A/N: Hi guys and gals! I went on hiatus. I apologize. Heres an update. Thanks for still reading!

I couldn't stop thinking about Eric.

His words were playing on repeat in my head.

If I meet the true death without ever having told you the truth, that would be my greatest regret.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I had waited so long for him to tell me those three words. I thought that I would never hear them. Eric was too cold, too selfish, too…Eric. And that was how I knew that he was truly scared, that he really believed that he was going to die. He was on Russell's hit list and there was nothing that would save him unless Russell died. If Talbot meant anything to Russell, then I knew Russell would stop at nothing until Eric was dead and he had his revenge. But I didn't know if that changed anything. I had waited a long time to hear his words, but he had put me through so much in that time that now I wasn't sure if they mattered. I had Alcide, I had strong feelings for him and I was falling more and more for him every day. He was everything that Eric wasn't and I loved him for that. But I loved Eric still and that was a fact that I couldn't deny. I couldn't sit by knowing that Eric was in danger. I had to help him somehow. I had to make sure that Russell didn't kill him.

"Chase?"

My head snapped up in surprise. I had been so lost in thought that I had forgotten that Alcide was there. He had led me into my bedroom and disappeared to get me something to drink. I felt a crackle of energy along my skin culminating in a spark where Alcide's skin touched mine.

"Shit!" Alcide barked dropping the steaming mug he held in his other hand as he recoiled from me.

I felt my stomach drop and I jumped to my feet, subconsciously trying to pull the reins on my power. The energy was still swirling within me, throbbing with each beat of my heart, stronger than ever. I was used to it going away after I was out of danger, receding back to wherever it hid when I didn't need it, but it hadn't this time. It was vibrant as ever inside me and I had the feeling that I would have to learn to live with the constant feeling of that throb of power. I had to get some control over it. I had to figure out a way to live with it, without hurting anyone.

"Alcide, are you okay?" I touched his arm cautiously as he shook the hand that I had sparked. "I'm so sorry."

"What the hell was that?" he asked incredulously, looking at me with an arched eyebrow.

"Connor took away the bind that was holding my powers back. I'm at full potential now. I'm having trouble controlling it," I admitted.

Alcide's face fell. "Connor, your biological father? He was here?"

I nodded, feeling my eyes well up. "Yes, one of Debbie's wolves…" I trailed off. I couldn't finish that sentence. I turned away so that Alcide couldn't see me cry and picked up the mug of tea that he had dropped. I grabbed a nearby towel and tried to soak up the tea with it and hold back tears, when Alcide knelt beside me.

"Chase," Alcide said softly as his large hand touched my shoulder hesitantly. "You can talk to me…You can tell me what happened."

But he was wrong. I couldn't. I couldn't talk about how his psychotic ex had come to my home with three wolf companions and thrown my life into chaos. I couldn't talk about how one of those wolves had killed my father and with his last dying breath he had unleashed my powers. I couldn't talk about how different I felt. I couldn't talk about how scared I was to face this change in my life. I couldn't talk about anything that had happened tonight. Least of all my even greater fears that I would never see Eric again. So I ignored him and continued soaking up tea with a towel, trying to avoid it.

Alcide didn't give in. He placed his other hand over mine on the towel and tucked his fingers under my chin, forcing me to look up into his eyes. His brown eyes saw right through me. I felt it. He was looking right into my soul and I felt so naked and vulnerable in front of him. How could he do that to me after only knowing me a short amount of time? I bit my lip, trying to stop tears again.

"I'm here, Chase," he whispered, holding me with his dark gaze. "I'm right here."

I fell apart all over again. Sobbing and dropping the mug and releasing the towel. I was in his arms again before I could comprehend. The smell of him strong in my nose, his lips pressed into my hair. His arms held me tightly and I let him. I cried. Hard. Harder than I did earlier, harder than I think I had ever cried before. I don't know how long he sat there, holding me, letting me soak his shirt with my tears, snot, and drool, but I soon felt like I had no more tears left to cry. I wiped at my face with my hands, pulling back from him to look him in the eye.

