I set Aidan back on the floor to play with his toys some more, and I stood up and marched to my room. I needed to fix myself up, I always felt better when I looked the part. I quickly laid out my best pair of NYDJ jeans in dark indigo. They might be a size 10 but I'd look like an 8 in them. I then pulled out my breast hugging V-neck cashmere red sweater. Red was always a color of power, and that's what I needed to convey, I was the one with the power, and I was going to get my answers. I then marched into the bathroom and re did my makeup from this morning. Putting a little more on than I would just so that I looked like I was in control. When I looked up I felt better. Amazing what a little lipstick and some eyeliner did for a woman.

I went back into the living room to check on the kids. Adele was still asleep in her bassinet, and Aidan was watching cartoons on TV now. "Aidan, Mommy's going to fix some dinner, you holler at me if you need something or if you hear anything." "Ok Mom, I will." He replied.

I went into the kitchen and looked through the fridge and pantry. I was going to make chili. I started frying the hamburger on the stove when I felt that a vampire was at the door, but it wasn't Eric, so it must be Pam. Good I'd get to question her before Eric arrived. Pam strolled in the back door to the kitchen. "Sookie.", "Pam". Pam strolled over the fridge and got out a bottle of True Blood, she then clicked across the room to the microwave to warm it up. Pam looked fabulous in her Donna Karan skirt, and her Moschino yellow sweater. I used to not care about brands or clothes that much, but now that I ran a consignment store in Indiana, I paid attention to what women wore. Pam had exceptionally good taste, always wearing a designer brand and always looking like something out of the Stepford wives. Only when I saw her dress to be at the door in Fangtasia did she differ from the soccer Mom look.

Pam took her True Blood and sat at the kitchen table. "It's so good to see you back in the kitchen Sookie." She stated. "Uh, thanks Pam, its nice to be here for a visit." I said. "Visit, oh I don't think so, not this time anyways, or else I wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of redecorating." Pam answered. "What does that mean Pam, not that I don't appreciate the kids rooms, they are very nice, thank you, Aidan was especially pleased, but why wouldn't we be here for just a visit?" I asked. Pam looked straight at me, "I'm not sure what all I should tell you, Eric told me that last night did not go as he had hoped and that you were being stubborn as a mule, of course I told him what did he expect, open arms, a fuck and a bite after all this time, but he did not like my answer." She told me. "Speaking of Eric, where is my Viking lover, I thought he was coming right after sundown to see MY children." I made sure to emphasize the my in the sentence, I wanted to make that loud and clear to everyone.

I finished up the chili and put it in two bowls. Then I went to get the kids. Aidan ran into the kitchen, "Aunt Pam, I love all my new toys, and my new room, and everything, you are the best Aunt I ever had." Pam smiled, touched the bottom of his chin and wiggled her nose at him, "And you my little imp are the best human nephew an Aunt could ever want." Pam said lovingly. Only my son could make a vampire like Pam who prided herself on being so vampire act in such a humanly way.

I nursed Adele while I ate. Pam watched with great interest. "Sookie you don't seem to even enjoy that." She asked curiously. "What nursing, it's not unenjoyable it's just a necessity for feeding a baby, she'll take the milk I pump from a bottle too, if you'd like to feed her yourself Pam." "Your breasts must not be that sensitive, I would be absolutely orgasmic with that much attention on my breasts." She stated, and I almost spit my lemonade out of my mouth. "Pam there is nothing sexual about nursing a baby. Yes, she's sucking on my nipple, but it's to feed, not to get off, my god is that why you're so interested." I asked. Pam laughed, "I know what it's for, I just have never seen it done, women in my day did not openly feed there babies with company present, and I haven't been around any babies as a vampire until yours. I in fact quite enjoying watching you be a mother, it's quite fascinating, I just don't understand why you don't hire a nanny, and buy some of that powdered milk in the store next to the diapers." Again I started to laugh. "It's about bonding with your baby, its something only I can do for her. But if you'd like to feed her I have some milk in the fridge I pumped earlier that you can give to her if you'd like. Pam shook her head yes, it seemed she wanted to bond too. I handed Adele to Pam, walked to the fridge and got bottle of milk out and warmed in on the stove, luckily the water was still on the stove I used to heat the noodles in for the chili. In a few minutes the milk was the perfect temperature and I put it in a bottle for Pam to feed Adele some more. I showed Pam how to hold Adele up to eat, and how to coax the bottle into Adele's mouth. Soon Adele was happily sucking away, and Pam looked in utter awe.

