I felt him as soon as he entered the front door. I could feel his anticipation, his anxiety, and most of all his love. I was torn, I didn't know if I just went to bed if he would leave, or if he would come bounding up the stairs as he had so many times before looking for me, or worse call out for me and wake my sleeping children, so I made my decision quickly and headed for the stairs. I stopped at the top step and let my eyes adjust to the moonlight and there he was, my Viking, beautiful, never changing, a thousand thoughts went through my head. Would he still want me, would he find me attractive, five years is a long time and so much had changed in my life, but he still looked like he did when I left Fangtasia, when he let me go to have my normal life, when everything changed for me.

It felt like an eternity when in reality it was just a few seconds and he did come up the stairs wrapping me into a bone crushing hug. He felt so good all those muscles working to hold me and pick me off the floor to embrace me. Then his mouth found mine and I could feel his desire not just through the bond, but in the urgency of his kisses, and the hardness in his pants pressing up against me. Five years just melted away. He lifted me and carried me down the stairs and into my room and he flipped on the bedside lamp as he laid me back on the pillows. I saw that unlike the two rooms that Pam had obviously redone upstairs for my children, this room (my room), the room that we had made love in so many times, he left untouched.

His eyes caught mine and he slowly backed away. "My lover, say something." he said in a ragged voice as if trying to catch his nonexistent breath. I had to think carefully about my response, too many thoughts were running through my head. "Eric." I sighed. "Oh Eric, I don't even know where to begin." I whimpered. He put his hand on my chin and lifted my head, slowly bringing his soft lips to mine.

"I've missed you" he said quietly. "I've missed you too, but a lot has happened, I can't go back in time." I answered.

"Sookie, you are mine, five years is nothing in eternity, don't you see that." He was trying to be patient; I could both hear it in his voice and feel it through the bond. That stupid bond, that is why I was here, that was how I found myself in this position to begin with, if only I had enough courage to break it, but I hadn't, not then, and certainly not now that there were two sleeping children above us. I needed Eric, I just wasn't sure how much, or how much I wanted him to know. Luckily the bond wasn't as good as it used to be since we only shared vials of blood once a year since I left Louisiana, but I could tell that he wanted to change that, and quickly.

"Eric, five years might not be a long time to a vampire, but five years can change a human, it certainly has changed me, I am no longer the Sookie that you knew." There I said it; I told him I was no longer his, well sort of. "Of course you are still my Sookie, yes you have changed a little, you are soft in new areas, you are even more voluptuous, your hips have widened, and you've cut and colored your hair, I notice that you have changed, but you are still my wife, and you will always be MINE. By the way my lover, motherhood suits you very well; I find you even more attractive than when I last saw you, you smell so sweet, what is that smell."

Of course he would notice my physical changes. "Eric I'm not just talking about my body, and I am not just your WIFE, I am a wife to a human now also, and that smell is my breast milk, I've started leaking, I need to pump and the baby will be up in few to eat." I got off the bed and walked to my bags getting my nightgown out and my travel case with my bathroom stuff and walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I washed my face, brushed my hair, and changed my clothes the hot shower I thought about on the plane earlier was just going to have to wait.

When I walked out of the bedroom Eric was sitting on my bed with his head down. He was still so beautiful. His long hair falling into his face, his face so still almost as if he was sleeping sitting up, he wore a Fangtasia black tee and jeans with flip flops just like he did every time I closed my eyes and pictured him while I was away. I loved him, but I also loved Mike my human husband, but most of all I loved my children sleeping upstairs, and they were who I was going to have to put first this time. Not my beautiful Viking, not me, but Aidan & Adele. It was all I could do not to go to Eric, wrap my arms around him and tell him to make love to me. My entire body longed to be touched by him, but now was not the time to think about that. I had one week to figure out why I had been summoned back to Louisiana, forced to bring my children with me, and leave my husband behind. It was Sunday night and Mike would be arriving on Saturday morning. If I didn't have things resolved and set with Eric by then, I would have to tell Mike everything that I'd kept from him.

"Eric, I'm tired, it's been a very long day." (Adele starting crying upstairs) "I need to take care of her needs and then try to get some sleep. If you come tomorrow night after sunset I promise you can meet Aidan & Adele, and then after I put them to bed we can talk about everything you want to know, I'll answer all your questions, we can do that all week long if you'd like. But come Saturday my husband will be joining me, and you and I need to know where we go from here."

As I walked out of the room and up the stairs I heard the door slam.

