Thank you for the reviews, alerts, and favorites. Sorry about the angst, but c'est la vie for some real life couples. I know some real life couples that I'd like to throttle pretty regularly.

SPOV

It's been a couple of weeks since I last spoke to Eric. I guess this is what he wanted. He was just waiting for me to release him from his obligation. The first couple of days I was mostly waiting for him to come to me. I honestly thought he would. But, then I realized that I essentially sent him away so he probably believed that I really wanted him to leave me alone. Or maybe he was just giving me space. Either way, I decided to go to him.

I walked up to his door and knocked. I wasn't sure what I was going to say, but I knew that I couldn't just leave things as they were. I knocked and waited. I hadn't bothered to look in the driveway to see if he was home. Just as I was turning to leave, the door opened. Eric looked surprised to see me, but quickly recovered.

"Hey Sook, what's up?" he asked. What's up? Really? That's it?

"Umm…I wanted to apologize to you for completely freaking out the other day. I don't really know what the hell happened. I guess I let Pam's words bring out my insecurities and top that off with these stupid hormones and exhaustion…well, I'm sorry. I know you're probably still pissed off at me, but can we please talk?"

Eric looked behind him and then back at me. Then he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"Okay, talk," he said.

"Would you like to come over for a bit? I can make us some lunch while we talk."

"I can't right now. I'm…uhhh…working on pretty important business deal right now. Perhaps we ca….." we both turned as the door to his kitchen opened. A gorgeous brunette in a short, but elegant dress popped out and said "Eric, honey, are we going to do this thing? I actually have to get to work at some point, sugar."

I stood there in shock. Two days. That's all it took for Eric to move on. The woman looked me up and down with what looked to be distaste. Well, sure. She was dressed up for work or maybe for a night on the town. I looked down at the sweat pants and t-shirt I was wearing, both had flour on them as I'd been baking most of the morning. Yeah, I kind of get why Eric would find her more appealing than me.

"Oh, umm…I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had…umm, company. I'll leave you two to it, then." I turned and practically ran back to my house barely registering Eric calling my name before I closed the door, locked it, and slid down to the floor in tears. I believed him when he said he loved me. How could he already be with someone else if that were the case? Pam was right. Business, he said. It's Saturday, two days after Thanksgiving. Give me a break. I peeled myself off the floor and slowly made my way up the stairs to my bedroom. I crawled into bed and just let the sadness wash over me.

On Monday morning I dragged my ass out of bed and went in to work. I forced myself to go through the motions and focus on finishing up my last few projects for the year. I got through work and checked on the progress at my two properties. If all went the way it should, both houses should be on the market by the end of the year.

Over the next couple of weeks I did some Christmas shopping. I'd wander into the baby department thinking that I should start preparing for their arrival, but it just made me realize how alone I felt in all of this now and I'd quickly leave the area telling myself that I still had time. I skipped the next couple of family dinners. I avoided calls from Pam. I talked to Godric almost daily. I talked to Isabella from time to time. They would be my babies grandparents, after all. The only grandparents that they'd ever have. I wasn't going to deny them just because I had a complicated history with their son. It wouldn't be fair to them and it wouldn't be fair to my children.

I didn't see Eric very much. He tried calling me a few times, but I let it go to voicemail. He knocked on the door a couple of times, but I didn't open it and he didn't use his key. What more was there to say to each other? I knew that we'd need to talk to each other about the logistics of raising the babies without being together, but there was still time. I just wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

I was a bit over four months pregnant. I could no longer fit in my own pants, except my sweat pants. I finally broke down and bought some cute maternity outfits. I went shopping with Isabella and got several things so I would actually have something to wear to work. I felt so incredibly unattractive now. Ugh. But, I refused to buy anything for the babies, yet. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I went from being shocked over the pregnancy, to looking forward to starting this journey with Eric, and now that he was no longer in the picture I was just scared and lonely.

