Bahari led me down the hallway away from the main entrance, activating a hidden door. I had to admit that I was impressed. It's not every day that you get to learn the ins and outs of a secret society. Even if, technically, this society is part of me. But I still wouldn't know enough about it to write an essay on it if my life depended on it. Then again I would really like to know what kind of psychopath would force me to write an essay for my life. I might be so impressed with their insistence on literary intelligence that I wouldn't mind if they were really trying to kill me. I have a skewey sense of normality. That's been proven time and time again.

We continued down the small corridor the secret door had revealed. It was about fifteen minutes later that it actually opened into a large, domed room. There was a large tranquil bowl of water in the middle of the room. Aside from a few decorations, that was the only attraction in the room. "This," he explained, letting go of my hand, "is a mirror that can be used to view other realms. It's how we've been keeping tabs on you."

"We? I thought it was only Kaelin," I mused. He awkwardly reddened a bit at the thought, clearing his throat roughly.

"We've, uh, all been assigned to watch your well-being," he replied. "Nahla and I were the ones that took up watch the most whenever King Kaelin was busy. Uh, anyway. We use this to view not only other realms but to call upon other kingdoms. They're all water-based, naturally. Our element seems to be the most conducive of energy. Only a few of us have access to these chambers."

"Aren't you breaking all kinds of laws bringing me here, then?"

"Technically." A small smile grazed his lips. "But I felt that the King would not object to you being here. Politically, you outrank myself and Nahla. King Kaelin is the only one in our realm that will out rank you. Your aunts and uncle, of course, also out rank you. And their offspring are politically your equals even if they are older than you."

"Aunts and uncle?"

"Maab and Seraphina are your aunts. Damek is your uncle."

"Oh. That adds a whole other level to this war then, eh?"

"Familial ties tend to have less meaning here than in the mortal realm. Only direct ties three generations up or down are considered to be of any merit. But we all share the same blood. Even if it is running into extinct—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a door on the opposite side of the chamber opened. Nahla and Kaelin stood there looking rather unamused.

"And this is the part where you get to hear about just how many rules I've broken," Bahari murmured. I couldn't help but show amusement at this.

"Bahari, what are you doing here with my daughter?" Kaelin demanded.

"Giving away all of our secrets, no doubt," Nahla chuckled. "Perhaps that is not such a bad thing." She shot me a grin before moving over to the mirror, resting her palms on the edges. A few words in a language I didn't understand escaped her lips as she invoked the power necessary to operate it. Kaelin gave Bahari and I a look that clearly stated he would be having a word with us later before going to join my godmother.

Her eyes widened at the image she was seeing, speaking quickly and lowly to Kaelin. Bahari looked perplexed, unable to catch the entirety of their conversation. Kaelin looked as if he were dead set against whatever Nahla was pleading with him about. That became even more apparent when she clenched her jaw, nostrils flaring, and puffed her chest out at him. It was unnerving to see her so unrefined. Just about everyone here looked overly refined at all times.

The thought made me shift nervously from foot to foot. Finally, she simply scowled at him and turned away from him.

She spoke to me: "you are rather attached to your life back in the mortal realm, are you not?"

"Well, yeah," I answered, puzzled. She went back to berating Kaelin in their unknown language. Bahari stiffened. Apparently he had caught the gist of the conversation. I tugged at his shirt. He paid me no attention. So, uping the ante, I dug my nails into his arm. Jumping, his blue eyes met mine. I gave him a look that clearly said I wanted answers.

"There is something going on in your realm," he supplied, intently studying the arguing faeries before us. "It involves a vampire. One that you're rather attached to and—"

I didn't give him the chance to finish that thought. Instead I marched right over to Kaelin and stared him evenly in the face to the best of my ability. "If you're keeping something from me that involves Godric, I will redecorate this room with your blood. And I will enjoy ever second of it," I threatened, my voice at a low growl.

"There is no guarantee that you will even make it in time," he reasoned, staring hard at Nahla.

"She deserves the chance to try. Don't take out your guilt on her," Nahla snapped.

"But she could be at risk—"

"If you don't let me go, I'm going to put this entire building at risk." The ice in my voice spread to the air, causing the temperature to drop severely. Crap. Awakening these suped up powers was going to cause me more headaches than they were going to solve. "Whatever knowledge you're keeping from me, I want it."

"Godric believes that you are dead," Kaelin relented.

"I just left this morning."

"That was two and a half years ago in your realm," Nahla replied quietly. I turned to her, mouth open in rage.

"What?"

"If I had told you that, you wouldn't have agreed to come here."

"You're damn fucking right I wouldn't have!"

"There's not enough time to argue about this. I shouldn't have kept the information from you," Nahla admitted. "We shouldn't have kept this information from you. And we aren't keeping this information from you now." A pointed glare at Kaelin. "Godric does not believe that there is anything left for him now that you've ceased to be in that realm."

