Sawyer rolled her eyes as Eric took the baby carrier from her and carried it up the stairs of their home. She smiled though seeing Eric carrying Ardith and Aleryck into the house. Her children had stayed in the hospital two long weeks before the doctor had finally agreed and had released them. Sawyer was so glad that now her family was at home where they belonged. She walked into the house and placed the bags by the door. She closed the door and walked into the living room. She smiled when she saw Eric standing there looking at the twins in their carriers. He turned and looked at her.
"Is this really happening?" he asked softly as she walked over to him.
"It is happening. We are a family now, Eric. You are going to help me raise these two beautiful children," she answered wrapping an arm around him and looking at the children as well.
"Vacker, what if..." Eric trailed off and took a deep breath even though he didn't need to, "What if I am not what is best for them?"
Eric looked at Aleryck and Ardith and thought about the kind of life they would live with him. They would grow up in the dark. He would never be able to watch them play in the daylight or take them to school for the first time. He wondered if he was doing the right thing for the children. He looked at Sawyer when she held his hand tight in hers. He saw the look on her face and knew that she was not going to let him walk away because of his fears.
"You are what is best for them, Eric. You love me and you love them, that is what families are all about. I don't want to hear you say that again. You belong here with us. Got that?" she asked poking him in the chest.
"I do. Thank you," Eric whispered pulling Sawyer close to him and kissing her on the head. He felt blood tears form in his eyes. Sawyer had given him a reason for living again. He looked at the two precious babies. He was going to get the family that he had thought he would forever be denied.
Sawyer pulled away when she heard a knock on the door. She kissed Eric and walked back to the door. She smiled when she heard Eric speaking Swedish to the twins. She opened the door and was shocked. There standing on the doorstep was Pam with bags and bags of looked like baby things all around her. Sawyer did a quick count and realized that there must have been twenty bags sitting on her porch.
"There is more in the car," Pam said crossing her arms and looking at Sawyer trying to appear like her usual cold self.
"Pam, what did you do?" Sawyer asked stepping outside and going to grab a couple of bags. Pam brushed her off.
"Eric called and said that you were coming home. I decided to do a little shopping for the twins."
"This is not a little shopping. This is buying the entire store."
Pam shrugged and Sawyer shook her head. Sawyer moved aside and let Pam carry in some of the bags. She turned when she felt Eric place a hand on her shoulder. She smiled when he saw him holding Ardith in his arms. He was still so careful with them. She knew that he was scared of harming one of them but Sawyer knew that she could trust Eric. He was gentle and there was no fear at all that he would hurt one or both of her children. She reached out and gently stroked the soft hair on her daughter's head.
"She looks very happy to be in your arms," Sawyer said looking up and smiling at Eric.
"I am happy to have her in them. I am still worried about hurting her. She is so small," Eric answered not blinking an eye at the amount of bags that Pam was carrying into the house. He had seen her buy more when there was a sale on shoes.
"She is but you won't hurt her, honey. You never could."
Eric nodded. He looked up and smiled when Pam carried in the last bag and shut the door. She walked over to him and dropped the bag by his feet. Eric raised his eyebrow and looked at her and she crossed her arms on her chest.
"Yes?" he asked aware that Sawyer was hiding a smile as she walked back into the living room to check on Aleryck.
"I want to hold the baby," Pam said waiting.
"I don't know if you can, Pam. I mean they are so small you might squeeze them too much and hurt them."
"Eric."
"Yes?"
"Give me the damn baby before I call Sawyer and tell her all about you and Yvetta."
Eric frowned, "That was months ago and Sawyer has gotten over that."
"Really? Not if I told her that it is still happening."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Oh, I would."
"You don't even like children, Pam."
"Neither did you. Everyone can change, Eric. Now cough up the tea cup human."
Eric rolled his eyes and sighed. He kissed Ardith on the head and then gently placed her in Pam's arms. He watched as Pam held her close. He gently positioned Pam's arms to ensure that Ardith's head was supported as was her body. Eric then stood back when Pam glared at him. He watched as his vampire child bonded with his human child. It was an amazing sight to see. He had never thought that he would ever see Pam hold a child close and not even consider eating it. He smiled slightly as Pam gently ran her finger down Ardith's cheek smiling at the child. Pam turned and looked at Eric and saw his smile. She frowned.
"What?" she asked him.
"I do not believe I have ever seen you hold a baby without threatening to eat it or actually eating it," Eric answered softly.
"You make me sound like a savage," Pam stated placing Ardith back in Eric's arms.
"That is what I raised you to be."
Sawyer leaned in the doorway of the living room listening to Eric and Pam. She told herself she wasn't eavesdropping on them; they just hadn't noticed her yet. She closed her eyes and bit her lip to stop herself from groaning. She knew that Eric was having doubts now. She had seen it in the hospital when they had visited the twins together. He had started to be withdrawn and distant from her. She knew that those signs meant that Eric was trying to hide something from her. She knew that she needed him to help her hold it together. She turned and looked at Aleryck sleeping in one of the two swingers they had set up from the twins in the living room.
