First things first, I got this PM from one of you a few weeks ago and I decided since I hadn't had time to do the research, I'd just share part of the PM and so y'all can do the research yourself if you are interested. This reader is in uninsured and I am uninsured, so if we both are, I'm sure many more of you are and will find this information useful.

There are a lot of groups that pay for yearly gyn. visits and mammograms when women don't have insurance or have limited insurance. I live in a pretty small town, less then ten thousand, and there are two such groups servicing our area. I'm pretty sure that any gyn. office would be able to tell a patient what groups are in their area. This is how I've been getting my mammograms for a few years. Last year, they even OFFERED ! to pay for my yearly visit. I'm very lucky to have this and encourage other women to look into it. They don't require any proof of income, just your word that you don't have insurance and can't afford to pay for the services. I'm sure not all groups are this generous, but even if you have to make a copy of your income tax form, it's easily worth it.
Thanks for listening to my little speech ! I just hate thinking about how many people ignore their health because of the lack of insurance. I'm one of them !! but if there is a way to get some very important screening tests for free - why not? It gives me a little piece of mind.

Now let's get to the story! I know I'm a day late, which is mostly my fault! I didn't finish the chapter until about two this morning! The reason the chapter wasn't posted until now is because I now have a beta! I sent the chapter off to her as soon as I finished with it and she had it back to me first thing this morning when I got up, so I'm posting it now! With that said, I'd like to thank the lovely Northwoman for her services, she'll now be my second set of eyes on most of what I write, and for being super speedy! I really didn't expect to have the story sitting in my inbox when I woke up this morning!

Now, I'm working on timing, so hopefully, next Wednesday New Beginnings will be up on time.

A few of more things before I get to the story!

First, Thanks for all the reviews as usual!

Second, watch out for my chapter of Hard Sell. I'm finishing it up this weekend and hope to have it beta'd and sent off to youbettago sometime next week. If you haven't read the first chapter, I suggest you do! It's a very fun story!

Finally, option A from my eoc a/n won the vote. That means there's no Thalia story dialogue in this chapter and I went straight to the lemons! Thanks for letting me how y'all wanted me to do it! I appreciate the input! I actually didn't exactly go straight to the lemons either, but it's pretty close!

Sookie's POV

I could not believe what I'd heard. What Eric had told me was ... unbelievable and the most heartbreaking thing I'd ever heard. By the time he'd finished, I had started to cry again.

I felt a tear stream down my face as I said, "That was so awful, what she did to you, Eric. I'm so sorry," and I was. Nobody deserved that; especially him. We may have had our issues with all the secrecy, but that didn't change the fact that he was a good man.

He gently wiped away my tears and retorted, "If I'd have known it would make you cry again, I wouldn't have shared it with you," then leaned over and brought his lips to mine.

There was something different in the way he kissed me. It just felt different. Maybe it was just because it had been an overly emotional day, maybe it was that he was upset due to what he'd just told me, maybe it was the fact that our lives were about to majorly change, or maybe it was just my crazy hormones, being pregnant and all. I wasn't sure and I really didn't care. All I knew was that the kiss made me realize how badly I needed him. In that moment, I needed him; to feel him.

Apparently, he felt the same and just like that, the mood went from somber to playful. He wiggled his eyebrows and said, "You know, I can think of a few ways to cheer us both up after the day we've had, besides, there's something incredibly erotic about knowing you are carrying my child."

"Oh, I'm sure you can," I said as I smiled and wiggled my own eyebrows. It was a cheap imitation, but I couldn't help myself. I honestly couldn't believe that in mere seconds, I'd gone from crying my eyes out to being ready to jump Eric's bones, but again, I decided to chalk it up to pregnancy hormones.

He kissed me again, then very confidently replied, "I most certainly can."

The mood quickly changed again from playful to frantic when he crashed his lips back into mine, kissing me urgently, proving to me that he needed me just as much as I needed him. The next few moments went by in a blur.

We made our way to my room, kissing, clawing, and groping each other, leaving nothing but a trail of clothing between where we were, on the couch, and my bedroom door. The next thing I knew, I was on my bed completely naked and Eric was staring down at me. His eyes were filled with pure hunger.

