"I haven't heard from Eric Northman since the night I returned."

The lie left my mouth so fluidly that even I believed it. Bill tilted his head slightly, his eyes squinting just a bit as he regarded me. I tensed, but did my best to remain still, not wanting my anxiety to show. Pam's words played over in my head, about the witches that had done this to Eric and the possibility that Bill had sent Eric to them purposefully. Bill had never given me a reason not to trust him, in fact he had been nothing but kind to me and had saved my life a few times, but I knew that he didn't like Eric. He had attempted to kill Eric once as far as I knew. I couldn't let him know where Eric was or how vulnerable he was.

"I see," Bill said finally. A smile spread across his face after a moment, softening it just a bit, but it did not reach his eyes. "I see you are with child. Congratulations."

I hesitated, my hands falling to my stomach protectively. "Thank you, Bill," I said tensely. "If that's all-."

"If you have not seen Eric, then you would not mind if I searched the premises then? Just to dot all I's and cross all T's," Bill asked with a casual shrug.

I frowned. "Yes, I do mind Bill Compton. My parents are here visiting and what I cannot have is, a vampire searching my house as though I am some criminal. I haven't heard from him and I meant it."

Bill glowered slightly, suspicion bright in his eyes, but nodded. "I apologize, Chase. I am only concerned for Eric's safety and as I knew you two were once…involved…I assumed he might seek refuge here. If you do see Eric please tell him that I am looking for him and to check in with his king."

I tried to smile. I wasn't sure that it showed. "Sure thing, your majesty."

I watched him walk off the porch, pausing as he reached the end of my walkway to glance over his shoulder at me before rushing off into the night in vampire speed, his two guards following after him. I waited for a few more minutes, my heart pounding. I shut the door once I was sure he was gone and ran to my phone, dialing Sookie's number and waiting anxiously for it to ring. I cursed as it went straight to voicemail before redialing it, only for it to go to voicemail again.

"Dammit, Sookie, it's me. Bill just showed up here looking for Eric and that cannot be a good thing. Call me."

I hung up the phone. I had to get to Sookie's and warn her that Bill was on the look out for Eric, who knows what he would do if he found Eric there. And if Bill had come to me there was no doubt that he would go to Sookie's next if he hadn't already. I rushed to my bedroom, pulling on my shoes and sweater. I grabbed my phone and keys, leaving out the front door quietly and locking it behind me. It was when I reached the driveway that I remembered I no longer had a car and sighed. Sookie's home was not far from mine, by car but it was at least a twenty-minute walk. And it was too dangerous for me to be taking a late night stroll with the way that I smelled. I begrudgingly turned to go back into the house when I felt something in the air, something that had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

My heart rate quickened and I felt my power surge as fear crept up my spine. I turned slowly, looking around, expecting to see what was causing this and found nothing and no one. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath, turning to go back into the house when Eric Northman appeared in front of me. I was unable to stop the scream that escaped my lips or the power that flooded from me directed right at Eric. He went flying backwards, colliding with a tree in front of my home and falling to the ground with a heavy thud. He recovered slowly, looking up at me dazed and confused.

"Oh my god, Eric," I said rushing to his side, I took him by the arm, helping him to his feet. "I am sorry, you scared me half to death."

"What was that?" he asked groggily, blood trickling down from his nose. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.

"That was my powers," I sighed. "You scared me and I lost control"

"Powers?" he questioned, his face scrunching up in confusion.

"It's a long story, what the heck are you-."

"Chase?"

I jumped at the sound of my mothers voice, turning to find my parents standing on my porch in their pajamas. Shit. "Mom, Dad, sorry I didn't mean to wake you," I apologized.

"Is everything alright? We heard you scream," My dad questioned taking a few steps towards me. He was eyeing Eric suspiciously.

"Yes, I am fine, I just got startled is all," I said blushing crimson. "Umm…this is Eric…the uh vampire that I told you about."

My dad frowned and my mom's eyebrows went up. Eric lifted his hand to wave, smiling nervously. "Uh….hi," he breathed.

"Hi," my mom replied waving back.

My dad continued to frown. "Are you sure you are alright?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, dad, I am fine. I promise. I'll be in, in a moment."

My dad lingered, continuing to frown as he watched Eric, which was very unlike my father. He had always been an easy going guy. It was usually my mother who was the more protective and strict parent, but these weren't normal circumstances. My parents were meeting the vampire who had potentially knocked me up. My dad turned on his heels and ushered my mother back into the house, pausing to pass Eric one final glare before shutting the front door behind him. I turned back to Eric with a sigh.

"I don't think your father likes me very much," Eric frowned.