That information was like a heavy blow to the center of my chest, bringing fearful tears into my eyes. I couldn't even formulate the words that wanted to break free. Nahla crouched beside me, moving my hair out of my face. I hadn't even realized that I had fallen to the ground. But I had. In a sad little heap at Kaelin's feet. She hoisted me up and off of the ground.

"There is no time for that." And then she was sprinting out of the room with me in tow. I numbly followed, my mind trying to wrap itself around this information. I had been gone for two and a half years in my realm even though I was only here for five hours at the most. Godric thought I was dead. He was going to end his life. And I might not make it in time.

Well, fuck. She didn't wait to warn me that we were about to teleport before pulling me through the veil at one of the winter lakes. If I had thought that the autumn ones were cold, I was sure that I had been frozen to death at this one. When we appeared in the mortal realm, she wasted no time in stopping to explain anything. She merely kept marching with me in tow behind her.

"He is in a church not too far from here," she informed me. "A church belonging to the Fellowship of the Sun."

"Theodore Newlin?"

"He is deceased. A cleverly orchestrated car accident. His son, Steve, is in charge now. Perhaps because of his father's death he is even more steadfast than his father," she said gravely. "I knew that the Church was in Texas—but I hadn't thought that Godric would turn himself over to them to spill a little blood."

I said nothing, taking in the information. She brought me to the front door of the church, giving me a stern look.

"I cannot go in there with you. My scent cannot be masked as easily as yours. Once this is settled, I will be back to see you. I imagine your father will be in tow as well." A regretful look crossed her face but she brushed it aside, kissing my forehead gently. "Now go."

She didn't have to tell me twice. I threw open the church doors, sprinting down hallways, allowing my mind to guide me to where everyone was gathered. I threw open the doors, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room to me. Eric was chained to a table at the front of the church. Sookie was being held by some of the Fellowship men. And Bill was watching her helplessly, a tortured expression on his face. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"Where is Godric?" I demanded.

"Who the fuck are you?" Steve Newlin sneered at me. I growled, charging at him across the room and taking him down to the ground despite my smaller frame.

"Let me repeat the question. Where," I inched closer to his face, "is Godric?"

"The basement!" Sookie yelled, biting the hand of the man that tried to silence her. I gave her a thankful nod, getting off of Newlin just as a group of vampires came in. Immediately all hell broke loose. The Fellowship members screamed in terror as the local vampires set to work scaring the hell out of them. Sookie helped me take the silver off of Eric, who was looking at me as if I were a ghost. When we were finished, he sat up on the table, placing a large hand on the side of my cheek.

"You're alive," he breathed. "How?"

"Long, long, long story," I shook my head, turning away from him.

"Underlings," a familiar voice flew out across the church. I looked up to see Godric dressed once again in white, standing on one of the beams close to the ceiling of the church. He glanced at me, a pained expression crossing his face, before he refused to glance in my direction.

I gave Eric a look of confusion.

"Long story," he mirrored me. But this time his voice was grave. Before I could press for further details, Godric had moved next to us at vampire speed, lifting Steve Newlin off of the ground with ease.

"Good people, who of you are willing to die for this man's madness?" Nobody moved. "That's what I thought. Stand down everyone. Stand down." The vampires resumed a peaceful stance while the humans began filing out. Sookie's arms were immediately around my neck, nearly knocking me over.

"Oh my god, Aline," she sobbed. I returned her hug, wondering what in the world I was going to tell them. "Where have you been?"

Only then did Godric openly stare at me. She let go of me, turning her attentions to Bill. Godric reached out, gently stroking my jaw line with his thumb. "I have imagined this many times," he whispered, blood brimming in his eyes. "But to have you appear to me here? Now—"

I drew his body against mine, cutting him off with my lips. Silently, I made a resolve to ice the hell out of Nahla and Kaelin the next time I saw them. But, at the same time, I was also entirely grateful to Nahla. Without her—no, I don't even want to think about it.

Godric barely let me out of his sight the rest of the night, hovering near me even when other vampires wished to discuss duties involved with being a sheriff. He would simply tell them that I was trustworthy. And would latch his hand on to mine if I even looked like I was about to leave. It was a new side of Godric I hadn't seen before. Even Eric was different. Everyone was different. Except for me. For me I had only been gone for a few hours. But in this world I had been gone for two and a half years. That was hard to wrap my head around.

It was only a few hours away from dawn when the vampires began to wander out of Godric's home. Finally, it was just Godric, Sookie, Eric, Bill, Jason (Sookie's brother), Isabel and Stan (Godric's nest mates), and I. Jason had decided he was going to spend the night in Dallas instead of driving the entire way back to Bon Temps. Of course Godric had gladly lent out a room for him to use. Sookie, Bill, and Eric would be staying at the vampire friendly hotel down here. But not until I had provided some answers, apparently.