"Better?" he asked.

I blinked. Surprisingly, I did feel a little better. Even if it was just a fraction. It was a start.

"Chase, I have to tell you that I am sorry," he insisted. "I never should have left. If I had been here I could have protected you from Debbie and her wolves."

I withdrew from him, wiping at my eyes before taking a deep breath and trying to pull (and keep) myself together. "Alcide, it's not your fault, I brought all this on when I made the decision to go with Sookie to Jackson. All of this happened because of me. If I would have just stayed here in Bon Temps, Russell never would have found me and Connor would still be alive. I should have listened to you when you warned me against going."

"Chase, you can't blame yourself for this-."

"Alcide, please," I said shaking my head and rising to my feet.

Alcide sighed, looking sincere as his big brown eyes looked into my own. "I just want to make you feel better…what can I do?" he asked softly.

I hesitated. There wasn't anything more that he could do. But I didn't want to tell him that. I knew that he cared about me and it wasn't his fault that I was feeling sorry for myself. He was doing the best that he could and that made me fall for him even more.

"Hold me again," I offered sitting down on my bed. "If you aren't sick of it yet."

His lips went up into a half smirk and he pulled his tear soaked shirt from his body and joined me on the bed, engulfing me in his embrace. I turned into him, pressing my face into his chest and weaving my legs through his.

"I could hold you all night," he whispered, brushing his lips across my forehead.

I awoke to the warm feeling of the sun on my face. I blinked against the bright light, bringing my hand up to shield my eyes as I took in my surroundings. I was sitting in a large, seemingly endless, green field, filled with lush trees. I sat up in confusion, wondering just where the hell I was, when I noticed that I wasn't in my sweat pants and tank top anymore. I was in a dress, a long white chiffon dress, which felt as smooth as silk against my skin. A diamond bracelet sparkled on my wrist and when I turned my head I felt earrings sway against my skin.

"What the hell…" I breathed looking down at myself.

"Chase?"

I jumped at the sweet voice flowing through the air, full of excitement and surprise. I turned quickly and saw another woman standing in the field. Her face was obscured in the sunlight, but I could see she was also in an elegant dress, with fine jewelry on her wrist and neck, long brown bouncy curls framing her face. She stepped closer to me allowing me to see her face. She was gorgeous, her face slim, her eyes a bright green, her smile lighting up her face. She seemed so familiar to me, but I couldn't put a finger on how I knew her. I felt my brow furrow as I tried to remember where and how I knew her.

She came forward, practically floating on air, she moved so gracefully. She took me by the hands and pulled me to my feet, wrapping her arms around me and drawing me into her hold. She smelt like heaven. It only increased my sense of familiarity.

"It is you!" she breathed, pulling me back to look me in the eye before hugging me tightly again.

"It is?" I replied in confusion.

She pulled back again, sighing in content as she cupped my face with her warm hands. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "It is you. We have waited so long for you to find us. To finally be able to come home."

"I'm sorry, but…who are you? And where are we?" I asked.

The bright smile on her face faded and she looked sad. "You do not remember me?"

My stomach turned as I shook my head no.

Her sad look turned into a frown. "That witch really did a number on you didn't he? He managed to not only shield you from us, but take away your memories of me as well."

That witch? I thought. "You mean Connor?"

She withdrew from me, placing her hands on her slim hips. "Yes, the witch."

"You're talking about my father?"

Her lips pursed. "Yes, your father. Has he not told you anything of us?"

"Us?" I questioned looking around. She was quite alone. There wasn't another person in sight.

Her frown deepened. "Yes, us Chase, your kind. The fae."

"The what?" I blurted. The word brought up memories of my biological mother, Charlotte. Connor had told me that she was fae. At that realization I frowned and took a step back. She must have been one of Charlotte's people.

She noticed the look on my face immediately and her face softened. "Chase, you needn't fear me. I am Emilia. Your fairy god mother. It is my duty to protect you."

