It's ok to be a Princess!

***Time Stamp: Five Years Later ~ October***

"Sweetie, please, you need to stop."

Donna watched as the dress that her mother worked on was being crushed on her kitchen floor as her five years old daughter protested wearing it.

"I don't wanna be a princess!"

The scream hurt Mikey's throat but her mother was obviously not getting it.

"I wanna be scary like Gerard! Gerard is allowed to be anything but I'm always Sleeping Beauty! I wanna be awake!"

Mikey wondered if now would be the best time to break out the tears. Stomping a few more times on the dress her mother was trying to make her wear.

Donna sighed.

"Okay, look, just be a princess for this year and next year you can be whatever you want."

"Um mom...I don’t think she is going to look like much of a princess in that. Maybe Cinderella."

The dress was torn and ripped. Donna sighed again.

"Look what you did Aurora, how are you going to wear that now and I have no other costume for you."

Bringing a few tears to her eyes Mikey sniffles up at her mother.

"I could be a zombie? Gerard has more blood."

Donna looked at her son.

"I could make her up. It wouldn't take long."

"Fine, just try not to make a mess."

Gerard smiled and took his sister's hand.

"Come on Mikey, I left the make up in the bathroom."

Taking Gerard's hand after bending down to pick up the dress in one hand, she followed her older brother to the bathroom.

"Up we go."

Gerard lifted his sister up on the counter. He helped her out of her shirt and put the tattered dress over her head. He pulled it down and the helped pull her hair back in a ponytail.

"You really hate having long hair huh?"

"Nah, its okay, just mom always playing with it, I hate that."

Mikey put her hand up and made it like a puppet, apparently pretending it was mom. Altering into a high pitched falsetto she continued.

"Your beautiful, long, princess hair. It has to be peeerrfeeecct. let me brush it for ten years when you could be playing instead."

Gerard laughed.

"Well I need to put it up to get the make up on."

Gerard carefully gathered his sister's hair up and wrapped it in a bun. He then picked up the white make up and started to apply it to her face.

"Well we can make it really messy and put leaves in it for authentic coming out of the grave zombie."

"Aurora's Revenge."

Mikey quipped, watching her brother's face for signs of appreciating the joke.

"Stop making me laugh, I'll mess up your face."

Gerard smiles.

"And you will always be Mikey to me."

Gerard leans in and kisses Mikey in a spot where there is no makeup yet.

"This is going to be the best Halloween ever."

***Time Stamp: July***

"Come on sweetie, it's not that bad."

Amber watches as the five year old cries even louder. She did not sign on for this shit when her mom made her volunteer to be a camp counselor at "Camp I'm Not Allowed to Have a Social Life." The door opened and Cathy walked in.

"Did you find the little shit yet?"

"Yeah, Neal is bringing him."

Just then Neal opened the door and a young boy ran past him.

"Mikey Mikey, what's going on?"

"Who's Mikey?"

Gerard ignored the stupid counselor and knelt down in front of his sister.

"My... my hair!! I... I... I was in the *hiccup* tree and my hair!!!"

Pulling on the ends Mikey pulled her hair towards Gerard, it all coming forward as a clump. It was obvious the counselors had tried getting it out and had only made it worse.

"I look like a zombie!"

Wiping her her eyes with her hands she tried to calm down, but couldn’t when she remembered what they had said next.

"They said to cut it off!!"

Looking hard at Gerard like maybe he would have all the secrets of the universe and would magically make the stuff get out of her hair.

"Shhhh Mikey, I got you."

Gerard carefully touched his sister's hair and looked at it. It might have been able to be saved before, but it was clear that the empty headed teens made it worse.

"Mikey, I think we do have to cut it, but not all off."

Gerard stood up.

"Give me scissors."

"Oh no, you can't do that. A counselor has to."

Gerard may have only been eight, but he had been at this camp since he was five and he knew what kind of teens they hired.

"Give me the scissors or I am calling my mom...and she will call yours."

Mikey watched in awe as her brother got the annoying counselors to back up and to hand him a pair of scissors. Although it was accompanied with a sarcastic "Calm down, little dude." From Neal as the teen handed Gerard the scissors. It wasn't till he turned back around and faced her that Mikey really got with the program that her hair was going to be cut. But... but her hair had never been cut before.

"Gee, I don't.... my hair."

She whimpered. Gerard got back down on his knees.

"It's gonna be okay Mikey. I promise. You trust me right?"

"Yeah."

