A/N: First, thanks to everyone who alerts, favorites, reads, reviews, PM's and just loves this story in general. You guys rock! Special thanks to Duckbutt. You'll see your comment is in here. Gran sure is a wise woman! *winks* And last, but most certainly not least, to the woman who works with me incessantly to get it right, the lovely, wonderful and patient Suaru-chan. She is the best beta in the world! xoxo

"Amelia, I need you. Now!"

"Um, okay. Hello to you too, Sookie. What time is it?" She yawns.

"It's late. I'm sorry, but this is important. Really important. I think I might be pregnant."

She's quiet for so long I think the line has gone dead.

"Amelia?"

"Yeah, I'm here, hon. I um… just making sure I heard you right. You're sure, not sure, want to be sure?"

"What?" I start to pace the room.

"I'm trying to figure out what's going on. Does Eric know?"

"No. I don't even know if I am! Gran thinks I might be. So yeah, I need to find out." My pacing picks up speed.

"No need to get snippy. You called me, remember?"

"Sorry."

"You sure have gotten yourself into quite the pickle here. Shit, Sook! Do you want me to pick up some tests on my way over?"

"No, I want a professional's opinion that way there's no mistake. I'll schedule a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. I just need you here. Talk me through this?"

"Okay. I'll see you in twenty." Amelia hangs up muttering something I can't quite make out and I get a little worried. She did sound pretty pissed—probably because I woke her up—and I think I may need backup. I call Laffy and he tells me he'll be right over.

Not fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rings and Amelia and Laffy both enter the house looking grim.

"Why do you two look like someone's died?"

"Well, it depends. And, it doesn't help that it's the middle of the fucking night. You need to tell us what's going on." Amelia says.

Laffy gives me a hug, and Amelia folds her arms across her chest as she plops down on the couch. Laffy sits next to her and leans forward, resting his chin on his fist. I pull the old armchair closer to the couch so I don't have to speak too loudly. I don't want to wake Gran up too. I run through everything I talked about with Eric and Gran earlier on in the day and they absorb it all. Not one interruption, which is surprising. By the time I finish recounting everything, they look at each other and both rush to speak at the same time.

"First…!" They laugh. Laffy points to Amelia and she starts.

"First, are you crazy?"

"That's what I want to know. He's young, hung and rich as fuck. What's the problem, bitch?"

"The problem, Lafayette is… I don't know what the problem is. I'm screwed up."

Amelia sighs. "I feel your pain, Sookie, really I do. But you have to pull your head out of your ass. I'm surprised Gran hasn't smacked you yet." Laffy slaps her five.

"Thanks, Amelia. That really makes me feel good."

Amelia rolls her eyes. Laffy snaps his fingers bringing my attention back to him. He gets up from the couch and paces between me and Amelia.

"You don't need to feel good right now. What you need is to remember Eric is not Bill. He told you that and I'm telling you again and will keep telling you until it sinks into your thick skull!" He stops to poke me in the forehead for emphasis. "Stop punishing Eric for that asshole's mistakes. He's a good man, Sook. I'm getting this from what you told me."

He stops pacing again, puts his hands on his hips and narrows his eyes, locking my gaze.

"He wants to get married? Big fucking deal! He wants to have kids? Well, looks like he might get that and ain't much you can do about it now, sugarplum. I'm worried about you." He drops to his knees in front of me and takes my hands in his. "I'm worried that this clusterfuck of a relationship you had with Bill, dealing with his death, and dealing with Eric's crazy ass momma is driving you batty."

That is a long speech coming from Lafayette and he didn't call me 'bitch' once. He must be serious. After a short pause, he goes to sit back on the couch next to Amelia.

"I agree with him, Sookie. I think you should maybe talk to a professional. I can find someone for you." Amelia grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"I don't need to see a shrink ya'll." I pull away from Amelia and fold my arms across my chest.

"You do. What are you gonna do if you're pregnant? Are you really gonna tell Eric?" Laffy asks.

"Of course, I'll tell him. I couldn't keep something like that from him."

"See, I don't believe that. You have this habit of running from situations and pushing people away. I would like to see you quit that shit. Grow a pair of balls and stop running. Tell Eric everything that's on your mind. He seems to be willing to listen. I mean, the man is coming back here to be with you now that you've wised up. If I was him, I don't know if I'd be so forgiving of your fine ass. You cannot fuck this up! And Eric is not Bill! You hear me?" Another finger snap.

"I hear you, Lafayette. You don't have to keep saying that, Lafayette. I got it, trust me."

"Stop saying my name like that! No one calls me Lafayette unless they don't know me. And you know me, bitch." He winks.

"I know. I'm just frustrated, upset, conflicted—"

"Which is exactly why you need to see a shrink, Sookie. I think I may have someone in mind. I'll check to see if she has anything available this week. The sooner you go to see her, the better." I was wondering when Amelia would pipe up again.

We spend the rest of the night talking things through. They help me to see the error of my ways and figure out how to make it up to Eric. I feel like shit, and look even worse because I can't stop crying. Great, if I'm not pregnant and hormonal, then I'm nuts.

I know I won't be able to relax until Eric gets here. Since I don't know if I'm pregnant, I pass on the coffee that's flowing freely in the kitchen. I can't tell you how hard it is to just drink tea. Before any of us know it, sunlight is peering through the curtains over the sink and Gran is coming into the kitchen for her morning cup of coffee. Just what I need—another coffee drinker waving their delicious brew in my face.