"Sookie, you know I try to stay out of things between you and Eric, but I really have to say that you're both being incredibly foolish right now," Isabella told me when we took a break from shopping to grab some lunch.

"Iz, please don't," I pleaded.

"Darling, just hear me out."

"Fine," I sighed.

"Eric has changed in the past year. How could he not with everything he's been through. It wasn't just you and the pregnancy. Think about it. He was in a life altering accident. He had to deal with not being able to walk and the possibility that being in that chair was a permanent thing for him. He had months and months of grueling physical therapy to learn how to walk all over again. He had to let someone take over parts of his life, his business, and so on for a while…and that requires A LOT of trust…and that trust went to you. He didn't let Godric or me or Pam or his brothers help. Only you. Once he could walk again, he realized that he had fallen in love with you and couldn't go back to the way he was. He thought he lost you just when he realized that he was in love with you and didn't know if he'd ever see you again. Then he learned the truth about his father and he's still questioning his entire existence because of that. Then that day he came home to find the woman that he's in love with lying in a pool of blood only to find out that his very own father put her there scared him more than I've ever seen. Eric has had a full year of tragedy, pain, and realizations. If you hadn't been there for him throughout this year, I don't think he would have made it. He'd still be feeling sorry for himself and angry at the world while being stuck in some hospital or rehab facility.

The Eric of a year ago probably would be just as Pam described. He would be torn between doing the 'right thing' by you and wanting to be the…what was it she called him…oh 'pussy chasing man whore' that he used to be. But Eric isn't that person anymore. If he was, then the moment you pushed him away, he would have gone back to his old ways, but he hasn't. Now, the two of you don't just have yourselves to think of anymore. It's time for both of you to grow up and deal with these difficult choices and difficult situations before the babies come. You can't just run away when things get hard."

"Iz…I…" I knew she was right. What could I say?

When I got home that day, I made an appointment with a therapist. Something had to give. I knew that I couldn't continue to live this way. I had talked with Eric's therapist several times and I felt comfortable with him. Thankfully, he had a cancellation for the next day. May as well bite the bullet.

I had several sessions with him over the next couple of weeks. Just in the few times I'd talked to him, I'd come to realize that I had abandonment issues. I was afraid to get too close to someone because I thought I'd lose them. That means that I would never have a healthy relationship with anyone because I'd always be waiting for the moment when they left. Like my current situation with Eric. I was so afraid of losing him that I pushed him away before he could hurt me by leaving. How messed up was that? So, I'm working on it.

But, here I was on Christmas Eve alone. I hadn't talked to Eric yet. After my disastrous attempt at talking to him that one time, I was just still too afraid to go over there again. I had no plans on going to the Northman family Christmas tomorrow. I couldn't deal with a repeat of Thanksgiving. I found myself wrapped in a blanket laying on the hammock in the backyard trying to avoid everyone and still wallowing in my own stupid self pity. My fear is just keeping me from doing anything. It's stupid because my pregnancy is something I can't hide from. My kids will need me to be stronger and I am working on it. I can't very well run and hide when one or both of them are crying or when they say they hate me when they're older. I'm better than this. My Gran raised me better than this, damn it!

I'm brought out of my internal ramblings when I feel like I'm being watched. I open my eyes to see Eric standing over me.

"You know you're being creepy just standing there watching me, right?" I say with a small smile.

EPOV

I had decided to give Sookie a little space since the Great Thanksgiving Day Meltdown. I made a decision in our driveway that night that I would concentrate on fixing what I could for myself, Sookie, and our children. I would continue with therapy. I had some business deals that I had been on the fence about. If everything went as I thought they would, we'd never have to worry about money again. But, also, I was tired of being a sitting duck just waiting for Andre to make his move. This defensive mode we had been in wasn't working for any of us. Sookie and I were both always under constant stress wondering if Andre would try something else. So, I decided to go on the offense. Andre needed to be handled.

