all, but it was too late. I could do nothing. I heard a scuffle and a intake of hot, angered breath as Brutus rushed forward and cut my brother's words off. I released my brother slowly as our eyes both followed the trail down to the place where the knife had entered his side. Cassius' eyes filled with horror as mine did, seeing Brutus standing behind him, almost as terrified as we were. It seemed that he had had no idea that he would do such a thing and he looked at the knife, lodged in my brother's body, as though something had come over him to cause this attack.

'Cassius!' I screamed and Brutus stepped away, falling over himself, lying there and watching the scene unfold in his very eyes.

Cassius fell to the ground and I fell with him to my knees, holding him in my arms, soaking myself in his blood. Godric knelt on the other side, watching him intently. I could do nothing but cry for him and stroke his hair, my eyes forbidden to look at the wound.

'Cassius, stay with me,' I begged him, the tears falling thick and fast. 'Cassius. Don't you dare leave me.'

'Aurora,' he croaked, his voice hoarse and weakened. 'It's all right.'

He stretched up a hand, drenched in his own blood, up to my face to wipe away my tears; however, this only made me cry harder and with a free hand, I held onto his as tight as I ever had, knowing that it was coming. The time was coming ...

'You will be fine,' I almost commanded him. 'You'll be fine. We just need to get a physician.'

I looked to Godric now who watched me with saddened eyes, tears forming himself. He looked at me in despair and I could not help but cry out to him in frustration. Why wasn't he doing anything? Why? Unless he knew that there was nothing to be done. Godric knew that my brother could not be saved.

'Aurora,' he whispered.

'No,' I shot back. 'Godric, go and get a physician. Tell him it is urgent. Tell him that Cassius Soranus is hurt. Tell – ' Words failed me and my voice rose until I was screaming at my beloved, my anguish fully consuming me. 'Do something, Godric! Help him! We have to ... help him ... Please ... '

Godric stopped me with a whisper of my name. 'Aurora ... it's too late. I'm so sorry, but ... it's just too late.'

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I tried to convince myself that Godric was wrong and that Cassius was going to be well and recover from this injury as he had recovered from so many in the past. However, he was right. The heavy loss of blood, Cassius' ragged breathing, his body slowing becoming more still ...

I was losing him. I was losing my brother.

'Aurora,' Cassius groaned. 'Look ... at me.' I did as he begged and I saw his fingers fumble around a bracelet he wore every day, a childhood keepsake that he had had for as long as I could remember. 'Take ... this. Take it.'

He pressed the bracelet into my hand and looked at me with intense eyes, the only things that seemed to be alive now that his body was dying. 'Promise me, sister. Make me ... one last promise.'

'Cassius, please,' I begged him. He was accepting his fate. He was giving up. 'Do not give up on me. I can't lose you.'

'Listen ... to me. I want you ... to promise me something, Aurora,' he whispered, watching me nod softly. 'I want you to live. Live to the best of your ability. Live a long and happy life. Do everything you want to do, not what you are allowed or told. Love whoever you want. Live, Aurora ... '

I clasped his hand tightly with my hand, the bracelet entwined in my fingers, and kissed his forehead. 'I will, Cassius ... I will.'

Cassius attempted a smile but he was overcome with pain and he shuddered in my arms. He reached for Godric's arms and their eyes locked as Cassius' weakened voice uttered three words, words that needed no further explanation or reasoning.

'Protect her, Godric.'

Godric nodded solemnly and clasped Cassius' shoulder. 'I will ... brother.'

Cassius looked back to me and watched me as more tears fell onto his body. 'Don't cry for me, Aurora. Mother will look after me. We have so much to talk about ... '

I sensed that his time was coming. My brother, my best friend, was leaving me. 'I love you, brother.'

'I love you too, sister of mine,' he murmured and smiled his signature grin at me, looking skyward, his eyes filled with such life. I watched as the light left my brother's eyes, his breathing slow down and his body fall still. Despite knowing that he was gone and would never come back, I shook him, hoping for this to be a miracle and he would be revived. He was gone. Cassius was gone.