I ignored the comment. "Eric, what are you doing here?"

"Sookie sent me, she said someone showed up looking for me and that I might be in trouble," he answered. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I replied. "But Sookie is right, we have to get you inside. You cant be seen. Bill showed up here as well and he could come back or be watching."

I took Eric by the hand, leading him up the porch and into my house. I made a beeline to my bedroom, shutting the door after Eric stepped in and locking it. Eric looked around my room uninterestedly before sitting down on my bed. I felt tension rise in the air between us as my mind wandered back to the kiss that he and I shared earlier in his cubby. I shook my head to clear the thought and stepped further into my room.

"I'm guessing that Sookie wants you to stay here with me now," I said. "The only problem is that my house is not sun proof at all and you have a cubby at Sookie's. I don't want you burning up."

Eric said nothing, only watched me as I started to pace.

"And if Bill is looking for you that means he could come back to either place," I thought aloud. "And seeing as the cubby is disguised, it's the safest place for you to be. So, you really have to hide in that cubby. Come on, we're going back to Sookie's."

Eric rose to his feet at my demand. "I don't want to go back."

"Eric, you have to-."

"I want to stay with you," he cut in. "I want to be with you."

I froze, looking up at him. "Eric, the safest place for you is at Sookie's. You have to be there."

Eric frowned. "But-."

"I'll stay there with you for tonight okay? I wont leave till your asleep. But this is about your safety and if something happens to you…" I trailed off at the thought, feeling my eyes watering. I wiped at them quickly and took a deep breath. I was not going to get emotional. "Let's just go. Can you fly us there?"

Eric blinked. "I can fly?"

I exhaled again. "Nevermind, how about vampire speed then?"

Eric hesitated, his eyes dropping down to my stomach. "Is that safe for the baby?"

"Eric, you sped me back to Sookie's house in vampire speed earlier this morning," I countered.

"That was different, it was an emergency situation," he replied.

"Look, I'm sure that she is going to be just fine if we use vampire speed, we just need to get you back to the cubby," I growled in frustration.

Eric froze, his eyes widening, the beginnings of a smile on his lips. "She? It's a girl?" he asked breathlessly, motioning to my stomach.

"Oh. Yes, I uh, I found out tonight."

"Chase, that's amazing."

I felt my stomach drop a little. He still didn't know that the there was a possibility that the baby wasn't his. I nodded. "Yeah, I didn't have a gender preference, but it looks like I'm having a girl."

"We're having a daughter," he corrected.

A smile spread across Eric's face as he took a step towards me, placing one hand on my stomach and the other my cheek. Heat rushed through me at contact and I felt butterflies in my stomach signaling movement from the baby. I looked up at him breathlessly. There was an expression of pure joy on Eric's face and he leaned in close, pressing his forehead to mine. I tensed at this much physical contact, at the raw emotion that he was displaying to me, something that he hadn't done since the night that he had told me he loved me. And even on that night he had still been guarded. This was different. He was happy, truly happy at this news and he wanted to me to know. Why can't he be like this all the time? I couldn't stop myself from thinking it as my eyes closed and I took a deep breath. I couldn't let myself fall for this Eric. This was temporary and I had to make sure that I remembered that.

I reached up and gently removed his hand from my face, not wanting to offend him. "We should go."

He frowned slightly, but nodded. "Can I pick you up?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Vampire speed?"

"Oh, right," I nodded. "Yes, let's go."

He picked me up carefully, cradling me in his arms wedding style. "It would be better if you closed your eyes," he advised. "Tuck your head in towards your chin."

I nodded again, closing my arms and turning my face inward towards his neck. His grip on me tightened a bit and without warning I felt the wind pick up around us. I kept my eyes tight shut and my chin tucked in, trying to focus on my breathing. We stopped in seconds, my eyes opening to see that we were in front of Sookie's home. She was sitting on the porch steps, her eyes widening when she saw us, rising to her feet.

"Chase, what are you guys doing here?" she asked. "I sent Eric because Bill came, did you get my message?"

"Bill came to my house too," I replied. "And I know you don't want him here and that I said I would take him after two days, but Sookie the safest place for him is here. He has the cubby and its disguised. There is nothing like that at my house."

Sookie sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Chase, I really think-."

"Sookie, please, he's in real danger, especially now with Bill looking for him," I cut in. I gave her a pleading look.

I saw the moment she relented, her arms uncrossing. "Let's get him inside before someone sees him."

She turned for the house and I followed, taking Eric by the hand and pulling him along. Sookie locked the door behind us. "What did Bill say?" she asked as she led us into the living room.