I finished my chili watching my best girlfriend in a totally human experience and again wondered what decisions to make, and whether I could have a life back home in Bon Temps.

Once Adele was finished with her bottle, I showed Pam how to burp her, and when Adele let out a loud belch, Pam said "that's Auntie Pam's big girl." I just smiled. My children could turn anything made of ice into a puddle of water.

I took Adele back into my arms and held her close. Aidan was finished eating by now, and trying hard to get a read on my mind. It was getting harder and harder to shut him out. "Aidan why don't you go play before bed while Aunt Pam and I catch up." I said to him. "But I thought Eric was coming to see me." Aidan said. Pam answered for me, "Eric is coming tonight Aidan, he's just running late so it will be almost bed time before he gets here." With that answer Aidan skipped out of the room happy as a lark.

"Sookie you look like you have some questions for me, but first I have some things I need to say to you." Pam stated. "I'm listening." I replied. "Good, first of all Eric was very disturbed by your attitude last night. He thought you would be as happy to see him as he was to see you, he also assumed that you would want to be with him in every way, and that you would ask him to spend the night. He is going to try to get you to that point when he comes to visit you tonight." "I see, well that's not going to happen but go on." I said. "Sookie, I'm trying to help you, you have to understand that this is just as hard on Eric as it is for you. For months after he gave into you, and you left he was unbearable to live with, all he did was bark orders, yell, and get angry at everyone. I almost wanted to stake him myself if he didn't snap out of it. Then he got word from Alcide that you met someone, and he was so hurt. He thought for sure that it would be months or years, or never for you to find someone that you could be with after being with him. He immediately called Bart and had a full fledged investigation opened on Mike. You can't imagine the mixture of anger, frustration and relief he felt when he couldn't find anything on Mike."

"Well that answers one of my questions, Eric didn't set me up with Mike, and he didn't send Mike to find me if he had to run an investigation on him." "No of course not Sookie, Eric wouldn't do that. He loves you Sookie, he doesn't want you to fall for anyone else, and he especially isn't going to set it up. Why would you think that?" Pam asked. "Claude told me earlier that I needed to speak to both my husbands about why Aidan showed signs of vampire, fairy, and empath in him." I explained to her. "I'm sure the empathy Aidan shows is just part of the fairy in him, believe me I've been around Mike enough to know that there is no supe in him at all." I sighed in relief but then I knew Claude wouldn't say something like that if there wasn't something more to it, oh damn, why had I let my temper get the best of me before I threw him out.

"Pam, you don't know how much better that makes me feel, I thought for a minute my entire marriage was a sham because Eric set it up, and maybe Mike really didn't love me, and I wasn't reading what I thought I was." I said in a relief.

" You are still such a strange little human, I wonder why we even bother with you, but then I see Eric's face and I know why he bothers, you make him feel human. Something he felt he'd lost centuries ago. But as I was saying earlier before you got me sidetracked with the flighty fairy business. You need to give Eric a break, this time away from you has been torture for him. For him to feel every emotion you have and not be able to come to you, hear from you, touch you, or help you in any way were not an easy thing. The births alone were almost unbearable. I had to literally chain him with silver to keep him from running to you when you were in pain with labor, but the ecstasy he felt immediately after he said was worth the pain. Who knew vampire men could understand labor pains. For the second one I was a bit more prepared, and had him watch birthing tapes from the discovery channel so he'd at least know what was going on." I could just picture Eric watching the birthing tapes, and wondering why any woman would want to do that, and I didn't even think about him feeling my pain and joy during my labors, this brought a completely new perspective to me.

"I've never thought about it Pam, honestly I had no idea the bond was that strong. I didn't feel Eric like I used to. I'd sense things every now and then, but I figured it was the same for Eric, it didn't occur to me that he was simply shutting down his side of the bond so I wouldn't feel it because I had asked for the separation." I told her guiltily. This revelation made me rethink everything I felt during the last several years. Meeting Mike, getting married, my pregnancies, my births, my ups and downs with motherhood, and making love to another man. If he felt all of that, if he didn't shut it out, it would affect him so strongly every day. My poor Eric, what had I done to my beautiful strong Viking who had sacrificed so much for me when we were together, and now I find even more when we were apart? All of my anger, and frustration slipped away, and suddenly all I wanted to do was hold him, tell him how much I loved him for all that he'd done, taking care of Gran's house, sending Pam to me, keeping his end of the agreement even when it pained him to do so. I was so selfish.

