A/N: Hey all. I'm sorry my pace has slowed so much. Writing is tougher, but I'm muddling through. 36 is nearly done as well, so expect that this week. The SE muse hasn't been remotely helpful, but It'll come. Eventually. :P

Thanks to my beta ilovemysteries for being great.

Chapter 35

May 12, 1996

"Tell them that he smiles when you talk to him or tickle his neck. He just started the other day. And tell them he likes the Itsy Bitsy Spider if he won't stop crying. And he can roll over now, so make sure they don't leave him anywhere he could fall."

"He'll be fine, Sookie. He always is."

"I know. But I don't want him to miss anything."

Pam had noticed that Sookie even tried to avoid saying Eric's name most of the time. But she had been more and more concerned about him and his happiness, at least during his visits with the baby. She still wouldn't ask about him, but she certainly listened intently to every crumb of information about him that Pam dropped. And Sookie made sure to spell out every one of the baby's milestones, so Pam could pass it along to Godric, who would tell Eric.

Godric had told Pam not to meddle. What Godric didn't know wouldn't hurt him. And it was certainly in his best interest for Sookie to forgive Eric. Everyone was miserable, and it wasn't likely to change. Living with a horny newborn was a special kind of hell. He was sulky and sullen and a complete pain in her ass. But he was also trying very hard to be good. He hadn't had sex since he had gotten back from Texas. He was very committed to being as good a father as he could be, under the circumstances. He had even asked Godric about making some money to give Sookie for child support. Of course, he had to be careful about being seen.

Pam wasn't being overt. She was playing a long game, and as tempted as she was to hurry things along, it would be a mistake. Sookie was still hurting. Still angry. But she wasn't as raw. She wasn't dwelling on it as much any longer. Pam just made it a point to mention him once or twice each visit, and give the occasional update on his progress, disguised as a complaint or insult. And, it was working, along with time. They all may go crazy in the interim, but Pam thought that Sookie was almost close to being able to be in the same room with Eric, at least. And, from there, maybe things would start to move a little faster. Then again, Eric was likely to do something else impulsive and stupid and set them back weeks or months. If he was lucky. It was how newborns were, unfortunately. Eric was actually better than most, but other newborns were forced to leave their families behind forever. And perhaps that would have been better for all of them in the long run, but Godric had grown soft in his old age. And, selfishly, she was glad. She liked Eric, at least when he wasn't being a whiny little shit. And she loved Sookie, whiny little shit or otherwise.

Godric knocked on the door and, surprisingly, Sookie got up rather than handing the baby to Pam. She grabbed the bottle from the fridge and put it in the bag, and then answered the door. It was the first time she'd seen Godric in nearly a month. She gave him the same rundown she'd given Pam.

"It's nice to see you, Sookie."

"Don't push it. Have him back in two hours." She kissed Leif and handed him to Godric. She closed the door, but then she sighed and opened it again a few seconds later. "It's nice to see you, too. But I'm still mad at you."

"I know. I know you have reason to be angry. But I was doing what I thought was right at the time. And I still believe that to be true."

"Hmpf. Two hours."

"I'll have him back on time. I always do."

She closed the door again. When she turned around, Pam was grinning at her.

"Don't you start."

"I won't say a word. Now, what trouble can we get into tonight?"

Sookie snorted. "Trouble is about the last thing I need."

"Oh come on. It will be fun! And how much trouble could we really get into in an hour and fifty-seven minutes?"

"This is Bon Temps, Pam. There isn't anything to do."

"You have a point. I am just sick to death of doing absolutely nothing night after night except listening to Eric bitch and moan. I could kill Godric for making me babysit. It's been over a month! The least he could do is keep him busy, but a celibate newborn isn't good for anything."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "You're about as subtle as a boot to the head."

This was the first time Sookie had acknowledged Pam's asides about Eric. She had always listened intently, but had never said a word. Was she finally ready to talk?

"Godric told me not to meddle. Eric thinks that I hate him. Neither of them know that I talk to you about him. He is doing this on his own with no expectation that you will even find out."

"He's wasting his time. I am tired of hating him. I think I've even forgiven him, or maybe I'm starting to, at least. But I don't think I could ever move past this, knowing that if there's another misunderstanding, he will probably just hurt me again on purpose."