"That he was looking for Eric because he was concerned with his safety, which didn't seem genuine at all," I sat down on her couch while Eric loomed over me, looking uncomfortable. "He asked to search my home and I had to tell him no."

"He tried to come in here too and I had to block the door to keep him from coming in," Sookie frowned. "We need to figure out a way to fix Eric. We cant hide him here forever-."

"I don't want to be fixed," Eric cut in.

Sookie and I shared a glance. "Eric, you're in danger. You have to be fixed," Sookie said.

"But Chase doesnt like the old Eric," he reasoned looking down at me.

I sighed and rose to my feet as gracefully as I could, taking his hand. "Eric, we talked about this. I do like the old Eric. In fact I love him. We just have some issues and things are complicated. But you have turn back for your own safety. And that is the most important thing."

Eric didn't look convinced. "But if I stay this way, I have a chance to be a family with you and the baby."

My stomach turned. I didn't know what to say, I didn't want to hurt him in his vulnerable state. He didn't know everything that the old Eric and I had been through. He didn't know about Alcide. He didn't know that he had ripped out my heart and stepped on it more times than I could bear. It wasn't this Eric's fault. Tension rose in the air as he continued to look at me expectantly.

"Let's go down to the cubby, in case Bill has someone watching the house and can see you through the window," I said changing the subject. "Sookie, I'm gonna get him settled and then I'll be right back okay?"

She nodded and I led Eric to the cubby, opening the cabinet doors and ushering him. He descended the ladder first and I followed after him, closing the cabinet doors after me, finding him sitting on his bed, looking sullen when I stepped off the ladder.

"You don't want to give me a chance," Eric said softly, his eyes on the floor. "The old Eric hurt you too much. So much that even though you carry his child you don't want to be with him."

I froze at his words, my stomach sinking. "Eric…its…."

"Complicated. I know. You said that already," he answered, there was a bite to his tone. He looked up at me slowly. "He loves you," he said softly surprising me. "I may not be able to remember but this body does. I can feel it."

I stood silent, unable to think of anything to say, surprised at his words.

"I felt it when I first saw you and I still feel it now," he said rising to his feet, quickly towering over me. He stepped toward me and I felt heat between us. I tried to take a step backward from him, but was met with concrete wall. "My skin tingles whenever your near and I long for your touch," he reached forward and caressed my cheek. I stared up at him breathlessly, frozen in place. "And in the day when I rest, I dream of your body against mine, the taste of your blood in my mouth, your hands in my hair."

"Eric," I breathed, finally regaining my ability to speak. "I-."

"I don't feel this way when I am near Sookie. I don't dream about her. I don't crave her. You and I, we shared something intense," he continued. "I know that we did. I know that I love you even if I do not completely remember you," he stepped forward again, his body barely an inch from mine. "I am sorry, Chase. Sorry for all the times that the Old Eric hurt you. Sorry for all the times that I made you doubt yourself and that I didn't truly show how much I adore you."

I felt my face flush, swallowing hard as I looked up at him. I had waited so long to hear these words, for him to make these declarations, that I had given up long ago on hearing them. It was the reason that I had chosen Alcide, even though I knew that I still loved Eric, Eric had never truly admitted his feelings for me or apologized for everything that he had done to me. And though I knew this Eric wasn't the real Eric, that this Eric was a shadow of his former self, it didn't stop my heart from fluttering at the words. It didn't stop me from considering giving this Eric another chance.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked huskily, his thumb tracing my cheekbone.

I hesitated. Was I going to do this to myself again?

"Chase."

The way he said my name made me shiver. Temporary, Chase, this is all temporary, that little voice in the back of my mind warned again, just as it had done earlier when we were in this very cubby kissing. Don't do this to yourself again. The voice was right, it usually always was, but my heart was still aflutter. I knew what would happen if I let myself go, I would fall for him again, hard and fast and I would hit the ground hard when he returned to his former self. We were doomed. We always had been, regardless of our feelings for each other, it just never seemed to work. But I still wanted him. Maybe this time things would be different…

"Kiss me," I demanded.

Eric didn't hesitate, his mouth found mine in seconds, his tongue sliding over and dancing with mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as his hands gripped my hips. I melted against him as he deepened the kiss, my back against the concrete wall, my knees threatening to give. I had missed his kiss. I had missed all of him. I knew that this was probably a bad idea, that I might regret this in the morning, but I pushed that all to the back of my mind and decided to consciously go through with this terrible idea.

