A/N: Hello, guys!

So, first of all I wanted to thank all of you that read my previous story - Competition, especially the ones who reviewed, favored and followed it. It means a lot for me as a writer! I'm happy that you liked it, and, truth is, it's also the one I liked to write the most. But, as sad as it is, I finished it, and now I had begun a new story.

This one is also about Eric and his family, but follows the end of season 6. Nora is dead, and Eric has to deal with her loss, to try and repair his relationship with Pam, and, besides, to raise his new progeny Willa. We'll just have to see how it turns out. Actually, I'm just as curious as you, because I never know how am I going to end a story when I begin it.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.

So, here we go...

Prologue.

Reflection.

"Did you ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real, and you're just a reflection of him?
Bill Watterson

Her head was spinning.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, dark eyes boring into dark eyes.

Her pupils were dilated.

Her mouth was slightly agape and she was breathing heavily, trying to calm herself down. Her hands were on the washstand, trying to steady herself.

She closed her eyes for a moment, still trying to calm down, but opened them back as soon as his image appeared behind her closed eyelids. She gasped as a strong wave of lust shot through her, her knees nearly bucking. Her instincts were screaming and all her senses were heightened. In her short life, she had never felt something as intense as this.

The thought of him crossed her mind again, and she felt her insides clench, more wetness pooling between her thighs. He hadn't even touched her or spoken with her. All he had done was stand on his throne all night long, a look of boredom on his face. And this was enough to make her quiver with desire.

Was it because of his blood inside her? Because of the bond that tied them? Was him being her maker the reason of her longing? She felt attracted to him from the first moment she saw him, but it was like a drop compared to what she felt now. It was an enormous, suffocating desire that engulfed her whenever she came near him.

"Bathrooms are for humans only. Do I need to explain why?" – she jumped up a little as she heard the sweet deep drawl. She got so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't even hear Pam enter.

"Ah…" – she stammered – "Sorry. I just… needed a minute for myself." – Pam was silent, only looking straight at her, a predatory smile lingering on her lips, and Willa felt obliged to say something. – "I don't know what's wrong with me…"

At her words Pam's grin widened, and a small chuckle escaped her mouth.

"Oh, Willa!" – she said, shaking her head. – "Of course you do know." - Willa looked at her silently, not sure how to answer, but Pam continued. – "You want him. Eric." – the brunette frowned, not sure how to react to Pam's statement. She didn't want to admit it to her sister. She wasn't even ready to fully admit it to herself. – "You want him" – Pam repeated once more. – "You feel like he's a part of you, and every time you are near him, you feel like drawn to him. You want to touch him, to feel his skin pressed to yours, to feel his hands encircle you." – the blonde was looking right into Willa eyes, and she felt like she was reaching into the very depth of her soul, reading her like a book. – "Your lust for him is extremely strong. So strong it nearly scares you sometimes. You feel like something else is in control of your desires, something that you have no way of controlling. Your blood is calling to him. His blood inside you." – she made a short pause. – "But even worse is the fact that there's more to it than physical attraction. Your mind is full of him as well. You think of him any second when he's around, and even more when he's not. You imagine him with you, talking, laughing, fucking. You had never felt anything like this before. It seems like he's your everything."

Now that Pam has ended her speech, neither of them was talking, and a deep silence passed between them. Willa's mind was racing. She wanted to know how could Pam know her exact feeling, and asked her on impulse.

"Is this the way you felt about him… when he made you?"

Pam's face didn't betray any emotion she could have felt at her words, but her eyes filled with a hint of something distant, something she couldn't quite define. She didn't answer right away.

"Calm down and come out. You'll have to, eventually. You can't hide here forever." – she turned to go, but Willa stopped her.

"Pam." – she began, a little uncertain if she should bring this up. – "Will it ever… go away?" – neither of them had admitted their feeling for Eric openly, but, it seemed, they were taking it for granted, as if somewhere, deep inside, they knew. Without words, they had understood each other perfectly, because, even if they could not express it with words, they knew the exact feelings they were talking about. As if one of them was the reflection of the other.

"No." – Pam answered after another moment of silence. – "It doesn't. You get used to it, learn to live with it… but it does not go away." – she appraised Willa with a last glance, and turned to exit the bathroom. Her last words reached Willa's ears, her melodic voice resonating once more in the empty bathroom. – "And forever is a long time to hide…"

Willa closed her eyes again and opened them back. She took a deep breath of air, and made up her mind. With a last glance at her reflection in the mirror, she turned to the exit door.

She couldn't hide forever.

A/N: Reviews are much appreaciated! Let me know what you think!