The evening after the Landgraab quads celebrated their birthday, Aurora sought out her father to check on him. A cup of coffee in hand for each of them, she found him in the living room watching an old movie. She snorted, realizing it was some old Jackie Chan thing. Why do men always watch stuff where someone is always getting clobbered?

At hearing the snort, Tyrone looked away from the TV, his lips curled in a slight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Aurora sighed inwardly and set the cups of coffee on the table in front of her father. Da’s smiles never reach his eyes anymore. If I could only take his pain away–

When Tyrone turned off the TV, he got to his feet, needing to stretch. He made his way around the coffee table and wrapped Aurora up in a fierce hug. Aurora gave him a hard squeeze in return. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your movie, Da. I just brought you some evening coffee…or I can get you some wine instead.”

“It’s all right, Princess. Coffee sounds good, and don’t worry about the movie. It’s just serving as a distraction. I’ve seen it a number of times anyway. You actually came at the perfect time. I want us to have some special time together, just you and me. Come and sit beside me on the sofa.”

Aurora held onto the hug a moment longer, giving Tyrone an extra squeeze before releasing him. When she fallowed him to the sofa and sat down, she gave her father a gentle kiss on his forehead and snuggled close. Tyrone curled his arm around Aurora, who leaned back a little to get a good look at his face. He looked so tired and lost. The evenings were always the hardest. Once the house grew quieter, they all had more time to brood. She ran a hand affectionately over her father’s cheek, hoping the physical contact would comfort him. “Oh, Da,” she whispered, her heart aching at seeing him this way and feeling his pain crash over her.

Tyrone wrapped strong, protective arms around his daughter and rubbed her back in long, gentle strokes. “Sweetheart, you mustn’t worry about me. I’m okay, I promise. You really should stop trying to tend to me.” It should be the other way around, dammit. I simply can’t let her keep doing this.

While still held tightly in her father’s loving embrace, Aurora took his hand and leaned her cheek against the back of it. “I don’t mind. Do you remember what you said the day Ma…the day you told us? You said we need to take care of each other, and that’s what we’re doing. You’re taking such great care of us, and Ma would want me…us…to look after you.”

“But you’ve been doing so much, Princess. It’s mainly been you taking care of me when the shoe should be on the other foot. I’ve…been a derelict father.” He bowed his head at his perceived shameful confession.

Looking horrified, Aurora gasped and framed her beloved father’s face in her hands. “Nooo, Da! You’ve been anything but derelict.” She stroked her thumbs over his cheeks, then looked directly into his eyes. “We would have been lost without you all this time.” It had been such a long time ago that Lenora had been taken, but it still seemed like yesterday for all of them. Her absence was still so very painful for the whole family.

Tyrone sighed wearily and pulled his daughter close once again. “You’re something else, Aurora sweetheart. Your Ma would be so proud of you…of all of you.”

“Do you think so, Da? I mean, I feel like we’re all floundering right now. She was the glue that held us all together.” Her chest hurt from the pain of her mother’s absence. Sighing heavily, she let her head fall to her father’s shoulder.

Tyrone nodded, and this time, it was his turn to look intently into Aurora’s face. “I know so, Princess. She loves you all so, so much and would…will be so proud. Don’t you worry about that for a single, solitary second.” He studied her for a few more seconds before heaving his own heavy sigh. Better to plunge in and get right to it. “Aurora honey, do you remember that last night, the night you and Ma talked before she became so ill?”

“I do,” Aurora whispered before pressing her lips tightly together and tearing up. A choking sob involuntarily escaped her as did the tears that could no longer stay hidden.

Tyrone tightened his hold on his beautiful, sweet daughter and began rocking her while she cried in earnest. “Oh, baby, I know…I know. I’m so, so damned sorry, sweetheart. Ma loves you so very, very much, Aurora. Please know that.”

“I know, Da,” Aurora whispered through her tears. “It’s just…it was the last time I ever really talked to her before…” She swallowed hard. “We were talking about my powers and what they meant. She was so wise, Da. It means so much to have shared this with her, and at least…at least I got to tell her I loved her before she…” Aurora shuddered and clung to her father, needing comfort from him now.

“That was such a special time for you and Ma, sweetheart. She told me how much it meant to her, too.” Tyrone continued to rock his daughter and stroked her hair. “I brought this up because I was hoping we could continue that discussion where you and your Ma left off. I think now that you’re older, we need to revisit this subject. I know this would be better served if GG Mathilda were here, but I’m an awfully good listener. I think we need to try to figure out where all this is going, all right?”