"Sookie," he whispered huskily, never breaking his gaze, "Do you know how special you are; How much you mean to me?"

How much did I mean to him? I did wonder. I knew he wanted to be with me and I knew he wanted to make our relationship work, but aside from that, we'd been together for a couple of months and we'd never actually talked about our feelings after that first day in November, when I dropped him off at his house and we started this whole thing.

Since then, my feelings for him had certainly changed. They'd grown and they'd become stronger; a lot stronger. I'd always thought he was the stereotypical perfect man, but in the past couple of months I'd seen that he was more than just the perfect man, he was the perfect man for me and as much as I'd tried to deny it due to our circumstances, I was falling in love with him.

"Let me show you what you mean to me," he said huskily, as he crawled onto the bed and positioned himself on top of me holding himself up with his elbows.

Starting at my forehead and working his way all the way down to my toes he covered my entire body with soft, wet kisses. Each time his lips brushed against my skin, I was reminded of the electric spark we had both felt the first time we touched.

My entire body was tingling from the pleasure his lips provided and I couldn't contain myself any longer. Like I'd said, I needed to feel him and feeling only his lips and the weight of his body on mine wasn't enough.

"Please, Eric," I begged. "I need you."

He placed his finger over my lips as he quietly commanded, "Be patient, my lover."

I did as he asked and remained patient as the tips of his fingers ghosted down my neck, then slowly traced my collarbone to my arm, then down my side, until finally, he rested his hand on my hip.

He buried his head in my neck and breathed, "You are perfection," as he slowly moved his hips forward, inching his erection inside of me.

Once fully enveloped, he pulled out and then plunged back in which caused us both to moan in pleasure. He continued moving his hips at a slow and steady pace, in ... out ... in ... out, and in that same rhythm, I met them, forcing him deeper and deeper with each thrust.

"I don't ever want to be without you, Sookie. You are what's most important to me," he proclaimed as he lifted his head out of the crook of my neck and rested his forehead on mine.

Our fingers gripped tighter and tighter at each other's hips as we writhed and moaned and struggled to breathe, still moving together, in sync. I could feel my release building in the pit of my stomach as he took my hands and brought them up until they were resting between our heaving chests, his fingers interlaced with my own.

"I will do anything for you, Sookie," he purred as I felt an explosion of pleasure erupt deep within me which caused me to come undone beneath him and cry out his name.

Eric POV

As Sookie rode out the waves of bliss that flowed throughout her body, I tensed and shot my load deep inside of her as I shouted, "Fuck, Sookie, I ... I'm falling in love with you."

I collapsed against her side allowing my hand to rest on her stomach and buried my head in the crook of her neck. I couldn't believe I'd just said that. I desperately hoped she didn't think I only said it because she was pregnant.

I had said it with no thought on my part. It had just slipped out. It was something I'd pretty much figured out earlier, before I even left work, but the actual realization that everything I was feeling was love didn't happen until I saw her lying on her bed with a look of pure need her eyes.

Seeing her like that just made something click. She needed me and I needed her. I couldn't be without her. She made me happy. Happier than anyone or anything else ever had. She was the one. She was the most important thing in my life and I was sure of that, pregnant with my child or not.

Sometimes I just tended to be a selfish bastard which kept me from seeing the full scope of things. I was stubborn and selfish to want to continue to hide our relationship earlier. It took me a minute to figure it out, but if it would have come down to it, to keep her, I would have shouted it from the rooftops. It wasn't just the baby that made me give in, although I was pretty sure it seemed that way to her, but I would have given in regardless before ever letting her out of my life.

I knew I had to make sure that Sookie knew that I'd really meant what I'd said; every single word. I also knew that I would have to work hard every single day to ensure that she never felt I was with her just for the baby and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she never felt that way.

I snuggled as close as I could to her and whispered, "I really am falling in love with you, Sookie. I really am."

She didn't respond so I continued, "I understand if you don't feel the same, but I need you to know I meant it."

She turned onto her side to face me and snuggled into my chest. "Eric, I feel the same way," she said quietly.

I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. After a few minutes, I realized she was crying again. I backed away from her a bit and lifted her chin so I could look at her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she balled, "I'm just so happy."