Eric turned, pulling me along with him towards his bed, maneuvering me onto to the bed gently, and climbing over me. I caught my breath before his mouth was on mine once more, one hand tangled in my hair, the other beside my head holding his body above mine. He paused long enough to pull his hoodie over his head with one hand before recapturing my mouth, hands travelling down the side of my body before going back up and under my shirt. Sparks shot through me at our skin to skin contact, I arched into his touch, a moan escaping my throat until his hand slid over my pregnant bump causing a flutter within. I broke away from his kiss with a gasp, sliding upward on the bed, my hands on my stomach protectively. He remained at the foot of the bed, looking at me wide eyed.

"What's wrong?" he questioned. "Did I hurt you?"

"The baby," I blurted.

Eric looked at me confused. "What?"

"The baby, I felt her, we can't do this," I said shaking my head. "What if we hurt her?"

Eric chuckled, crawling up the bed to join me at my side. I frowned at him.

"Why are you laughing?" I questioned.

"Chase, women have had sex while pregnant for centuries. It's safe."

"How would you know? You don't even remember who you are," I countered.

"Chase," he sighed. "Take a deep breath."

I continued to frown up at him.

"Chase," he repeated.

I rolled my eyes, but took a deep breath as he ordered, surprised that I actually felt a bit calmer after doing so. He waited until I had completed my deep breath and looked at him before kissing me again, this time slower. I still felt hesitant and worried, but it all started to melt away when Eric's hand touched my thigh, careful to avoid my belly, and slid up towards my center. He palmed me through my pants, applying pressure in all the right places, letting out a lusty sigh against my skin. I relaxed into his touch, feeling as though it had been an eternity since he had touched me so intimately.

"I will go slow," he breathed against my lips. "I won't hurt you or our baby. All you will feel tonight is pleasure."

He sounded sure of himself, almost like the old Eric, and a thrill rushed through me. "Promise?" I whispered.

"I promise," he replied.

I awoke the next morning to complete darkness. I blinked, disorientated and confused about my whereabouts, waiting for my eyes to adjust and frowning when they did not. I felt a presence behind me, a heavy arm on my waist and I sat up in a panic, signaling the motion lights of Eric's cubby which illuminated the small space. Eric was asleep beside me, reminding me just where I was. I sighed a bit and pulled the sheet up to cover my naked body, running a hand through my disheveled hair. I felt a blush touch my cheeks as I looked down at Eric, remembering the events of the night, our bodies entertwined on this very bed, Eric's tender touch on my skin, the orgasms. A smile touched my lips and I shook my head, trying to dislodge the memories. I heard a buzzing sound coming from my the floor and realized that it was my cellphone. I searched through our discarded clothes until I found my pants, pulling my phone from the pocket to see I had 6 missed calls, all from my parents cell number. Shit. I had completely forgotten they were leaving this morning. I called my mothers number back quickly.

"Chase?" my mother answered.

"Mom, I am so sorry, have you left yet? I completely forgot you were flying home today," I said quietly.

"No, but our cab is on the way. Are you alright? We got worried when we woke up to find you gone," she answered.

"Yes, I am fine, I just stayed the night with…Sookie," I said slowly. "I will come home now to see you before you go."

"Don't worry about it honey, you sound tired, get some rest. We can lock up for you and we will call when we get back to Austin."

I felt like a jack ass forgetting about my parents leaving, especially with everything they were planning to do for me. "Mom, I feel terrible. I should really come home and see you off."

"The cab is supposed to be here in half an hour," she answered. "We will wait for you if you insist, but it's really-."

"No, mom, I am coming, right now," I said rising from the bed. "I'll be there in ten."

I hung up before she could protest further, redressing quickly. I placed a quick kiss on Eric's cheek, finding that he hadn't moved at all since I had awoken and climbed up the ladder and out of the cubby. I was rushing for the door when I spotted Sookie coming down the stairs.

"Hey," she called. "Where you going?" What's the rush?"

"I forgot my parents are leaving this morning," I sighed. "I didn't mean to sleep here, but Eric and I were talking and…" I trailed off as Sookie arched a curious eyebrow. I wasn't sure I wanted her to know that Eric and I had slept together. "And I fell asleep. Now I have to rush home."

"I can give you a ride on my way to work," Sookie offered. "I just have to grab my keys."

When Sookie and I pulled up, a cab was already waiting for my parents in front of my home. I thanked Sookie for the ride and rushed inside to find my parents and gathering their luggage. "Mom, Dad, I am so sorry. I wasn't planning on staying the night at Sookie's."

"It's alright, honey, we'll be back soon anyway. In the mean-time please remember to call and let us know how you are," my mother said wrapping her arms around me. "And how our grandchild is doing," she added as an after-thought.

I squeezed her, relishing in the warmth and smell of her that always made me think of home. "I will mom."