That led us to sitting around the living room awkwardly. Isabel and Stan were on the other side of the house. But I had no doubt that they would be able to hear whatever I said. "So," I said awkwardly. "I like your hair, Sook."

"Thanks," she smiled, giving me a bit of a perplexed expression.

"I thought I left a note," I remembered, my eyes snapping to Godric and then to Eric.

"Note?" Godric seemed genuinely puzzled.

"Yeah, I said I was going to go meet—," I cut myself off, realization setting in. "Tricky little fucking bitch. The next time I see her, I'm snapping her little faerie neck."

"Faerie?" Sookie asked, looking startled.

"I'm half faerie, but I imagine that your boyfriend already knew that," I sighed, giving Bill a dark look. He scowled right back at me. She looked at Bill, her temper flaring.

"You knew about that?"

"He also knew that you are," I continued. Bill was now growling, wanting nothing more than to tear my head off and drink me. I sent an equally as gruesome mental image back to him. He recoiled a bit at my thought. Nothing like dismantling a vampire—but not killing them—and then stuffing them full of silver before injecting it straight into their veins.

"I'm a what?"

"Faerie."

"I'm a fucking faerie? How lame is that? Oh, sorry, no offense."

I chuckled. "None taken. If it's any consolation, you don't act a thing like them." She nodded but turned her venomous gaze back to Bill.

"You knew about this?"

"It's probably why he's been so reluctant to let you go," I smirked, reading his thoughts. He tried to shut me down. I held his gaze willing nothing but ice in his veins. In seconds he was frozen in place. "If I weren't afraid of getting blood all over anything, I would suggest that we shatter him into a million tiny little pieces. Dip them in silver. And then burn them."

Sookie and Eric raised their eyebrows at me. Godric simply continued to run his thumb over the back of my hand.

"Sorry. Werewolves like to play with their toys before destroying them for good," I grinned. "Anyway, he'll take a little while to thaw out. But I guess that raises a whole slew of new questions, doesn't it?"

"Slightly," Eric mused with a smirk.

"Kaelin, my biological father, and his kingdom seem to be in a little bit of trouble. One of the other faerie queens wants to gather all of the partial fae from this realm and keep them contained in the Otherworld. Which is where I was," I added. "But that would also mean destroying the bridge from that world to this one. He and my godmother, Nahla, asked for my help to keep this from happening. The farthest I got was learning how to use some of our skills, though. Time works differently over there," I frowned, "I swear I was only gone for a few hours. Half a day at the most."

"That would explain your clothes." I gave the Viking a quizzical look as he gestured to my outfit. I glanced down, surprised that I was still in the silver and blue nightdress.

"Oh, I forgot about this. It's deceptively comfortable."

"Why does Maab want to bring the faeries here into the Otherworld?" Godric asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

"Most of their women have lost the ability to conceive a child. And those that can either barely carry the child to term or lose it just as quickly as it's conceived. They're bordering on extinction. Maab is the only one that wants that, though. The rest enjoy walking among us. As long as they stay away from vampires."

"Their blood compels us to drink from them," Eric nodded. Sookie glanced at him, her face unreadable. I made an effort to stay out of her thoughts. There had been enough secrets in the past few hours to last me through this lifetime and the next two. "It is often hard to stop once we've started, too."

I nodded. "That's what Nahla was telling me. They also have these basins of water that they call mirrors that can see into other realms and into the chambers of other kingdoms. It's a form of communication for them. But that's how I ended up here tonight. Nahla wanted to repair some of the damage she had dealt, apparently."

"It was rather kind of her to steal you and then return you." Eric shook his head. "And I thought this one," he nodded to Sookie, "was trouble." She shot him a dark look.

"Of course I'm more trouble," I rolled my eyes. "I was raised by Jackson Herveaux." A hearty chuckle emerged from the Viking's throat.

"I would expect no less."

I continued to fill them in on my time in the faerie realm until nearly sunrise. It looks like Sookie and Eric would be spending the night here. Bill had been asked to leave by Godric after he was thawed out and Sookie wanted nothing to do with him. He showed Sookie to another spare bedroom while Eric went to his usual room. I waited in the living room, giving the room an admiring look around. Godric and Eric both had rather exquisite decorating tastes.

Godric emerged a few minutes later. I smiled a him, going to his side. He took my hand, lacing his fingers through my own, and led me down the hallway to his room. It was light-proof (as I expected all the rooms are) which meant that I would be able to stay with him through the day. As if reading my mind, he pulled me onto the bed with him, holding me close against his chest.

"I had thought for certain that you were dead."

"If I had known, I never would have left," I murmured. "But, believe me, I'm not going anywhere again anytime soon." He smiled softly, pulling me closer to him until there was no space left between us.

Thank you Jupiter Water Goddess for taking the time to review the last chapter! :)

~Lynn