Of all the things Aurora expected her father to say, this hadn’t crossed her mind. “Sure, Da.” She took a steadying breath, swiped a hand over her wet cheeks, and straightened up to look at him. “I just never brought it up to you because you’ve had so much on your mind with everything that’s been happening. There’s quite a bit to say and things I suppose I ought to reveal. There’s still so much I don’t understand and a lot I think I must learn.”

With a gentle fatherly touch, Tyrone dried the remainder of Aurora’s tears, took her hand, and kissed her fingers. “Princess, you can tell me anything you need to. I don’t ever want you to be afraid to come to me. I’m so, so sorry if I’ve seemed preoccupied. I hope you can forgive your old Da one day.”

Aurora squeezed his hand tightly and offered him a slight smile. “No permanent damage done, Da. I guess we’ve all been preoccupied. I just…I hate it when you worry about me.”

“It’s my job to worry about you, Aurora. It comes with the territory of being a parent.”

“I love you, Da,” she whispered.

Tyrone held his princess close to his heart and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too, my beautiful Aurora, with all my heart and soul.” They were silent for a moment, each one taking comfort in the physical closeness and the special father/daughter bond they shared. “Now, talk to me, sweetheart.”

“Well…” she began slowly, not sure where to start. “You know about the visions and the music stuff. There’s power that comes out when I’m playing or singing or both. Do you remember that Twilight Zone episode where that man found this magic piano and bought it for his wife’s birthday? Only it really wasn’t for her. It was so he could manipulate the emotions of anyone who heard the music and make them say and do embarrassing things.”

“Ah, A Piano in the House,” Tyrone confirmed. “I can see why that episode spoke to you.”

“Yeah.” Aurora’s eyes grew stormy. “See, the thing is, I’m like that magic piano. When I play and sing, whatever emotion inspired that particular music…or the other way around…and how I’m feeling when I’m performing it sort of comes out of me and looks for a target. Like, if it’s a sad song and if it makes me feel sad, the power comes out of me and makes the listener feel heartsick. Same for a happy song…any song that evokes emotion. It’s more than just simply enjoying or being enthralled by a piece of music or how I perform it. It’s…well…it’s like my empathic senses are being channeled through the music and working in reverse. Instead of me simply feeling what others are feeling, I can actually turn it around and make them feel what I feel and feel what’s inside the music. It’s sort of like I have this kind of siren effect.”

When Aurora stopped to catch a breath, Tyrone nodded encouragingly. “Go on.”

“I knew I could do it when I was a kid. Ma and I talked about that before she…” Aurora swallowed hard, “before she went to the hospital. It seems like it’s getting stronger though, like I have more power now that I’m older.”

“Yes, that make sense,” Tyrone encouraged.

“She told me there would probably be more. I didn’t know at the time what else she could’ve meant. I don’t think she knew herself. Anyway, the other day…” Goosebumps arose on her arms as she contemplated what she would reveal to her father next. Rubbing her hands over her arms, she spoke slowly, carefully considering her next words. “The other day, I was at the Fairy Arboretum. See, I like to go there to just center myself. That place…it makes me feel so peaceful. Anyway, I was sitting inside when I saw this butterfly. It was so beautiful…and it was dying. Something happened to its wing, and somehow I knew it didn’t have long to live. It hurt my heart to see it like that. I picked it up and held it in the palm of my hand, thinking I would make a little grave for it near one of the rose bushes. It’s stupid, I know, but I started sort of whisper singing it this lullaby…something about guardian angels watching while you sleep. I’m sure it was something Ma used to sing to us when we were little. I wanted to ease its suffering somehow. While I was singing, my hands grew very warm and a golden light surrounded them. Da, I-I made it go to sleep. When I was done singing and the light faded, the poor little thing was gone. I felt it die.”

Tyrone’s eyes widened. “Great Drogo!”

“There’s more, Da. I can heal things, too. I somehow know when I can fix it or if it’s too late, like in the case of that poor butterfly. I haven’t told anyone about that yet. I think it’s new…something I couldn’t do when I was a kid. Da…it frightens me. To have so much power…it sometimes frightens me so.”

Aurora was still rubbing at the gooseflesh on her arms. Tyrone’s big heart lurched at the raw emotion laced in his daughter’s confession. “Oh, Aurora, come here.” He pulled her close, holding her as though to protect her from a harmful world. “I can’t tell you why or how this is happening, but in a way, it’s good that it scares you at least a bit. It tells me you are mindful of how you use such power and that you don’t want to be irresponsible.” Aurora nodded her head emphatically against Tyrone’s shoulder, and Tyrone continued. “What I do know is that you have a good and pure heart, my darling Aurora, and you are meant for something very, very special. There is a reason for everything, so there must be a reason you’ve been blessed with such power.”