I called Amber, one of Andre's…associates. For some reason, she had managed to remain one of his favorites. But, she was well aware of his reputation and his temper. He had 'punished' her once and she never forgot it. I don't really know what happened, but I know that she'd been biding her time just waiting for the right moment to pay him back. And, she just happened to have a soft spot for me. We had become friends over the years. I invited her over so I could get what information I could out of her. Of course, Sookie chose that moment to come over and work things out. I can imagine what she must think. Amber is…well, she dresses the part, let's just say. When Sookie saw Amber, she turned and ran back to her house ignoring me calling out to her. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. We are really going to have to work on this running away thing Sookie does. That woman is going to be the death of me.

Over the next several weeks I dove in on my business deals. I bought several commercial properties and bought into a couple of companies that were about to go global. I worked every angle I could on bringing Andre down. But, I still hadn't talked to Sookie. She wasn't taking my calls and she wouldn't open the door when I knocked. I could have just gone in, but if she wanted space, I would give it to her. I knew she was still talking to my parents. I also knew that she wanted nothing to do with Pam.

Amelia wasn't a fan of mine, but she kept in touch with me about how Sookie was doing and apparently it wasn't great. A couple of weeks after Thanksgiving, Amelia let me know that Sookie started seeing a therapist. Good. Maybe we could finally get somewhere. But, here it was Christmas Eve and Sookie and I still hadn't talked. Mom told me that she wouldn't be going to the family Christmas. I really wasn't into it either this year. Out of my window I saw Sookie go out to the hammock wrapped in a blanket. I decided that this was my chance.

I walked out a few minutes later and just stood there watching her. Her eyes were closed, but I knew she wasn't sleeping. She didn't look peaceful at all. She opened her eyes.

"You know you're being creepy just standing there watching me, right?" she said.

I smiled. "Well, I thought about running over here and jumping onto the hammock with you, but I'm sure you'd have gotten pissed at being tossed off of it."

"Yeah, being creepy was probably the better of the two. Come sit with me?" She turned to face the side and sat back so we could both fit. I went and sat next to her. We sat quietly for a couple of minutes.

"Eric, I'm sorry I pushed you away. It's stupid. I'm not a child anymore and I should have just talked to you about my fears. I shouldn't have let Pam or anyone make me feel like that."

"You definitely should have talked to me. I felt helpless. I've wanted to talk to you, to hold you, but you wouldn't even let me near you," I told her.

"I know. I'm sorry."

We sat in silence for another minute before I decided to speak.

"Sookie, I am not making the decision to stay with you because of the babies. It wouldn't do them or either of us any good to stay in a relationship with each other if one or the other of us didn't truly want it. In this day and age, parents don't stay together 'because of the children' anymore. You and I have been through enough together to know that we could remain friends and find a way to raise these kids if we decide that we can't make us work. So, when I tell you that I love you and I want to do this whole thing…the relationship, being parents, being a team, then you should trust that that is exactly what I mean. I know you are scared. Hell, I'm scared. We're in territory right now that neither of us has ever been in. But, there are no guarantees in life. You and I both know that. Instead of wasting time worrying and running away from something that scares us, we should be embracing each other and helping each other through this and whatever else comes our way. Will this be hard? Absolutely. Will I piss you off? Most likely on a daily basis. Will your stubbornness make me want to beat my head against the wall? Most definitely. But, we'll fight and we'll make up. We'll do this together. It's what people do. I'm willing to fight with you every day and still remain by your side because I love you. I love you, Sookie and YOU. ARE. WORTH. IT. We are worth it."

By the time I finished, Sookie was crying softly.

"I love you, Eric. I've missed you so much. I promise to work on that whole running away thing. I know it's childish."

I pulled her to me and we held each other for a while before deciding to head inside. We were both pretty raw from the past few weeks. There was still more talking to do, but we'd do it inside in the warmth.

We went into Sookie's house and I noticed she didn't have a Christmas tree.