"Pam, I love Eric, maybe even more because of what he's done that I was unaware of, but I now have a human husband, who is the father of Aidan and Adele, I can't just walk away from that, and back into Eric's arms let alone bed. There are too many other people I have to think about." I told her sadly. "I know that Sookie, but I thought you should know some of what's been going on before you and Eric talked, he loves you, only you can hurt him, so please be careful and choose wisely, I'd hate to have to kill you myself after all this time." Pam stated.

"Speaking of Eric, where is he? It's getting late, and I need to get the kids to bed." I asked. "He should be here any minute, he got held up with some business that couldn't wait on a land deal he's working on in Australia."

Aidan ran into the kitchen, "He's coming Mommy he's coming can I please ask him to take me flying tonight, please, please, please." "Aidan calm down. Why not tonight we just meet Eric, then later in the week we can make arrangements for you to go flying with him." "Aww Mom, please, I'm so excited I don't know if I can wait that long." "What can't wait that long." Eric stated as he came in through the back door. "Hi, I'm Aidan, and your Eric, and I really really really want you to take me flying, please, can we, please." Aidan said in such a hurried excitement. Eric immediately burst into laughter. It was such a happy sound, one you rarely heard from the Sheriff of Area 5. It just made me melt all over again. "Aidan, give Eric a chance to say hello, and get to know you before you ask him for a favor." I told him in a stern motherly voice. "Your mother is right Aidan, Eric is very excited to meet you too, and I'm sure that later in the week you'll both convince your mother to let you go flying." Pam told her favorite and only nephew. Eric however just watched him in wonder. The usual stoic face was set in grin, and his eyes followed every little movement of Aidan's. "Eric can I get you a drink?" I asked. "Yes, please, that would be nice." He replied. Aidan then said "Eric will you come into the living room with me and play for awhile." "Yes, I'll be right there, you go pick out what toys you want to play with." Eric said.

As soon as Aidan left the room Eric walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, he then leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. It shocked me he was so gentle, none of the urgency from last night was there. "Thank you Sookie, thank you for letting me come back tonight, thank you for letting me meet our son, and daughter. I know this was hard for you, and I want to talk to you about all of it, but right now I just want to be with our son." He said quietly and walked over to Pam. "Pam, you are needed at Fangtasia tonight, so please head over there now, I will be here the rest of night, you can call my cell if there are any problems." "Eric, be careful, be patient, and remember who you are." Pam said before she walked out the door, with a "Bye Aidan, I'll see you tomorrow night." "Goodnight Aunt Pam" Aidan called back.

I got Eric a True Blood and heated it up while he went to find Aidan. I heard his thank yous, I felt his sincerity and love, but I also heard and felt his possession of my children. The words OUR SON kept ringing through my head. What was I to do? How would I handle this? Only time would tell, so I just needed to let Aidan enjoy tonight, he'd been looking forward to it for so long. And with that thought I walked in to see what two of my favorite guys were up too.

As it turns out they were playing Chutes & Ladders on the coffee table. I handed Eric his True Blood, and sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Dancing with the Stars was on, and the couple on the stage was two of the professional dancers dancing the rumba. I suddenly pictured Eric and me gliding across the dance floor, his hands on my waist, turning, twisting, and gliding, our hips moving in rhythm we both knew so well. Simple, clean, sensual. I must have started to doze off, because I got startled when Aidan said, Mom, Adele is crying. I turned to the two sitting on the floor, and smiled, got up and went to get Adele. I changed her diaper, and put her in her pjs. She was only 10 weeks old but she'd changed so much in those 10 weeks. She was starting to hold her head up so well, and she was curious, she was so precious. I sat down in the rocking chair in my room and fed her, I didn't want to entice Eric the way Pam was earlier. But when I looked up it was too late. Eric was standing in the door way leaning up against it. His eyes were on Adele suckling at my breast. I could feel the love wash over me, slowly it turned to desire. I smiled at him and asked if he needed something. "Yes, I do, I need you back in my life, I need our children playing in our home, I need my wife back." He said passionately, desire dripping off every word.

"Please Eric, not now, now yet, please just enjoy time with Aidan and Adele. We'll talk after they are in the bed." I spoke softly. He turned and walked back into the living room, asking Aidan what he'd like to do next.

Thank you for everyone who has listed me as a favorite, reviewed my story, and given me feedback. It gives me such enthusiasm and encourages me to keep writing. This chapter was a little more difficult for me to write, taking into consideration staying as true to character that CH spent so much time building and making us fall in love with. My husband is my first reader, and he tells gives me his feedback first, but he's only seen the TV series never read the books so he doesn't know CH's characters like all of you do. But he thinks I'm moving to slowly in the story line. Please let me know if you feel the same way. I am new to this.