Aurora lifted her head to look intently into Tyrone’s face. “You don’t think it’s a curse?”

“It’s a curse only if you misuse your powers.” He studied her face, wishing he could take away the troubled look in her eyes. “It’s at times like this when I wish your mother was here. She’s very wise about these things and knows the right things to say. She’s better at teaching this kind of thing.”

Aurora rubbed her father’s back in a comforting gesture. “Oh, Da! Seriously, you’re no dummy, but I get what you mean. I wish she was here, too. We’re going to get her back though, Da. I feel it, and I had a vision of it happening. I will help you find her, that’s a solemn promise.”

Now, it was Tyrone’s turn to look troubled. “Sweetheart, I don’t want you to worry about that. It’s not your responsibility. I will find her and bring her back home to all of us. That I swear to you on my life.”

Aurora heaved a sigh but squeezed her father hard in determination. “Meaning no disrespect, Sire, but I disagree with you on this.” When he cocked an eyebrow at her, she continued. “I have a gut feel that I’m meant to help you find her. I can’t explain it, but I just know that it’ll be my visions that’ll lead you to her. I’m not a Wolf and don’t know what it’s like to have a Wolf’s sixth sense, but I firmly believe I have my own sixth sense and it’s screaming at me that I’m meant to help you find Ma. Can you understand this?”

Tyrone’s heart sank. Aurora was dealing with so much already. “Yes, Princess, I can. There is no doubt in my mind how powerful your visions are, and I certainly won’t discount your own sixth sense.” He ran a loving hand over his daughter’s hair and breathed a sad sigh. “You’re so young to be such a wise, old soul.”

Aurora cocked her own eyebrow at Tyrone. “Me? A wise, old soul?” She was genuinely surprised.

“Yes, you.” He kissed her forehead. “When did you grow up on me so fast?”

“I don’t know, Da, but it happened rather quickly, didn’t it?”

“Much too quickly.” Tyrone squeezed her to him and swallowed around the sudden lump that rose to his throat.

Aurora rubbed his back again and smiled gently at him. “Don’t be sad, Da. There’s no reason for that. I’m glad it did. Being a little kid is overrated.” She grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Life is much more interesting this way.”

They spent the next couple of minutes in silence, each lost in their own thoughts until Tyrone ended the hug, took her hand, and spoke again. “Well, my wise, old soul, I have a feeling there is still more.”

Aurora contemplated her next words, gathering herself for what she wanted to say next. She told her father about the auras and how her mother had said it was more of a fairy kind of power. Then, she revealed her secret about her fairy visitors. “They say I’ll be important to their kingdom. Gosh, Da, you know how I’ve always loved fairies.”

Tyrone chuckled and tapped his daughter’s nose affectionately with a forefinger. “How can I forget? You always said you were going to snag a fairy prince.”

“And I will. I’m entirely convinced of that. I-I’m sure he watches over me with the other fairies. It comforts me. I was told he would come to me when I was in need of him.” she confessed.

Tyrone had always believed her talk about fairy princes was simply a childhood fantasy, like most little girls had. However, looking at his daughter, he was convinced that her intuition or sixth sense was dead on. Aurora seemed to just know certain things, and if she had guardian fairies looking out for her, she was, indeed, someone destined for something truly spectacular.

Tyrone’s eyes grew misty. Looking at his sweet, sweet daughter now, he could clearly see the young woman she was becoming. She would always be his little girl but was no longer truly a child. A tear traced its way down the brave but soft-hearted Alpha Wolf’s face, and he took in a trembling, ragged breath.

It broke Aurora’s heart to see her father cry. Immediately, she jumped into the role of comforter, wiping away the tear and bringing her father into her tight embrace. “Shhh. It’s gonna be okay, Da. Please don’t cry or you’ll get me going, and we’ll end up making a big mess.” She rubbed his back and reached out to him with her empathic powers.

Tyrone swallowed around the constriction in his throat, taking a few moments to gather himself. Gently, he disengaged himself from his daughter’s arms and took her hands in both of his warm, large ones. “Aurora honey, it’s not what you think. It’s just…well, your old man is a sentimental old Wolf. I look at you growing up so fast, and I feel like I let so much time slip by. I want to keep you here with me forever as my little girl, but the time will come when some handsome man will steal your heart away, and I’ll lose my sweet princess. Hearing you talk of this fairy prince you’ve always dreamed about and how you’ll meet him when you’re in great need of him…well, it hurts a little knowing I’ll have to let you go someday.”