She nodded slowly. Squeezing her eyes shut and clutching the seat of the chair she was in, she nodded more firmly.

"Do it."

The teens watched as the boy moved quickly, but carefully cutting away the sap filled hair. All the while he talked to the little girl, who he kept calling Mikey. Amber didn't understand. She had a beautiful name, why would she want to be called Mikey?

"There, let's go look in the mirror and you tell me if it is okay."

Walking over to the mirror Mikey gasped at her short hair, grabbing where it used to be.

"It... it gone."

Swishing her head side to side as if saying no, just to feel it run across her shoulders. Slowly a smile made its way across her face.

"Gerard! I look like you!"

Excitedly she pulled him next to her so they were both in the mirror.

"Look!"

Amber had to admit that the two siblings did look more alike now.

"Okay so are we ready to get back to having fun?"

Both children looked at her and stuck their tongue out. Then they ran out of the cabin with Cathy and Neal following. Amber collapsed on her bunk.

"I did not sign up for this shit at all."

***Time Stamp: September***

"Come on Greg stop, we're gonna get caught!"

Greg ignored Matt and continued to advance on the girl. She was playing away from the other girls in the sandbox when he saw her. The other girls were wearing dresses and buckle shoes. They had pretty bows in their long hair. This girl though was in jeans and a long sleeve shirt with a spaceship on it that was faded off. She had kind of short hair and was using plastic barrettes to keep it out of her eyes. She was using a Tonka truck with a plow on it to push sand around. Greg thought she was interesting.

"Look at her Matt; she isn't a girl, look at her short hair."

Greg reached out and pulled on it. It was soft like a girls and she cried like one. This was getting more interesting.

"Owwwww!"

Mikey whipped around to see who had done that.

"You're being mean!"

"Oh look, she is a girl, look how she cries like one."

"Greg come on, we need to..."

Suddenly Greg was pushed hard and he fell face first in the sand. He turned around to see a kid smaller than him.

"Hey, leave her alone!"

Mikey took advantage of the bullies' attention away from her and jumped onto Greg's head, screaming wildly. Matt ran to get a teacher as the girl pushed Greg's head in the sand. Mikey got off of the boy quickly when she saw the other going to get the teacher, she grabbed the boy who just defended her by the hand and ran to the other side of the playground with him. Quickly looking around she pushed herself and him under the slide.

"If anyone asks we are playing hide and seek."

She hissed at him and he nodded and watched as one of the teachers was dragged to the crying boy in the sand. The other boy was waving his hands wildly and the teacher looked around, but she would never see them where they were hiding. After doing that deep breathing that grownups do she took the boy's hands and led them into the building.

"I think it's safe now."

Slowly Mikey wiggled her way out from underneath the slide and watched as the boy did, too.

"I'm Aurora."

She proudly stuck her hand out to the smaller boy.

"Those boys were meanies. You're nice."

"Nice to meet you Arora, um Aura, no wait it's Aruro...*sigh* I'm Frank."

Mikey giggles a little at the butchery of her name.

"You'll get it. I'm six years old. How old are you?"

"I'll be five next month!"

He jumped up and down on his toes smiling with his front teeth missing.

"My birfday is on Halloween!"

"That's awesome! What is your costume going to be? My brother loves Halloween. One time he even went as a murderer."

Mikey got excited and started waving her arms around wildly talking about Gerard.

"My big brother is really cool.”

"I like being Frankenstein!"

Frank puts his arm out and makes groaning monster noises as he walks slowly in a circle around the girl. Mikey fell over from laughing so hard.

"It has your name in it!"

She shouted the realisation.

"You ARE Frankenstein!"

Frank beamed.

"Hey, you should come over some time. I have the movie, the black and white one and we can watch it! My mommy can make popcorn!"

"I love popcorn!”

Mikey stood up and brushed off her pants before speaking again.

"But my mommy will want to meet your mommy first."

"My mommy will be here to pick me up after school!"

"My mommy will, too!"

"So they can meet and..."

Frank looked up as he heard his teacher call him.

"I gotta go, but I will look for you after school!"

Frank waved as he ran off to catch up with his class.

"Bye, Frank!"

She called out after him as she, too, went to line up to go inside.

*

*

*

"There she is!"

Frank drags his mother over to where Aurora and another boy are standing with her mom.

"Hi Arora."

"Mommy! This is Frank. This is Frank's mommy. Say hi. Can I go over to Frank's now? We're gunna watch a movie and eat popcorn! His birthday is Halloween. He's Frankenstein for real!"