I smiled, took her back into my arms, and said, "Me too," then kissed the top of her head.

****

A couple of hours later I was driving to Merlotte's. Sookie was hungry and we decided it would be easier if I went out and picked us something up after the day we'd both had. Really, we'd both been hit with some serious realizations of how our lives were going to be from now on, but we were happy and we'd both decided that our happiness was all that mattered.

Sookie had apparently been having some serious cravings for fried pickles, so that's why we chose Merlotte's for dinner. Not only did they have Sookie's pickles, but they also were the closest restaurant to Sookie's house and fed and hydrated most of the citizens of Bon Temps.

Our plan was for Sookie to let whoever answered the phone know that I, or more specifically, her boyfriend was picking up the food. We figured since they were her co-workers, they would be surprised that she had a boyfriend that they knew nothing about. She would then explain that we had concerns involving Hunter so we kept it quiet. We figured it would knock out telling most of the town in one fell swoop.

Aside from the majority of the rest of Bon Temps, we'd also decided that we were going to tell Jason, Tara, and Hunter about us, as well. Sookie was going to call them while I was out getting our dinner to explain things and to have them bring Hunter home.

I worried about telling him almost more than I worried about telling my co-workers. I could handle losing my job if my worst fears came to fruition, but I couldn't stand the thought of being responsible for Hunter being unhappy in any way. I really hoped he was accepting of mine and Sookie's relationship.

I hadn't been around him much, even at school. He was a good kid and unfortunately, as principal, I didn't get much interaction with the good kids. I knew him well enough to know he was a very bright and well adjusted kid, but I'd really had no one-on-one time with him.

I arrived at Merlotte's and went inside. As soon as I walked through the door, I felt like all eyes were on me. I was probably just being paranoid because I was there when Sookie called the order in and she never actually mentioned my name.

I walked up to the bar and took a seat. Holly approached me and asked, "Principal Northman, what can I get you?"

"Hi," I said nervously, "actually, I'm here to pick up a to-go order. It's under the name Stackhouse." Here goes, I thought.

"OH! MY! GOD! You're Sookie's boyfriend! I had no idea! Now I see why she said you both had concerns about telling Hunter."

Now all eyes were on me and the whole town definitely knew. It was all actually pretty easy thanks to Holly. She continued, "I'm sorry, Principal Northman. Y'all just surprised me. Let me get your order."

Holly got my order and I headed back to Sookie's. It felt really good to finally be able to park in front of her house. When I walked in Sookie was still on the phone.

Sookie's POV

While Eric was getting our dinner, I called Tara. Well, I thought about what I was going to say the majority of time he was gone and didn't end up calling until about ten minutes before he got back.

I just didn't know how to tell her that I'd been lying to her. I knew she'd understand once I'd explained everything, but that didn't make it any easier to figure out what to actually say.

Finally, I worked up the nerve to make the call. Tara answered after only a few rings and asked, "Sookie, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Tara. There's just something I need to tell you about," I told her nervously.

"What is it? Why do you sound like you're about to freak out?" she asked.

Here goes nothing, I thought. "Tara, I've met someone," I said trying to figure where to go with this next.

"That's great, Sookie. I assume you're talking about a guy? And wait, why aren't you in your class?"

Damn, she'd made it easy. "That's just it, Tara. There is no class and yes it's a guy," I said reluctantly.

"You've been lying to me for almost two months!" Tara huffed. "Why? Why did you think you had to lie to me? I'm your best friend."

While Tara spoke, Eric walked in with our dinner in his arms and sat it on the table. He motioned towards the kitchen, I assumed he wanted to know if I needed privacy. I shook my head and he sat down on the couch beside of me.

"Tara, I wasn't lying to you, well, I was lying to you, but Eric and I, we didn't tell anyone ... because of Hunter. We decided it was best to keep it quiet until we knew if things were going to work out. He's Hunter's principal and we were both worried about how he'd react and what effects it could have on Eric's job."

"Wait a minute!" Tara chimed in, "you are dating Principal Hottie?"

"Uh, yeah," I mumbled into the phone. "Is that what they call him?"