I huffed, unable to stop the laughter that followed. "My fairy god mother? Are you joking? Excuse me for not being so trusting, but the last 'fae' that I knew was my mother and she has spent my whole life trying to kill me apparently."

Emilia shook her head. "Your mother, the queen, spirits rest her soul, was led astray by a great evil. She has not been a part of this family for a long, long, long, time."

I felt myself do a double take. Did she say queen? "Queen?"

Emilia smirked. "Your father has told you nothing about your true heritage has he?"

"If my mother is a fairy queen does that make me….?"

"A fairy princess?" she finished. "Yes, Chase, you are fae royalty and very important to us all. Your father has managed to keep you hidden from us all of these years by binding your powers, but now that your powers are unbound you can come home. Where you belong."

"How do you know that my powers are unbound?" I questioned suspiciously.

"I can feel it," she said in wonderment, her bright smile returning. "The witch somehow found a way to bind your powers, stopping our ability to find you. But it doesn't matter anymore. You are here now. I can take you home, to your kind, you can save us."

"Save you? Save you from what?"

The smile faded from her face again, the brightness leaving her eyes as well. "Without the true heir our magic dwindles. You have great power. You are the answer to our prayers, you can protect us from the darkness with your light."

I shook my head suddenly feeling overwhelmed. It was almost too much to take in all at once. So much had changed in the past few weeks that I didn't feel I had a moment to absorb everything. After losing Connor last night and now finding out that I was supposedly a fairy princess who needed to save her kind, I didn't know what to believe.

"This is a dream isn't it?" I reasoned with a laugh. "I am dreaming all of this. You are not real."

Emilia shook her head, taking my hands and squeezing them. "This is real. I am real. And your kind needs you."

I felt her power inside of her flare. It was strong, but not as strong as the power that I felt within myself. I felt the wind whip up around us and suddenly I felt her in my head. Searching through my thoughts, digging and digging. I panicked and broke contact, my own power flaring and sending her flying away from me. She landed in the soft grass, looking at me with wide eyes.

"There is darkness in your life as well. The witch did no better protecting you from it. You have been tempted just as your mother was," she said, her voice laced with fear.

"What darkness, what are you talking about?" I questioned.

"The vampires. The one in your head. The Viking," she breathed rising to her feet. Her face was grave as she walked toward me again. "Do not let him tempt you. He will steal your light. That's all the vampires ever want from us."

"You mean Eric? He wouldn't-."

"Oh, but he would, and he will," she cut in. "A vampire found your mother. It tempted and overcame her. Turned her against her own kind, against her own flesh and blood, you mustn't fall to the same fate. Your kind needs you. Please come home. Save us from the-"

I sat up straight in bed with a gasp, looking around to find that I was back in my bedroom, in my sweats and tank top and messy bun. My heart was pounding and a sheen of sweat laced my skin. My brain was still reeling from the….the…I didn't know what I had just experienced. It all seemed so real, but so farfetched. Was it really just a dream? My new unleashed power playing tricks on my mind? Was I really some fairy princess?

I looked up as the bathroom door in my bedroom opened and Alcide stepped out, clad in just a towel, water still glistening on his skin, his hair a dark wet slick away from his face. My throat went dry. The energy in me surged as lust rose within me. He hesitated when he saw me, that sincere concerned look coming across his face even though a smile played at his lips. I swallowed the lusty lump that had formed in my throat.

"You're awake," he observed adjusting the towel. "I thought you might be out longer."

I surprisingly felt well rested, sprightly almost. "I had a…a weird dream…it must have woken me up, but I feel…good…"

Alcide's smile widened a bit and he sat on the edge of the bed. "What was your dream about?"

I shook my head waving his question away. I wasn't ready to talk to him about it yet. It was all too weird. Too much crazy to lay on him after he was still dealing with the fact that his ex was responsible for the death of my father and had tried to kidnap me last night. "It was silly…I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay…I've been thinking…with everything that went on here last night and with Russell after you and all, how would you feel about coming back to Jackson with me today? It will be the last place that Russell will think to look for ya, and there's a couple empty homes in a development our construction company is working on…we can stay there and I can keep you safe."

