LbN: Had a little time to write today, so here's the new chapter!

The New Coven

"What do you want?"

Erika glared at the wall opposite her. He was so pissy, and she hadn't even done anything this time.

"Isabella starts school tomorrow; I was calling so you'd know to come see her off," she explained with forced patience.

"Nice of you. Didn't think you wanted me around her."

"Stop being petulant," Erika rolled her eyes. "You have to be reminded of your feeding schedule and don't want to admit when you've fucked up. How in the hell do you think you'll take care of a child? And unlike you, she'd die if she doesn't feed on time. Get your shit together and William will let her stay with you."

"You know what I think?" Michael asked. Erika could hear the anger in his voice. "I don't think this is about how old she is, or about how irresponsible William thinks I am. I think this is about you. You're in "mommy-mode" now, and you've both gotten attached to Isabella. You don't want anyone to be with me, do you Erika?"

"Screw you, Michael. Had I found out that some Renegade had turned her and she was a Lycan-Hybrid, I would have sent her with William. But guess what? Her sire is just a bitter, irresponsible kid who can't control himself. No one in their right mind would've sent her with you."

"Kid? I'm thirty years old!"

"Yeah, and I'm six hundred and fifty three."

"Look, it was a mistake; but don't worry, I won't make it again. What time is she leaving tomorrow?"

"They're leaving at 8:00."

There was no goodbye. Erika tossed her cell phone on the bed when she heard Michael hang up. He was right, partially; she was attached to Isabella, but that had nothing to do with her agreeing with William's decision to leave the girl here. Michael was impulsive, and according to Selene the Elders had no idea how impulsive he was. It went beyond forgetting to feed; but he didn't know that she knew that. He wanted quick fixes to everything—from dealing with the Renegades to questions of superiority within the Lycan coven—and Erika wouldn't let a child be subjected to that sort of "parenting" if she could help it.

Lying back against the pillows on her bed, Erika ran her hand down the small bump in her stomach and smiled. She wiggled around, unable to get comfortable in the new loose clothing. In a moment of intense insecurity, she'd made a joke about the bags of new clothing she'd gotten the day before…

"Want some help putting all of it away?" Selene asked.

"Sure. No more corsets for me; you'll have to ogle someone else…" Erika smiled.

"You're the only one I want to ogle," Selene kissed her.

Erika's stomach swam, but the nausea subsided after a second. It was getting better.

"Erika?" Selene appeared in the doorway. "Are you alright?"

"Fine; just a little tired."

"Not overdoing it are you?"

"No."

Selene smiled and sat next to Erika, wrapping her arms around the blonde.

"This week's been rough, I know," she said. "Just remember to relax, okay? Marcus is looking after Isabella; William's going to leave her here."

"Until Michael gets his act together, I know."

"No, for as long as she wants to stay," Selene said. "Both of them think it'll be easier for her, since she's familiar with everyone here."

"Sure. What are you doing next Tuesday? I have an appointment with Roswell."

"I'll be there," Selene smiled. "Do we get to see the baby?"

"Yeah," Erika grinned. "Hey…I just talked to your human."

"My human who's now a Lycan?" Selene chuckled.

"That one. He thinks I'm trying to take everyone away from him."

"Nice. What'd you tell him?"

"To shove it. Pregnancy on top of having just explained immortality to a five year old is not the best frame of mind for having a conversation with him…But I did give him the chance to start redeeming himself; we'll see if he shows up tomorrow."

TNC

He didn't.

"Marcus, have you spoken with William this morning?" Erika asked.

"Michael's training a group of new patrollers. He won't be here," her Elder guessed what she wanted.

"What a surprise," she rolled her eyes and made her way back to where the children were standing.