"Where's your tree?" I asked her.

"Oh, well. I haven't exactly been in the mood for Christmas this year," she said sadly. "Now I kind of wish that I had just forced myself to get one."

"How about this? We'll go out for dinner and we'll pick up a tree on the way home. We can put it up tonight. I'll even stop and pick up some eggnog," I told her.

She smiled. "I'd like that. I'll go freshen up."

I watched her go upstairs. I had missed her so much.

There was something I needed her to know so when she came downstairs I dove right in, not wanting any questions lingering between us.

"Sookie, that day you came over to talk to me…it wasn't what you thought. That woman, Amber, she is one of Andre's…well, I guess you can call her one of his regular mistresses…or fuck buddies, or whatever. I was trying to get information from her that might help us get him out of our lives forever."

"Eric, you don't have to explain anything to me. I trust you. I was upset at the time and thought the worst, but I know better. You wouldn't have done something like that even with things so…up in the air…between us. I'm sorry, again. It was another instance of me running instead of talking to you."

Wow. Who was this woman and what did she do with Sookie? Maybe there was hope for us after all. I smiled and helped her put on her coat. We went out for a quiet dinner and then went in search of the perfect tree. Okay, so we went in search of the perfect last minute tree knowing that all of the good ones would already be gone by now. We found one and managed to get it home, stopping to pick up eggnog on the way. We spent the next couple of hours decorating Sookie's house for Christmas and talking.

By midnight, we were both pretty exhausted and ready for bed. I kissed her and turned to leave.

"Please don't go," she whispered.

I turned to look at her and she looked so vulnerable just then.

"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?"

I nodded my head and pulled her close to me. "Okay, let me go grab a couple of things from my place and I'll be right back. But, no funny business." She laughed.

Ten minutes later I was spooned up behind her in bed. We both needed to be close to the other after all this time apart. She didn't want to let me go even though I would have only been right next door and only until morning. I didn't want to let her go either.

SPOV

I woke Christmas morning feeling more at peace than I had for a really long time. Eric and I still had a lot to sort out, but honestly, what couple didn't? I turned to face him and was surprised to find him awake. He pulled me close and kissed me sweetly.

"Merry Christmas," he said quietly with a smile.

"Merry Christmas," I replied. "So far, this is turning out to be a pretty good Christmas."

"I agree. Definitely beats last Christmas, right?" he said still smiling. I hated thinking about how awful last Christmas was with Eric in the hospital and all of us just feeling so helpless.

"Definitely," I said. "But, let's not think of all the awful things right now. Let's just focus on good things and make this a happy Christmas."

"Yes, ma'am." I slapped his arm lightly laughing.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and then make us some breakfast. What time are you going to your parents' house?" I asked getting up and heading towards the bathroom

"Sookie, I'm not going without you. If you don't want to go, then we'll stay home."

"Eric, I don't want to keep you from your family. I've never wanted that. Go. I just don't feel strong enough to face everyone after what happened at Thanksgiving. You and I are just getting us back on track and I honestly just can't deal with Pam's bullshit."

"I know that. They know that," he said walking towards me. "Listen to me and don't argue, okay?" he said putting his hands on my shoulders.

I nodded.

"You are my family. You are important to me. Like I said last night, I want us to be a team. That means I support you and you support me. If you aren't ready to be around the all of them yet, then I support your decision. If we need to shut out the rest of the world for a bit just to focus on us, then that's what we'll do. Think about it. This is the first and last Christmas that we'll have the opportunity to be just the two of us. Next Christmas we'll be four. So, if you want to stay home today and have a quiet Christmas at home just the two of us, I'm all for it."

"Are you sure, Eric?"

"Positive. Now, would you like some help getting clean Miss Stackhouse?"

I smiled "Why yes, Mr. Northman, I think I would like that."

We spent the next hour just getting reacquainted with each other. It was sweet and loving and something we both needed. A perfect start to Christmas day.