I ran into the nursery, picked up Adele and sat down in the rocking chair to nurse her. While she sucked I thought about the nursery. It used to be my room and when I left it was just a guest room that Claude had stayed in at one point in time. Now it was a princess room with a pink canopy crib, and a castle doll house and nightlight that had fairies dancing on the ceiling. Pam obviously had lots of fun decorating for my visit. She must have known long before I did that it would be needed. I needed to remember to thank her tomorrow.

Once Adele fell back to sleep I laid her in the crib and walked to the attic where Aidan was sleeping. That room used to be Amelia's for awhile and now it was decorated in Aidan's favorite football team the Indianapolis Colts plastered on the walls and blue & white everywhere. There was also a toy box full of new toys to be played with in the morning. "Auntie Pam" knew Aidan well from her visits to our home in Indiana. I kissed his little forehead and went back down the stairs to my room. I wondered if Eric wouldn't let Pam redecorate this one too, or if there wasn't time. In the morning I'd have to pay closer attention to the other rooms in the house, but for tonight all I wanted was my bed.

Unfortunately my mind would not shut down. I kept replaying the nights events in my head, and then the conversation with Pam that brought me back to my Gran's house, and even as far back as the last conversation I had with Eric at Fangtasia when I said goodbye. Maybe I made a mistake coming back home. Maybe if I'd stayed away Eric would have accepted that I chose my life with my human husband, Maybe if I hadn't agreed to his terms all that time ago, I wouldn't be here now. But I could maybe until the sun came up and it wouldn't make a difference. Fact was I knew that I wouldn't have Aidan & Adele if I hadn't agreed to the terms, and although Eric could be thoughtful, forgiving, and loving, he was also ruthless, as any thousand old vampire was, and I couldn't have him taking his anger out on Mike. Oh no Mike, I forgot to call him to tell him I was home. I checked the clock. It was 1am, to late to call Mike; I'd just send him a text. So I got up and went to my purse on the couch, got out my phone and texted him "sry lm l8, kids ZZZ, I'll call in mng. Luv ya" there that should do it. I put the phone on the charger, and started counting sheep; I don't remember counting past 100.

The morning came too soon for my liking. But when Aidan came jumping into my bed saying that Adele was crying I had to get up. So I ran up the stairs to get Adele as Aidan followed me. "Mommy did you see my cool new room." He said. "Yes, Aidan I saw your room, you need to remember to thank Auntie Pam when you see her tonight." I said as I was changing Adele's diaper. "Mommy, did you see all the toys in the toy box, are those all for me?" he asked. "I'm sure they are, and after breakfast and you get dressed you can play with them ok." He smiled and I heard him think that he loved his room and toys here and he wished he could live here all the time so Auntie Pam would spoil him. I immediately started laughing out loud, and Aidan gave me an uhoh look when he realized I knew what he was thinking and then I heard him think Mom you shouldn't listen in unless I give you permission right. Right I thought back. And he just grinned. At four he was just too smart for his own age, and he had way better control over his telepathy than I ever did.

After feeding Adele I laid her in the bassinet in the kitchen, it matched the one in our home that Pam had giving me as a baby shower gift with Aidan, I smiled as I remember how excited Pam was that she got to come to my baby shower, and that I'd arranged for it to be at night just so she could attend because even after only seeing her once or twice a year for the last five years she still was one of my best friends. Then I got to fixing Aidan breakfast. Not sure what would be in the fridge or even if I could fix breakfast, but sure enough when I opened the door to the fridge it was full of everything Aidan & I liked. Pam & Eric both had knew our favorites so well. So I made some blueberry pancakes and fried up some sausage in Gran's ole frying pan.

The phone rang just as I was finishing the dishes. "Hello, Sookie speaking". "Cher, its Sam. It sure is good to hear your voice, and know that its only five minutes away." "Thanks Sam, its good to hear you too, how's it going?" I asked. "Actually I was wondering if you were up to some company, I'd sure like to come over and see ya, and those babes of yours." "Sure Sam, just give me a few to get cleaned up, I just finished breakfast dishes and I still need to get cleaned up how about an hour." "That sounds real good Cher, can I bring you anything." He asked. "Nope, we're all good here, I'll see you soon." "Bye Cher."

I checked Adele and she was sound asleep in the bassinet, so I went to find Aidan, and found him dressed and on the rug in the living room playing with a new race track and cars. Mommy's going to take a shower I thought, listed for Adele, and don't answer the door if someone knocks unless you know who it is ok. Sure Mom no problem he thought in between the vroom vroom's and the screeches.