Gerard had never seen his sister so excited before.

"Easy Mikey."

"Hi. I'm Donna."

"Hi, I'm Linda."

The mom's talked for a bit and exchanged phone numbers.

"Okay Aurora, you can go over Frank's house on Friday for dinner. Daddy will pick you up at nine."

"Yay!"

Mikey quickly hugged Frank and watched him and his mommy walk away.

"Gerard, you’ll like Frank. Today this boy pulled my hair so Frank pushed him down and then I jumped on his head!"

Mikey may have said this with excessive glee.

"Frank likes scary movies, too! I told him about you and he said you were cool, too."

Frank may or may not have said this, but Mikey felt it was implied.

"He what?"

Donna looked at her daughter. Gerard jumped in quickly.

"Hey mommy, what's for dinner tonight?"

"Oh, uh I was planning on pasta."

"Can we help make the garlic bread?"

"Sure, you and Aurora are always welcome in the kitchen."

Gerard smiled as he realized that his mom had forgotten about what she was saying before. He winked at Mikey and heard her giggle. They climbed in the car and Donna made sure they were buckled in before getting in herself.

"Thanks, Gee."

She whispered to her brother as she lay her head on his shoulder.

"Mommy would have been really mad."

Gerard kissed Mikey's head.

"Anytime Mikey."

***Time Stamp: Friday***

"Mikey you're here...and Gerard is too."

Frank steps back and watches both brother and sister shuffle in along with their mother.

"Linda, thank you for letting them do this."

"Oh, it's no trouble. You and Donald enjoy some couple time together, lord knows it’s hard enough to get with one child let alone two."

Donna laughed and then turned to Mikey.

"Aurora, you listen to Gerard. He is in charge when Linda is busy."

"Yes, mama."

Mikey nodded, still holding Gerard's hand.

"Hi, Frank!"

She waved to the smaller boy.

"Frank, why don't you show Gerard and Aurora the den where you will be watching the movie. I will start the popcorn."

"Okay mommy!"

Frank grabbed for Mikey's hand and pulled both Way's down the carpeted hallway to the den.

"Whoa, slow down there Speedy Gonzales!"

Mikey giggled, running alongside her friend. When they got there Gerard had to take a breath. There were so many movies along the wall he whistled.

"Thanks! My mom likes to collect them!"

Frank ran up and looked up and down the wall and then proudly pulled one off showing it to his new best friend.

"Look!I gots Sleeping Beauty!"

Gerard shudders involuntarily. Mikey hates that movie, she hates that her name is Aurora because of it.

"Uh...Frankie, that's not..."

Mikey cried, grabbing the DVD from Frank's hand and shoving it back in its place on the shelf.

"I hate that movie!"

She frowned, arms crossed over her chest angrily.

"Hate that I'm named after her! I'm not a princess!"

She huffed, scuffing her purple sneakers against the carpet.

Frank looked at Aurora and felt horrible. He started to cry.

"Mikey...he didn't know."

Gerard puts a hand on Frank's shoulder and he turns into his chest burying his face. Gerard looks at his little sister. Mikey felt bad now. Gerard was right, Frankie didn't know.

"I-I'm sorry Frankie."

She stepped forward, reaching out to stroke Frankie's messy hair.

"I didn't mean to upset you."

Frank sniffed and looked up at the taller girl.

"Is that why Gerard calls you Mikey?"

Gerard smiles down.

"Yeah, before Mikey was born, I asked if I could name her if she was a boy. Mommy gave Mikey the middle name Michelle so I can still call her Mikey."

Frank looks up at Gerard and then at Aurora.

"So can I call you Mikey too?"

Mikey grinned, nodding happily.

"Yeah! I'd like that."

"Good, we have that settled. Now how about this one?"

Gerard walks over to the wall and pulls out The Sword and the Stone. He watches Mikey's face light up and then launch into how cool it would be to sword fight in a joust. Frank is in awe of this.

"You like sword fighting?"

"Yeah!"

She started bouncing excitedly.

"I'd be a knight, but I'm not big enough to wear the armor."

She looked up at Gerard.

"Cause it's heavy, right Gee?"

She grinned.

"Yes Mikey, so you could be a page like Arthur till you are big enough."

"I have swords! Well sort of, but yeah!"

Frank ran out of the room and Gerard looked at Mikey.

"He's a little hyper isn't he?"

Mikey giggled.

"A bit, yeah."

She looked around the room at all the comic book and Disney posters.