I turned to my father next, frowning when I realized that he was frowning. My dad was a very easy-going guy. He was never frowning. "Dad, what's wrong?"

He sighed and stepped forward with opened arms, his frown being replaced by a sad smile. "I hate to leave you is all," he answered as I went into his arms. I got the feeling that he wasn't telling me the whole truth. "Chase, please, be careful with that vampire. I know he may be your child's father, but…" he trailed off shaking his head. "Just be careful please."

I pulled away from him, nodding. "Of course, dad."

"We love you," my mother said hugging me again.

"Come on Mary, the cab is waiting," my dad said placing a hand on her shoulder.

I walked my parents to the door, embracing them each once more before watching them load their luggage and selves into the cab awaiting them. I offered a wave, watching them drive off before turning to go back into my home and locking the door behind me. I yawned sleepily, still feeling tired after my late night with Eric and considered going back to bed until I felt my cellphone buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it from my pocket, the number familiar, but one I didn't immediately recognize. I answered as I stepped into my kitchen, my stomach rumbling with hunger.

"Hello?"

"Chase, it's Dr. Ludwig."

"Oh, good morning, Dr. Ludwig," I replied, frowning at the contents of my fridge. I needed to go grocery shopping again. Nothing seemed appealing. "I wasn't expecting a phone call so soon."

"I have the results of the paternity test," Dr. Ludwig continued, ignoring my comment. "The DNA sample you provided was a positive match."

I stopped walking, feeling my stomach drop. A positive match? That meant that…

"In laymans terms that means whoever provided that sample is the father of your child," Dr. Ludwig explained.

"Alcide," I breathed.

After the night I had shared with Eric, a part of me had hoped that he would be the father, it would just solidify my choice to give him another chance despite our history. I could say that it was because I wanted us to be a family, that he deserved to be in his child's life. All of which would be true. But as usual when it came to my life, the odds were against me. As much as I care for Alcide, he was not the ideal candidate. He had moved on with his life. He was in a relationship with a woman who had tried to kill me on more than one occasion and was responsible for my biological father's death, nothing about coparenting with Alcide would be easy. In fact this news just complicated things more. How could I tell Eric now that he wasn't the father after last night? And what was I going to do about Alcide?

"Chase, are you still with me?" Dr. Ludwig questioned.

I snapped back to reality, my grip on the phone tightening. "Yes, sorry, I am here."

"Did the werewolf or the vampire provide the DNA sample?" Dr. Ludwig questioned further.

"It was the werewolf."

Dr. Ludwig made an odd sound. "Interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yes, generally humans and supernatural creatures cannot get pregnant with a werewolf's child, only werewolves or shifters can. So, the fact that you are pregnant by a werewolf is a miracle in itself," she answered absently. "I will be coming to do another examination in 6 days to check the fetal growth. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I feel fine," I said sitting down in my kitchen chair.

"Good. I will see you in 6 days," Dr. Ludwig replied. The line went dead.

I sat in the chair, feeling dazed. I felt like kicking myself for putting myself in this situation, my mind going over all the mistakes I had made in the past few months. Why had I let Cassandra talk me into going to Fangtasia that night. What would I be doing if I hadn't of gone, if I had never met Eric or Alcide? What would my life be like then? I knew I wouldn't be sitting alone in a kitchen after spending the night with a vampire while carrying a werewolf's baby. I chuckled at the thought. Why is my life so screwed up?

I took a deep breath and picked up my cellphone once more, making a decision about what I would do next. I dialed information and asked for the number to Alcide Herveaux, relieved to find that he was listed. I dialed his number and unconsciously held my breath as it rang. He answered after a few rings, his voice sleepy.

"Hello?"

"Alcide, it's me," I said.

"Chase?" he said, suddenly sounding more alert.

"Did I wake you? I can call back…"

"No. No. Its fine," he cut in. "I just had a late night at the construction site. Are you okay?"

My foot tapped on the linoleum floor nervously. "Yes…I…" I trailed off. Unable to think of the right words to tell him. It seemed like such a simple thing to say.

"Chase, what's wrong?" Alcide probed at my silence, his voice full of concern.

"Can you meet me for breakfast?" I blurted.

"Now?"

"Yes, I can meet you somewhere in Shreveport in an hour?"

"Uh sure, theres a diner not far from my place. We can meet there?"

"Okay, where is it?"

I wrote down the address to the diner we would meet at and promised to be there within the hour. I hung up without saying goodbye, the anxiety of having to meet Alcide and tell him that he was the father of my child rushing through me. I called for a cab and went to shower and dressed quickly, hearing the honk of my waiting cab, just as I finished slipping my shoes on.