"Good morning you three." She eyes us suspiciously. "Sookie, I don't know what you all are talking about, but I will say this—if it has anything to do with Eric—I love you and will support you in any decisions you make. But, I hope you do the right thing by the boy. I know I'm not as young as you all, but I do know a thing or two. The age difference between you and Eric actually would work in your favor, sweetheart. Men usually die six years before a woman... so in your case, it evens out. Also, ED becomes a reality as a man gets older, and you'll have six more years of the good stuff...!"

"Gran!" We all yell simultaneously. What does she know about Erectile Dysfunction? Actually, I don't want to know.

"What? It's the truth. That's all I wanted to say. Oh, and if you hurt that sweet boy, I may have to lay you across my knee, pregnant or not." She winks at me and goes out to sit on the porch.

We all laugh but know she's not kidding about laying me over her knee. In fact, Laffy mumbles he'd pay to see that. I give him the stink eye and he rolls his eyes at me. Amelia looks between the two of us and laughs. What great friends I have.

The knock on the door catches us all off guard. I thought Gran was out on the porch but she must have wandered to the garden or something. I get up to answer the door since Amelia's pouring more coffee and Laffy felt the need to raid the fridge for some of Gran's pecan pie.

As soon as I open the door, the waterworks start all over again. I can't say a word. Speechless, I run into Eric's arms and he pulls me up so that my legs wrap around his waist. The thud of his bag hitting the porch makes me jump. He looks at me and smiles, wiping the tears from my face.

"Snälla gråt inte, sötnos. Så, så."

"I'm so sorry, Eric. I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have sent you away. I love you so much." My words are punctuated with a kiss to his lips, cheeks, and nose.

"I'm here now and I'm not leaving again. Not without you."

He looks deep into my eyes and begins walking us toward my bedroom. I vaguely remember Laffy and Amelia are still in the kitchen as I pull away from Eric to tell him so. I don't have to say much because Gran comes in the front door and yells to them.

"I think we ought to leave those two to themselves. How about we go to Merlotte's for an early lunch?"

They mumble their consent and that's about the last thing I hear from them. The sound of the door closing behind them doesn't even register as Eric sucks my bottom lip into his mouth. He says something else in Swedish—probably a slew of profanities—as he bumps into the couch. I laugh and he sucks my lip into his mouth again. I stop laughing as his hands wander up and down my sides. We manage to make it back to my room without anymore hiccups. His hands are cold against my bare skin, but I don't care. He snakes them up my legs, pulling my nightgown off in one fluid motion. He lays me down on the bed and looks me over with so much love in his eyes that I begin to question whether or not I deserve him.

I turn my face to hide my tears but he grabs my chin, gently turning my face back to him. He leans down to kiss away the trail of tears on my cheeks. I pull him down to lie on top of me because I need to feel him. I need to know he's real and that he's truly here with me. Our emotions take over and we kiss, touch, and love one another like it's the first time. I pull his shirt over his head and toss it to the floor. He unbuckles his pants and slides them down, forgetting his boots are still on his feet. We laugh as he has to sit up and take them off. Our eyes never leave one another and for a minute, I can see him as the father of my child.

Fuck. I need to tell him that don't I?

He crawls back over the bed, hovering over me. He leans down to kiss me but I put a finger to his lips to stop him. He shakes his head, sucks my finger into his mouth, and instead of words I utter moans.

"Whatever it is can wait, Sookie. I want you… now."

And he has me. Twice.

We lay tangled in the dampened sheets of my bed staring at each other. I've lost my voice and my nerve. He places a chaste kiss on my forehead and hops out of bed. He pulls his pants and shirt on and disappears into the hall before I can say anything. I pull the sheet covering me off and dig through my drawers to grab a tee shirt and shorts. Eric comes back into the room before I know it and wraps me in his arms.

"Why'd you get out of bed? I was coming right back. I didn't want to run into anyone without any clothes on."

I laugh. He must be thinking about Gran.

"I thought I should get dressed so we could talk. Less distracting that way."

"Yes, but I would much rather talk while lying in bed." He winks. "What do you want to talk about, min älskling?"

"I don't know how to tell you this, but I um… I don't know for sure yet but I may be pregnant." I mumble that last part.

"What? Sookie!"

I can't tell if he's happy or not because he just looks, stunned.

"I know you said you wanted kids and I didn't think you meant now but you have to know I didn't plan this and if you don't want to…" He kisses me, silencing my breathless tirade.

"I am the happiest man in the world. You've given me the best news. I can't even… I don't know what to say. I'm going to be a father. We're going to have a baby? You're going to have my baby?"

I nod hesitantly. "Like I said, I don't know for sure because I haven't been to the doctor yet. But, yeah, we may be having a baby."

"When can you go? Today, tomorrow? I'll want to go with you."

"You're not upset or…"

"Me? No. I'm more worried that you don't want this. Are you happy?"

"I… I think I am. It's really unexpected, but I feel excited. After talking with Laffy, Amelia and Gran I'm better about it than I was. I'm just happy you're here and that you're not upset. Maybe this is a sign that I should just give in to my heart and stop trying to rationalize or think things through."

"Well, now I think we need to talk about something else."

The look in his eye tells me what it is he wants to talk about. Marriage.

A/N: In case you don't frequent my profile page, I'm going on hiatus the month of November for NaNoWriMo. I'm planning to write a novel in a month. Should be fun if I can stick to it. If you want more information on it, check out their website www(dot)nanowrimo(dot)org.

Translations

Snälla gråt inte, sötnos. Så, så – Please don't cry, sweetie. There, there.

Min älskling – my dearest