Aurora's POV:

Austin's lanky arm was lobbed over my shoulder as we walked towards the front door. It suddenly crossed my mind that I should let my Mum know I was heading out before disappearing on her. I stopped in my tracks before looking up at the towering man above me almost as if I was asking for permission to talk.

"Is everything okay?" he queried puzzlingly.

"I just have to tell Mum.." his lips formed an 'o' before he stuttered a reply.

"Oh, of course. I'll wait right here," I nodded in response before rounding the corner into the hallway where I bumped into Mike.

I tried to step around him but his figure took up most of the walking space and every time I tried to step around him he'd put himself in front of me. In fact, it was rather frustrating. I could feel the heat rush to my face as it turned a rosy red.

"Mike, I need to tell Mum," I retorted before he cut me off.

"I've got it covered don't worry, she needs some time to cool off while she packs," he wasn't mean but he sure wasn't nice either.

He was probably in there seconds ago trying to convince Mum not to go on this tour with Austin. He's so protective of her. Which I totally didn't understand. I mean sure they were together for ages but they split up and he has Alysha now.

"Cool off?" I quizzed. The man's face, of whom I had known to be the only father figure I'd had my entire life until recently, contorted as he conjured up the right words to explain what he was about to say.

Austin's POV:

I knew it was wrong but when I heard whispers coming from the hallway I couldn't help but listen in. I wonder if my curiosity was a trait I shared with my daughter. My beautiful daughter. The harder I concentrated on the voices as I listened in I recognised them as Aurora's and Mike's. I don't know what it was but there was something in my heart that ached to hear Lani's melodic voice once more. Coming to terms with the fact that I might not get the chance, not tonight anyway, I tuned into the conversation in play.

"Rory the love of your Mother's life just turned up on her doorstep how do you think she's feeling right now? She's overwhelmed. Not only that he come's in here demanding to take her daughter away," Mike's harsh words had forced so much to run through my mind.

Was I still the love of Leilani's life? Could I go in to her room right now and kiss her and hope everything would go back to how it was so many years ago? Would her skin feel as soft in my calloused hands like it did the first time I ever saw her in all her glowing beauty? Was I wrong? Was I out of line asking to have quality time with Rory? Was Lani right, did I really not have that right?

I hadn't even listened to the rest of the conversation to hear how Rory had retaliated, I was too caught up in my own mind, once again. The questions kept flooding my mind as the whispers continued around the corner. Suddenly I felt like the room was closing in on me. I shouldn't be here. I can't take Rory from Lani.

Before the confinement of the room could crush me I turned from peaking around the corner to reach for the steel, cold handle to leap into the fresh, open air.

"Dad? Where are you going?" her voice, that angelic voice. I couldn't walk away from it.

I turned back to her and shot her a smile, a real smile. Every bad thought disappeared when I looked into her innocent eyes.

"I was just going to start up the car, get the heater warm so you don't get a cold from the rain. Are you ready to go?" she nodded and I held out my hand to escort her to the rental car. She took it so lightly and the softness of her tiny hand surprised me. I couldn't believe I had made this. Nor could I believe I missed out on sixteen years of her life.

Right there, as I protected her tiny head with my jumper from the ran as we ran to the car, I swore I would never skip out on this girl again. I owed it to her to be the best father I could be while I still had the chance. However long that may be.

It was hard to believe something so beautiful could be so sick, so full of harmful things. It broke my heart and I had only hoped she hadn't seen my tears in the lounge room. I was drowning in them. I wanted her to see me as her rock, so that I could be strong for her.

We reached the car at the end of the driveway and I opened the door of the passenger side as she jumped in. I ran to the other side and turned the keys bringing the engine roaring to life. The heat blasted onto our faces as I backed out.

"What are we seeing?" she perked up at the sudden change of atmosphere, I guess it would have been just as much of a relief to her as it was to me to get out of there away from all the questions and crying.

"Well we kind of missed the movie time, I thought you could maybe come back to the hotel and we can watch something there?" I quickly glanced at her then back to the road glad to not see any disappointment on her angelic face.

"Do you have DVD's or just whatever's on TV?" she didn't see to mind my proposal and I was overjoyed that she just wanted to spend time with me and it made me question how only minutes ago I thought about leaving. How stupid was I?

"I'm not sure I have anything you'll like on DVD," surely this would disappoint her.

"Unless you have a porn collection or something I'm sure I'll enjoy it," she laughed at her own joke.

"Aurora!" I scolded but she continued laughing and boy was it infectious, I was giggling with her in no time.

"No but seriously, do you have Star Wars?" my eyes nearly popped out of my head. How was it that she was quite possibly as obsessed with the movie franchise as I was?

"Which episode?" I tried to hold in my proud dad excitement.

"Six duh, it's the best one," how right she was.

"Indeed I do. Star Wars it is then princess!" I didn't have to look at her to know her grin was stretched from ear to ear as I called her the pet name.

Earlier she had asked me how I knew 'they' called her that and it made me question. Who was they?

"Rory?" I waited for her response as she finished humming to the song playing over the radio.

"Yeah Dad," that word, 'Dad', the fact she was so comfortable calling me it, it warmed my heart.

"Who else calls you princess?" she reached to the dashboard to turn the music down so we could talk without yelling over it.

"Oh everyone. Mike started it because obviously Mum named me after a Disney princess and then it just caught on. Even Trent, my boyfriend, he calls me it too and all my school friends," her explanation had my blood boiling. Not in anger, no, it was jealousy. That Mike had been there when I wasn't, that he called her princess. I guess I just had to come up with my own nickname.

"That boy on the bus the day I met you, is that..?" I trailed off not sure if as a father I was allowed to ask those things when I'd only just entered her life.

"My boyfriend? Yeah, he's great. He's in a band too you should hear them, they're so good!" as I glanced away from the road for a split second I could see her face light up at the thought of him. Just like Lani's used to when I would walk in the room. I quickly shook the thought of my love and returned all my attention to the new adoration in my life.

"In a band hey? How old is he?" I treaded carefully not trying to overstep my boundaries.

"Nineteen but he's a gentleman," I could tell she had to explain this to Lani and Mike already and it made me unexpectedly happy that Mike warded off the dangers off boys when I didn't.

"Oh I don't doubt it for a second, he was very protective that day," I chuckled.

"Anyone and everyone around me is, they think I'm some kind of time bomb. I hate how fragile everyone treats me just because I'm sick," the pain in her voice was genuine and it in turn pained me.

"Rory I, I wont treat you like that," I promised wholeheartedly.

"Thank you," the relief washed over her.

"Can we talk about it?" she became tense again and I sensed this was either a topic that was avoided as much as possible to give her a normal life or a topic bought up too much not allowing her to be the sixteen year old she really is.

"Does it have to be tonight?" I shook my head immediately.

"No dear," I happily agreed, "tonight is our night." Ironically I pulled into the car park of the hotel as I said that and thankfully the rain had stopped.

We hopped out of the car and turned to the lobby both just as excited to live in the glory of 'our night'.

Notes