The hot shower felt wonderful, it started to melt away the tension I had in my shoulders all night. But my thoughts quickly came back to the meeting with Eric tonight, and the fact that my children were to meet him for the first time tonight. But before I could let my thoughts get too far into that Aidan came into the bathroom to tell me that Adele was awake. So I quickly jumped out of the shower dried off, and threw on yoga pants and a tee shirt. I dried my hair with a towel, and ran a comb though it, now that it just reached my chin I didn't have to worry about it as much, I checked the color, and sure enough it was almost time to color it dark again. I'd been a brunette for almost the entire time I'd been gone. Just another way for me to separate my new life from my old. I hurriedly brushed my teeth as Adele's whimpers turned into a bawl, and I ran into the kitchen. As soon as I picked her up the crying stopped. This one was already a Momma's girl.

Shortly after I had changed Adele and got her dressed for company there was a knock at the door. When I opened the door with Adele in hands, and Aidan peeking behind me, I saw Sam. Sam Merlotte had been my boss for 8 years before I left Bon Temps, he was a shifter, and a very good friend. When Eric and I had vampire married he was upset with me, but he knew Eric would protect me. When I came to him to quit my job, and told him I was leaving town he assumed I was moving to Shreveport to live with Eric, but when I told him that I was leaving the state, that I had asked Eric to release me from being "his" so that I could have a chance to have a normal life, and a family, Sam helped me pack and sent me off with a "Sookie, if you ever need anything just call, but please get the hell out of here as fast as you can, and don't look back." I hadn't seen Sam since I left, but I'd written him every couple of month, and he'd written back. When I got married, he sent me beautiful crystal vase as a wedding gift filled with one dollar bills to remind me of my waitressing days.

"Come on in Sam, it's so good to see you, I'm glad you called." I said as I stepped to the side so he could come in. He walked in and immediately squatted down in front of Aidan. "Hey little man, how are you?" Aidan stared at him for a minute, and I knew he was trying to read Sam's mind. "Aidan what do you say" I nudged at him. "Hi Sam, hey are you a shifter, and do you always change into a dog, or can you change into other things?" he asked. Sam grinned, and stood back up, "Well I guess that answers one question, Aidan I am a shifter, and I can change into anything but I prefer Collies he answered." "Cool, can I see." "NO, I shouted, not meaning to. "Aidan you are being rude, now please go play so Sam and I can talk." Aidan frowned but immediately went back to the living room rug to play with the new race track and cars.

"Wow Cher, you are sure going to have your hands full with that one." He laughed. "Don't I know it? I just hope little Adele here isn't as so forthcoming." I answered. "Does their Daddy know what they can do?", "No Sam, he doesn't, not yet, he doesn't even know what I can do, or you, or Alcide, or Jason, Amelia, let alone Pam or Eric. So far I've managed to keep him in the dark but I know that's all coming to an end now, and I'm just afraid of how it's all going to work out." I stammered. "Sookie, why did you come back, you seemed to have a good life, a loving husband, two beautiful children, why come back after all this time." He wondered. "I had to Sam, Eric insisted on it, and he threatened to expose everything to Mike if I didn't bring the kids to meet him. He wants to see the children he helped give me."

Just then my cell phone rang, I got up to answer it, and saw it was Mike. "Hi Honey." I answered. "Hey, why didn't you call this morning." He asked. Poor Mike, I totally forgot, being back here has got me so mixed up that I forgot to call my husband. "I'm sorry Hun, I just busy with the kids and getting ready, and the Sam my old boss stopped by to visit, and we've been catching up so I haven't even had a chance to, you weren't worried were you?" I was trying to sound calm and cool. "No, I wasn't worried, its just that this is the first time we've been apart, and me home alone without you or the kids is weird, but I can't talk long I'm on break so I'll call you when I get off work to talk to Aidan and see how the rest of your day goes. I love you, and I miss you all." "I love you too, and I'll talk to you later." I hung up.

Turning to Sam who was now playing on the floor with Aidan, I smiled, now why couldn't I have fallen in love with Sam. I could have stayed in Bon Temps, had a real family like I wanted, and not have a double life like I do now. I walked over to them and Sam looked up and smiled back at me, then what he said stopped my heart, "Cher, why do both of your babies look like miniature Northman." Ok, so it wasn't just me or Pam who noticed, now I was going to have to explain to Sam. But this was good; it would be practice for everyone else who was going to ask now that I was back in Bon Temps.

OK this is my first try at writing anything. I love CH characters, and have read so much fanfiction that I thoroughly love. So please give me your feedback, let me know if you are wanting more, I have several more chapters in my head. A whole back-story of the last 5 years, and what's going to happen from here on.