Pam went so still you'd think she'd been turned to stone, somewhere during my confession she had taken my hands and now was squeezing them so hard that I was worried I wouldn't be able to drive home. Eventually she came to and dropped the contact, resting back on her haunches,
"May I ask who the lucky father is?" she inquired. Ice had nothing on her cold temperature; she was clearly drawing conclusions from my revelation and didn't like what she was coming to. I lift my head from my knees but keep my eyes averted from hers.
"Eric was the last man I slept with" I mumble, "Except for the night when the two fairies...when they kidnapped me"
"And afterwards you would have been too wounded to take a sexual partner" Pam surmised quietly, "And since that night?"
I shook my head, my body was still recovering in some vital areas and the mere thought of it made me want to throw up. She nods and then climbs onto the couch and takes me into her arms,
"Well this is an unfortunate decision to have forced upon you," she kissed my hair absently, reminding me a little of Claudine "How long have you known of your condition?"
I bite my lip, "Just this morning I took the test but I'd been feeling ill for a little while, I'd just assumed that it was the painkillers I was on while I was getting better"
"And instead it's a baby"
I nod, a small part of myself still disbelieving the fact, "And instead it's a baby"
She shrugs, "Well it's convenient for Eric and your marriage contract"
I slide out of her embrace and stare at her, "What?!"
She tilts her head, "Did you forget that you and Eric were married, Sookie?"
Had I forgotten that Eric had tricked me into presenting him with a marriage dagger before a representative of the new King of Louisiana to claim me as his and his alone? No it hadn't skipped my mind; thankfully the marriage wasn't recognised by the State of Louisiana so I hadn't had to explain it to anyone but my boss Sam. That had been mistake enough; he'd called me idiotic for having allowed something out of my control to happen, I still hadn't forgiven Sam for that.
"What does my pregnancy have to do with our contract?" I ask carefully, afraid that I wouldn't like the answer, she took my hands again,
"Well, usually there isn't marriages or pledging between vampires and humans, especially ones overseen by a witness. When there is however, the vampire will have a contract drawn up where the human is either subservient or turned by the vampire" She notes my outrage when I open my mouth to interrupt, "No that is not what Eric had in mind for you Sookie, he wanted to draw up a contract much like the ones between our royalty, you would both have independence and keep most of your own assets, because he knew you would want that. The only issue was your fertility, the marriage contract lasts until one of you dies, however Eric and I saw the problem that you might one day wish to have children. Had you fallen pregnant with the standard contract both his and your life may have been in danger, certainly Felipe de Castro would have taken the opportunity to whisk you away to Las Vegas and keep you there with your child as leverage over you and you as leverage over Eric"
"But I'm pregnant now and the contract hasn't been signed by me" I surmise hopefully and she grins triumphantly in her own way,
"Yes...so it is convenient for Eric and for you in a way"
Take your blessings where you can, my grandmother would have said. I aim my tissues at the trash bin by Eric's desk and gather my senses about me,
"So" I look to Pam hopefully, "You'll tell Eric for me"
She nods as if it's no big deal to her how he finds out. I could put the announcement on a billboard for all she cares.
Except I didn't want that many people to know that I was bearing a child of rape.