Pam decided to keep that to herself. If Eric thought it was pointless, it was possible that he would go straight back to Dawn Green, and Sookie would almost certainly find out about it. But he had chosen to try to win her back over being a spiteful dick again, knowing full well that it might all be for nothing. Just because she felt that way now, didn't mean she would forever.

"I brought a couple of movies, just in case. Since I have to work in a fucking Blockbuster, I might as well make the best of it. Goldeneye or Jumanji?"

"Jumanji, I guess. Not really in the mood for sexy tonight."

"Fair enough."

Pam put the movie on, and Sookie laid down with her head on Pam's lap.

"Pam, does Godric have Bill Compton snooping around? I've seen him a couple of times near the treeline, and there's been a void outside sometimes."

"Yes, Godric has asked him to keep an eye on you and Leif. Just in case."

"Oh. Does he know that I'm a telepath?"

"No, he doesn't. Godric is keeping that close to the vest for now."

"Good."

She hadn't been sleeping well at all. Leif had her up half the night all week. She was asleep within five minutes.

…

Eric sat in Bill Compton's living room, across from the vampire himself. Godric had left to get Leif. Every week, Compton tried to get him to lose his cool. He had come close a few times, but, so far, he had managed to keep himself under control. He had told Godric about it once or twice, but he said that Bill knew that Sookie was Eric's, and that he was too scared of Godric to touch her.

"Your ex-girlfriend was feeding the baby on the porch swing the other evening when I stopped by. She really does have beautiful breasts."

Eric clenched his hands into fists, but made himself stay seated. "Yes, she does. And I have licked and sucked and fucked them and fed from them and tasted her milk. And you never will."

Bill smiled, but his eyes were hard. "We'll see."

They glared at each other until Godric came in holding the baby. This was always the highlight of Eric's week. And not just because of Sookie's scent and the drop of milk from the inside of his wrist (although those certainly didn't hurt). He loved his son, and cherished the time he had with him.

Godric handed the baby to Eric and made eye contact with Bill. Bill got up and left the house.

"I'm going to kill him. I swear, Godric, if he doesn't stop, I'm going to snap."

"You won't. You're stronger than that. And he knows that she's off limits."

"He watched her feed the baby. He talked about her breasts."

"He is just trying to get a rise out of you. Ignore him."

"I'll try." But he wasn't going to ignore it. He was going to wait - until he could get away with it and win.

Godric said, "Sookie said that he is rolling over now. And smiling."

Because of Eric's acute senses, he was able to see every minute difference in Leif. It reminded him of how much he was missing. It was amazing how much the baby grew and changed from week to week. And he was still mad at Pam and Godric and Bill, and even at Sookie, a little. But he was really pissed off at himself. Nobody had made him do it. It was all on him. He had done a terrible thing, and it had cost him everything. Instead of having a family, he had two hours a week with his son at Bill Compton's house.

"I wish she would let me apologize. I miss her so much."

"She answered the door tonight. Maybe she will be ready to see you again soon."

"Maybe." But Eric didn't think it was very likely.

…

Gran got home not five minutes after Pam and Godric left. Godric had glamoured her weeks ago to go out on Sunday evenings, and she had started a bible study group with some of her friends from church. Sookie was on the couch, holding Leif tight, and trying to catch Eric's spicy dry scent on his blanket or clothing. She had tears in her eyes.

"What's the matter, Sookie?"

She shrugged. "I miss Eric is all."

Gran had tried to get her to talk about Eric dozens of times, but she hadn't been able to answer.

"Are you ever going to tell him about the baby?"

"He knows."

Gran sat down next to her. "Are you ready to talk about what happened?"

Sookie smiled sardonically. "No, Gran. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

"Is he ever going to come back and visit his son?"

Sookie hated having to keep this a secret. She didn't want Gran to think poorly of Eric. At least not for that. Eric hadn't missed a visitation, and Leif always came home clean and fed. It was only two hours, but still.

"He wants to. But it's kind of up to me. And I'm not ready to see him just yet."

"Sookie. You can't keep him away from his son."

"I know."

"Has he apologized?"

She sighed. "I haven't given him the chance. I know he wants to. Maybe I'll be ready to talk to him soon."

"Is it something that you can forgive, in time?"

"I don't know. I hope so."

Her tears finally spilled over.