The house was always quieter when Hunter was at school. Even now that I had company, it was still quieter. During the car ride to school Hunter had babbled on and on about Amelia. He commented on things like she had short brown hair instead of long black hair and that she had clear skin, free of witchy warts. I relayed this all to Amelia which I got back home which made her laugh.

There had been much left unsaid last night and since the day was looking so nice, we sat outside in the deckchairs with a pitcher of tea and got comfortable with the radio playing on low in the background.

"So what's happening with your apartment while you're away?" I asked.

"The upstairs tenant said she'd keep an eye on it and call me if anything happens but it should all be fine. I have the post office holding my mail since I don't know how long I'm going to be staying here. I'm thinking I need to leave New Orleans though."

"You sure? I know how much you love the city."

"I know but it's not like I can't visit still. It hasn't really felt like home since Katrina. I have barely worked at all the last few months because no one wants to hire a pregnant woman in the city when there are plenty of other options available that won't require maternity leave. My coven is there but I can always find another one and I can still keep in touch with them. My witchcraft is sort of on hold at the moment as well because while I can do some but too much is exhausting me and it's taking me longer to recover from. I can still do some spells but nothing too complex or I am completely drained and I don't want to hurt my baby."

"Is that normal?"

"I did ask Octavia and she said it was but I won't be able to do big things, like ectoplasmic reconstructions, again until I've given birth to the baby... so keep out of trouble okay?" she joked.

"What about doctors and all that medical stuff? Have you got that all sorted?"

"Come with me." She stood up and held her hand out for me to follow her.

"Okay," I said slowly but she was smiling so I knew it wouldn't be anything bad. I took her hand and allowed her to drag me back into the house and up the stairs.

"If I move I can always change doctors," she was saying. "The one I have now is a bastard so it'd be no loss. I was going to change anyway. Makes moving a lot easier." I saw most of her belongings had been unpacked but she went to her handbag and started ruffling through, looking for something. "Aha!" She pulled out a piece of paper. "I had my twenty week ultrasound a short while ago. Come looky."

She held out a photo to me which I took. The image was wonderfully clear. It was one of those newer black and white 3D scans. "Oh wow. I can't believe that's your..."

"Baby? I know!" Amelia finished. "Bub was being very photogenic to get such a clear shot of his face. It's still all crazy to me. There's a person growing inside my body. I don't think I'll ever get over it. Doc wanted to tell me the sex but I want to keep it a surprise. No joke, I had to cover my ears and go lalala because he seemed to want to spoil it or something. Jerk."

I was shocked. "What! That's not right at all. What an asshat! You definitely need a new doctor. Tara has just had her twins; maybe I could ask her if she knows of a few good ones so you can check them out."

"That'd be great! I forgot she was pregnant. Have you seen her since she had the babies?"

"Of course I have! She was a month early but it was expected because she was carrying two. She only had them last week and I could only wait a day before I smothered her. I had to wait a day because JB's family beat me to it and I wanted to give her time to rest before she had more visitors. His family can be overwhelming. Gosh that felt like a long day. They are adorable. JB's eyes for sure."

That was the opening to the rest of the town gossip, catching Amelia up on what she missed. I wasn't a huge gossiper but I told her all the main things. We went out for an early lunch since breakfast had been early so we were beginning to get hungry. We took Amelia's car into town and went to a small cafe. Amelia carefully read the menu because she was going to eat the best for her unborn child. Even though she was scared to be a mommy, it pleased me to see she was being responsible. Already you could tell that she'd be a wonderful mother.

When we returned home I had several phone calls to make. The first one I made was to Alcide. I found him at the office of his surveying company. I knew how much he hated office work, preferring to be out doing the manual labour outside, but he also enjoyed a good distraction on those days he had to spend indoors because it gave him a break.

"How you doing Alcide?" I said.

"I'm actually ahead on my invoices for once but I'm still trapped in here. This is the worst part about owning your own company, but I'm sure you're aware of that."

"Filling in for Sam for a few weeks at a time if he goes away is more than enough for me. And Eric has Brian now so he's been free more."

"I've seen him a few times now, he seems better than the old one."

"Oh yeah, Brian is brilliant. He's so good natured and efficient. I steal him from his job sometimes and we hide out in my kitchen with a cool drink for awhile."

"I'm sure he's not complaining about that. How's Hunter?"

"Yeah he's been doing really well. He seems to enjoy his new school and if I muck something up he tells me 'it's okay, you're still practising, you'll get better,' and I am. I'm still adjusting but it's getting easier by the day and Jason and Claude help out where they can."

"It's outstanding that he can rebound from such losses so well. So what's up? Something tells me this wasn't a social call."

"You're right about that. A lot has been happening but we should meet over coffee the next time we are both free. For now I have a favour to ask of you."

"Name it."

"Eric, Pam and I have been summoned by the King of Mississippi for the night after next. Eric thinks we'll be a few days' tops but I really don't want to stay with the King. Since you're in Shreveport I was wondering if we could borrow your Jackson apartment for the time we are there. We could stay at a hotel but I thought it'd be easier since I know my way around from yours and everything."

"Sookie, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Your welcome to it, you barely even have to ask. You'll have to stock up on food yourself because the kitchen is empty and the beds should be unmade but you can find sheets in the linen cupboard. I don't have a light tight space for your vamps though so you'll have to sort that out. I think that about covers it. Just pick up your keys on your way through. I'll give security the heads up and then you remember what you have to do to get in?"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, you're a saviour! I think I remember but I'm sure if I forget anything we will be able to work it out between the three of us. Hey is your sister's shop still there?"

"Yeah Janice hasn't moved. She's still keeping the people of Jackson pampered. You thinking of popping in?"

"Yeah, she did a great job when we went to Club Dead that time, plus I like her."

His tone changed to something that resembled brotherly. "Stay safe you hear?"

"Plan on it. I'd appreciate if you kept this hush hush by the way. I think we are keeping this trip secret from De Castro."

"Then I'll warn you to be extra cautious. I'm glad you told me so someone knows where you are although I know Eric will keep you safe. But remember the Longtooth Pack will come help if you call for it."

I thanked Alcide again and hung up. I trusted Alcide not to go blabbing. We'd had a rough patch but we were currently on good terms and also his pack and Eric's vampires were bound together by an alliance. That was a major bond in the Supe world.

Next I let Brian know that we had accommodation settled and he said he'd make sure there would be a place for Eric and Pam to rest for the day. That crossed another thing off my never ending list of things to do.