"Look Gee, Frankie likes The Hulk too!"

Gerard smiled that Frank seemed to be into stuff that he and Mikey were into.

"Here, I got one for Gee too!"

Frank ran in with three wrapping paper tubes that were reinforced with tape and had tin foil handles attached.

"Oh...can I call you Gee too?"

Gerard smiled and nodded.

"Can we sword fight Gee, pleeeease?"

Mikey looked up at her big brother with large, innocent eyes, and a small, hopeful smile.

"We should go in the back yard for that though, but it's night and..."

"We have lights!"

Frank runs out of the den. Gerard shrugs and taking Mikey's hand, follows him. Frank stops at the back of his kitchen. He flips a switch.

"Tada!"

Mikey's eyes went wide.

"Frankie… it's like a fairy garden. It's so pretty!"

She stepped out slowly, pulling Gerard behind her, her eyes taking in everything.

"Are there fairies Frankie?"

She asked seriously, turning to look at the small boy.

"Mommy says there are. She says that's why she made it like this."

Frank kind of beams with pride.

"Can we look for them Gee?"

Gerard chuckles and nods. He thinks the movie is long out of both of the kid’s heads. He watches as they run around looking under plants and flowers. Before Gerard joins them of course and before they realize it, Linda is calling them because it's time to go.

"Sorry we never got to watch the movie."

Frank is standing next to his mom and Gerard and Mikey are standing next to Don.

"It's ok Frankie."

Mikey smiled.

"We can watch it next time!"

She stepped forward and hugged him, whispering in his ear.

"I think your mummy's right about the fairies."

Frank blushed and their parents laughed.

"See you in school Monday Mikey, Gee."

"Awww, Frankie too?"

Gerard nodded. His Dad knew it was big deal that he could call his sister Mikey.

Mikey smiled up at her Dad.

"Frankie's my bestest friend now daddy!"

They say goodbye a little longer and then Mikey and Gerard are on their way home.

*

*

*

"Hey Mikey,..."

Gerard is fresh out of the shower. He has his footies on and is still drying his hair. Mikey was already in her footies, curled up on the sofa in the family room, watching cartoons on TV and using her cat stuffy as a pillow. She looked up, smiling.

"Hey Gee."

"Wanna play cards before we go to sleep?"

Gerard held up the packs of Old Maid and Go Fish.

Mikey nodded, sitting herself up a bit.

"Can we play Fish?"

"Make sure you both brush your teeth first."

"Okay Mommy."

Both kids run to the bathroom and spend way too much time giggling to get their teeth brushed. Then they are in their room on Gerard's bed with even more giggling then needed to play a card game. By the time Donald comes to get them they are over tired.

"All right you two, in bed for story."

"But we are in bed Daddy!"

Gerard loves that he makes his sister giggle.

"I mean in your own beds silly."

"Awww!"

Mikey pouted.

"Why can't we have a story together daddy?"

"Cause you’re getting too old and..."

Both kids look up at him curiously. Gerard on the verge of starting those rough years and Aurora still innocent. He sighs.

"Alright, settle in."

Donald watches the kids shuffle about, Gerard putting the cards away responsibly. They lay on the pillow and Donald opens the book and begins reading.

***Time Stamp: Two Years Later: April***

"When is Dad coming home?"

Gerard is trying to keep still, Donna can see that, but she can see the excitement threatening to bubble over inside.

"Soon sweetheart soon."

Mikey ran down the stairs from her room, her ratty old stuffed cat in her right hand.

"Is daddy here yet?"

She asked, tripping over the edge of the rug and stumbling toward the sofa that Gerard was sat on.

"No moron, do you see his car?"

Donna shook her head as she pulled the roast out of the oven. Gerard was growing up and he was getting that sarcastic streak that all boys got.

"Kids, get washed up for dinner and..."

The phone rang.

"I'll get it!"

Gerard jumped up, but for some reason Donna cut him off.

"No, I got it you go take Aurora to wash up."

"Okay okay geeze, come on squirt let's go."

"I'm not a squirt Gee!"

Mikey sassed.

"I'm nearly as tall as you now!"

"Shuddap, you'll always be a squirt to me."

Their voices faded as Donna picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Way?"

"Yes?"

"We are sorry to inform you that your husband..."

Notes

Hiya chipmunks.. You ok?

Here we go again, another chapter for you, hope you enjoy.

As always check AO3 for my co's notes and fics.

Til next time, comment and peace out!
<3