She looked at her son and felt those fears that she had battled her whole pregnancy come to the surface. She was scared that she wouldn't be a good mother to her children. She had known that she could trust Eric to be a good father but if he was having doubts she was doomed. She didn't think she could be a good mother to these babies without Eric's help. She hadn't grown up in a household filled with love and she was scared she would raise her children the same way that her mother had raised her. She wiped her tears away and knew that she needed to try her hardest to be the mother she had never had. She needed her children to be raised with love in their lives not hate. And she needed Eric beside her to help teach them that.
"Eric, you did not raise me to be a savage. You technically didn't raise me at all. And you need not fear about raising these beautiful innocent children. You will teach them all the things that you taught me," Pam answered looking Ardith in her father's arms.
"How to kill a human with your bare hands?" Eric asked.
"No, how to be loyal, respectful and strong. You taught me all those things and more. You will teach that to these babies and so much more. You will be a wonderful father."
"You believe so?"
"I do. And Sawyer does as well. If she didn't she would have never let you close to her or her children."
Eric looked down at the little baby girl in his arms. He knew that Pam was right. Sawyer trusted that he could be a good father to their children. He smiled at Ardith as she looked up at him her blue eyes looking into his. He felt his heart swell with love. He was going to raise Ardith and Aleryck and love them and hope that in the end he didn't make any mistakes. He didn't want to harm either of them and vowed to be less of a monster and more like a father. He leaned down and kissed Ardith on the forehead and smiled. The babies were his second chance at being human and he wasn't going to mess it up.
Sawyer placed Ardith in her crib and stood back and looked at her daughter. Ardith was sleeping peacefully and she looked so small and fragile to Sawyer in that moment. She turned and smiled when she heard Eric singing softly to Aleryck as he carried him into the nursery. She watched Eric with her son and knew that she had made the right choice in choosing Eric to be their father. He was so gentle as he placed Aleryck in his crib beside Ardith's. She walked over to Eric and wrapped an arm around him as they both looked at their son sleeping.
"We survived day one," Eric whispered to her placing a soft kiss on her neck.
"That we did. They went pretty easy on us though. Just wait until they are screaming all night and day," Sawyer answered softly.
"We can handle it. Come on, let's get you to bed. You look exhausted."
Eric felt Sawyer nod. He led her out of the room taking one last look at the twins. He left the door open to ensure that he would be able to hear more clearly if the twins needed anything. He led Sawyer to their bedroom and picked her up in his arms. He felt her kiss him on the cheek as he carried her to the bed. He knew she was tired; he had watched her put everything away that Pam had bought and knew that she had been fighting to stay awake the entire time. He gently placed her on the bed and brushed the hair away from her face. She smiled at him and curled on her side and closed her eyes.
"You are a keeper, Mr. Northman," she whispered as he pulled the blanket over her covering her.
"So are you, Ms. Hampton," Eric answered kissing her on the lips softly.
Sawyer nodded and then remembered the gift she had for Eric. She had trusted Pam to go out and get it for her and Pam had not disappointed her. She got up and opened the drawer in the table by her side of the bed. She pulled out the ring box and handed it to Eric. He looked at it then looked at her.
"Open it," she urged laying back down and smiling.
Eric opened the little velvet box and smiled slightly. There inside was a simple white gold band. It was the band that Sawyer had always said she would get him. He took it out of the box and looked at Sawyer. She reached out and took it from him and went to place it on his right hand. Eric took her hand and stopped her.
"What are you doing?" he asked softly.
"I read in some books that some European countries wore their rings on their right hands," Sawyer explained.
"We are not in Europe now, are we Vacker?"
"No, we aren't."
Sawyer smiled and reached for Eric's left hand. She gently placed the ring on his ring finger. She kissed Eric when he pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. She pulled away and gently brushed a piece of hair from his face. She saw him smiling and she smiled back at him.
"I guess this means that I am yours and only yours," he told her lying beside her in the bed and holding her close to him.
"Yes, it does. Just like I am yours. Forever," Sawyer answered kissing him again.
"Forever is a long time, love."
"I know but it doesn't matter. I'll love you forever."
Eric held her closer and watched as she slowly drifted off to sleep. He kissed her gently on the cheek and just held her. He knew that he would also love Sawyer forever. She would always have his heart and Eric was no longer ashamed to admit that. He looked down at the simple ring on his hand and smiled. By wearing it he was showing the world he was taken and that did not bother him at all. He would tear off anyone's head that dared make a comment about the ring or Sawyer. He would show them that he was not turning soft; he just now had a family which made him more dangerous in some ways.