Nine black trucks were lined up in front of the mansion; the children stood in front of the truck they would be riding in. The children of the two covens only went to the Academy from Kindergarten until eighth grade; after that, they're "immortal tendencies" started to kick in and they had to be separated from humans. All of the kids were wearing uniforms- grey slacks or skirts and black jacket with a red emblem and trim. The emblem was a crest with the words "Starling Academy" underneath. Most of the children Isabella's age had small pins on their lapels—gifts from their parents/sires. Erika had given Isabella a necklace, having doubted Michael's presence would grace them that morning. The little girl had been instantly loved by the rest of the children; a feat unheard of in the coven. Erika smiled as she watched the small brunette talk animatedly with one of the boys. He was Amaryllis and Desmond's—their kids were the only ones in the coven with black curly hair and grey eyes.

"Isabella!" Erika called. She hugged the girl when she ran over to her, "Have a good day. Mind your teacher, and stay close to Mr. Lars and the rest of the guards when you leave, alright?"

"Okay Erika!" Isabella smiled then turned back to her friend, "Zephyr! Sit with me on the way there!"

The Lycan bodyguards, Lars among them, began ushering the kids into the black Ford Excursions. There were about six kids in each grade, except for third. Something had happened eight years ago that the Vampires had started fucking like rabbits (more so than normal) and not using any protection. The result was that the third graders this year were many in number. Some of them had to squeeze in with the fourth graders. Once they were all in, Erika waved once more at Isabella and made her way with the rest of the sires into the house.

TNC

"Everything's progressing nicely," Dr. Roswell told the two Vampires. "Just remember, you need to feed more often than usual; and easy on the stress. Mmmkay?"

"Of course," Erika smiled.

She and Selene left the office fifteen minutes later, arguing playfully about the sex of the baby.

"I'm telling you," Selene grinned, putting an arm around Erika's shoulders. "It's a girl."

"Hey, it's growing in me," Erika quirked an eyebrow. "I think my intuition counts double; and I think it's a boy."

"Fair point. Any unusual cravings yet?"

"Ice cream. I raided the "human food" last night and went through an entire quart of mint chocolate chip."

"Should we stock up on that flavor then?"

"I don't think the flavor matters, actually," Erika laughed as they got into Selene's Porsche.

"Do we need to stop anywhere before we go home?"

"Actually, can we make a run across town? The baby wants Godiva; and I want to take a peek around Isabella's house."

"Why?" Selene asked.

"She was telling Zephyr about this bear that she had. I wanted to grab it for her."

"Alright."

They drove the fifteen minute ride quietly, Erika singing softly with the radio. Both of them, being chocolate addicted, smiled when they pulled up in front of the two-story Godiva shop. Though very inviting smells floated toward them, Erika decided to check the house first. Luckily, the patrols had left it unlocked, so the two women could just walk in. Her morning sickness kicked back in when she stumbled upon the parents' bedroom. The bodies had been removed, but the bloodstains were still there. Going pale—even for a Vampire—she followed Selene down the hall and into another room decorated in pink and light green. Erika strolled over to the little bed and really was sick, seeing Isabella's blood covering the sheets. Selene held her after the wave of nausea passed.

"Which bear is it?" she asked, rubbing her wife's back.

"Pooh Bear in the sailor outfit," Erika moaned.

"Here, he's all clean and everything. Now let's get out of here."

TNC

"Erika?"

Erika opened her eyes at the tiny voice. Isabella was standing just inside the doorway with a glass in her hands.

"Miss Selene told me to bring you this," she said.

"Thank you sweetie," Erika smiled, draining the cup. "Hey, I've got a surprise for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, come see."

"Can I put my bag in my room first?"

"We're going to your room."

Erika walked with her down the hallway and pushed the door open. Isabella let out a squeal and ran to the bed when she saw the bear. A small box was sitting on the stuffed animal's hands.

"You got him! Thank you! What's this?"

"Chocolate," Erika said. "I thought you'd like some as well."

"Thanks," Isabella hugged Erika then looked down at the bear. "I miss my mommy and daddy," she mumbled.

"I know sweetie," Erika kneeled next to her and hugged her tightly. "But you'll be okay here, you'll see."

LbN: Hope you liked it! Send reviews; they make me smile!