The idea was tempting. In fact it sounded like heaven. To be alone with Alcide away from it all, the magic, the wolves, the drama, but I couldn't just run away. Not after everything that I had been through. Not after Connor's death. He deserved justice. He deserved revenge. And even though the wolf that had killed him was dead, Russell and Debbie were still responsible. I didn't want to live my life on the run anymore. I had come home to face everything and that is what I intended to do. Now that my powers were unbound I was even more capable of protecting myself and the only way for me to ever go back to some semblance of a normal life would be to get rid of Russell Edgington and hope that that would send Debbie away. I didn't know if my relationship with Alcide could take me killing his ex.

"I can't, Alcide. I can't keep running. I can't keep hiding. After last night, after what Debbie and those wolves did for Russell…" I trailed off, feeling my fists clench. The throb of my power increased, feeling like a panicked heartbeat. I kept a tight hold on it, trying to force it down. "I need to stop this. If Russell wants to come after me I will be ready this time. I will stop him. It's the only way that I can ever get back to some kind of life where I'm not looking over my shoulder."

"Are you saying that you want to kill Russell Edgington?" Alcide asked.

I took a deep breath and crossed my arms. "I don't want too…but if it comes down to him or me I will."

"Russell is pretty old and in vampire kind that means he's powerful. Do you think with your powers out you can kill him?" he questioned.

"I was told that with my powers I was one of the strongest beings on the planet. That there wasn't a limit to what I could do, but I guess we will just have to see," I said with a sigh.

Alcide nodded. "Well, you won't be alone. I'm not going to leave you again."

I took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you, Alcide."

"Do you think Russell will come tonight?"

I hesitated, my thoughts rushing back to my encounter with Eric last night and what he had done. For all I knew I wasn't number one on Russell's list anymore. I could have dropped down to last place after what Eric had done to Talbot. If Talbot was as important to Russell as I thought he was that meant that until Eric was dead, Russell wouldn't care about getting me for the time being.

"Things might have changed. I might not be Russell's number one priority at the moment."

"What are you talking about?"

"Eric killed Russell's husband. So Im pretty sure that Eric is public enemy number one right now and by public I mean Russell."

Alcide hesitated, a weird suspicious look coming over his face. "Did he do that for you? So that Russell wouldn't come after you anymore?" he asked. There was a hitch to his voice.

I hadn't even thought about it that way. What other reason did Eric have to kill Talbot? I didn't know of any. And killing Russell's lover would definitely take his mind off of me. Had Eric done it to distract Russell long enough for me to go into hiding?

"I don't know. I don't know why Eric does anything? But either way Russell is going to try and kill him. And given how old Russell is I think he will succeed."

"How do you feel about that?"

I tried to keep my face straight as I thought about just how I would feel if Eric died. I couldn't think of any other word to describe the feeling besides devastated. Eric was and always would be my first love. I felt the need to do something. I couldn't sit by and let Russell kill him without trying to save him. Especially if he had really killed Talbot to take Russell's attention off of me.

"I don't want Eric dead," I admitted. "Any more than you would want Debbie dead, but that doesn't change anything that I feel for you."

"Chase, I'm not delusional. I know you and Eric had something the way that Debbie and I did…and you are right. I wouldn't want Debbie dead. And I don't expect you to want Eric dead. But I'm not going anywhere. I know how I feel about you and nothing is going to change that. I'm secure."

I couldn't stop the smile that came over my face. I felt so lucky to have found Alcide. That he could be so understanding and still be there for me with all the crazy drama that filled my life. "I am going to have to go talk to Eric you know," I said carefully. "I have to do something. I can't sit by and let Russell-."

Alcide raised a hand to stop me. "I get it, Chase. I understand. You aren't going alone though. We can go together."

"Great."