Aurora’s heart melted at hearing such a confession. She had to blink back tears of her own. Her father looked so forlorn. She squeezed his hands hard and offered him a lopsided, tremulous smile. “You could never lose me, Da. I’ll always be your daughter, your princess, and a piece of my heart will always belong to you and Ma, no matter what.”

Tyrone gave her a tender, fatherly smile. “It seemed like yesterday when your Ma was carrying all of you. Looking at you all now, it’s hard to imagine how little you once were.”

Aurora chuckled. “We were all snuggled up together where it was safe and warm. I didn’t know what it was at the time, only that it was comforting, but I remember feeling Ma’s heartbeat and how much she loved us. You, too, Da. You guys were always talking to us and–”

Tyrone’s gasp interrupted Aurora’s words. “Aurora!”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she blinked, astonished. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Aurora…you remember being inside? How is that possible? Nobody I’ve ever known remembers that.”

Aurora shrugged. “I don’t know. I just do. Oh, I don’t recall the very early stages. I think I had to be developed enough to feel things. It’s like one day I wasn’t there, and then I was. I was too little to truly recognize what was happening around us. All I know is I could feel you and Ma, and I recognized your voices the instant I came out. Sometimes I have to really think hard to recall things from very, very early on, and a lot of it is a blur, but I do remember some of it even back then. Like…” She took a deep breath and squeezed his hands again as a look of concern marred her features. “There was this time when Ma got scared. I mean, she was truly frightened that something was going to happen.”

Great Drogo! How much more can I endure? How in the name of all things sacred is this possible?  “She had a premonition, sweetheart, a bad one.”

The color drained from Aurora’s face, and she swayed on the spot. “Da! Oh my god! Did she…did she see was was going to happen to her? Oh, Da, did she know?” Aurora covered her face as uncontrollable sobs racked her.

Tyrone’s heart broke all over again as he pulled his distraught daughter into his strong arms. He held her close, rocking her while she wept brokenly against his chest. “Shhh, Aurora. Oh, don’t cry, sweetheart. Shhh now. Da’s here, and I won’t let any harm come to you.” He let her cry it out and murmured more words of comfort to try to soothe her. After a few minutes, the sobs quieted down to soft little sighs. She’d cried herself into a state of exhaustion and melted limply against his chest. He could both see and feel that she was awake, but that likely wouldn’t last long. Finally, he spoke in soft, low tones while running his hand down her hair and back in soft, methodical strokes. “I don’t think so, Princess. It was more like she was terrified that something would happen to me. We figured she was having a premonition of a chain of events that happened in a different time stream where I must have died. It was before she knew about the mission, but somehow, she could sometimes sense things that happened in a different reality.”

“That’s so awful, Da! How did she remain sane seeing all that?” Although her words were passionate, the beginnings of drowsiness laced its way into her voice.

“Your mother is a very strong woman, the strongest person I know.”

“Yes,” Aurora whispered sleepily.

Tyrone kissed her forehead, feeling his father’s heart swell inside his chest. “Princess, you’re about to knock out. How about if I help you up to bed, okay?”

“Could I just conk out on the sofa for a while? I want to stay close to you.”

“Okay.” Tyrone tenderly eased her back, placing a throw pillow under her head. He covered her over with a quilt and tucked it snugly around her. Kissing her brow, he whispered his love to her.

“Will you hold my hand until I fall asleep…just like you did when I was little?” she whispered, her eyelids growing heavier until she could no longer keep them open.

Tyrone placed his hand over his daughter’s dainty one, curling his fingers around hers. “I’m right here and will watch over you, my sweet girl. Rest now.” He was rewarded with Aurora’s soft sigh as she slipped into deep sleep.

//Great Drogo, I love her so much. I love all of them so much. How do I help them through these teenage years and teach them about their powers? How on Earth do I give Aurora the knowledge she needs about her own powerful magic? How can I even begin to help her with something I, myself, don’t fully understand? Oh, please don’t let me fail them! Help me be strong for them as my Lenora asked.//

The heartfelt plea to his Great Grandfather didn’t go unanswered. //They love you as well, Tyrone. Never doubt that. You are doing well and have made me proud. The knowledge your Aurora needs will be seen to. Do not fret. Your Pack will continue to grow in strength, love, and power. Of that, you can be certain.//

Tyrone whispered a soft thank you into the quiet room as the presence of the Great Alpha Wolf let him go. Before straightening his back and standing up, he looked into the peaceful slumbering face of his daughter and very gently squeezed her hand so as not to wake her. “You’re so much like your Ma, Aurora, so very much like her. She loves you so much as do I. Sweet dreams, my beautiful princess. Da loves you so much.”