"I'm impressed, Sook," she giggled. Then more seriously continued, "Now, I'm still pissed you didn't tell me, but I do understand your reasoning."

"Thanks, Tara. I knew you'd understand. I didn't just call you to tell you about Eric and I. I was wondering if you could fill Jason in without Hunter hearing and then bring Hunter home. We want to tell him tonight."

"Absolutely, Sookie. I was just finishing up dinner, so it'll be at least an hour before we can be there."

"Okay. Thank you again, Tara."

I hung up my phone and nervously said, "They'll be here in about an hour."

Eric replied, "Well, since my visit at Merlotte's, I think the whole town knows, so let's hope they don't make any stops along the way."

****

A little over an hour later, Jason's truck pulled up out front. I'd never been so nervous in my life. I wasn't Hunter's mom, so I didn't think he would have the type of issues a boy would have when his mom starts dating for the first time since losing his dad, but I still didn't know how he'd react. It had been just me and him for almost six months.

Jason was the first to come in. Eric and I were waiting tensely by the door. "Tara and Hunter are getting his things, sis." He held his hand out to Eric and as Eric shook it he threatened, "Hurt her or him and I'll kick your ass."

Typical Jason, I thought. "Jason," I chided, hoping that he'd realize that he'd crossed a line.

"Sis, I'm telling him like it is."

"Sookie ... Sookie," Hunter yelled as he ran into the house, "I made you a picture at school today."

He held up a picture that resembled a piece of paper that Rainbow Bright had thrown up all over. "Wow, that sure is a great picture, sweetie. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Sookie, why's Principal Northman here? Did I do bad at school?" he asked timidly.

"No, sweetie. Principal Northman is here to see me. He's a friend of mine. Did you want to tell us about your picture you made?"

"No," he squealed. I thought he was about to throw a tantrum which was the last thing we needed, but instead he looked to Eric and asked, "Are you gonna marry Sookie like my daddy married my mommy?"

That question took me totally by surprise. It was the last thing I'd expected, especially since we hadn't even told him anything yet. I assumed that was what people meant when they said that kids were always a lot smarter than you thought they were.

Eric's POV

When Hunter asked me if I was going to marry Sookie, I swear I almost shit my pants. I looked over at Sookie, Jason, and Tara and judging by the look on their faces, they'd had the same reaction.

Although his question took me a little by surprise, I knew it was nothing I couldn't handle. I'd been around enough kids to know a thing or two about how to handle them.

I knelt down so I was on his level and said, "Well, I suppose I might marry Sookie someday, but I thought that if it was okay with you I might just hang out with you two for a while and get to know you better. Would that be alright with you, Hunter?"

"Sure would. I like you, Principal Northman. You're nice," he said smiling.

"You're pretty nice yourself, Hunter. If it wouldn't be too confusing for you, you can call me Eric, well, you can call me Eric as long as we're not at school. At school, you'll still have to call me Principal Northman."

"Okay, Eric. You wanna color with me?"

"Sure," I said, allowing him to lead me over to the coffee table.

He pulled a couple of coloring books out of his backpack and sat them on the table, then pulled out a box of crayons. "Sit," he ordered as he pointed at the floor. I wasn't about to argue with him because I was trying to make friends, so I sat every inch of my 6'4" ass down on the floor, in front of the table and colored, with my new best friend.

Sookie's POV

Once Eric and Hunter started coloring and Jason and Tara were satisfied everything was going to be okay, they left. I picked up around the house a bit and got things ready for the next day and before I knew it, it was time for Hunter to go to bed.

"Hunter, it's time for bed. You and Eric need to finish up your pictures."

"Sookie, can we color just one more?"

"Hunter," I said firmly, "It's time for bed. I know you're having fun, but you have school tomorrow."

Hunter started crying and said, "But I wanna colow wif Ewic."

Poor thing, I thought. He was exhausted. When he got really tired, he'd always cry and mispronounce his r's and th's. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "Sweetie," I said patting his back to console him. "I know you want to color with Eric, but Eric has to go home soon, but I bet he'd come over and color with you again soon."

"Yeah, Hunter. I'll come back over tomorrow after school and color with you, if that's okay with Sookie."

I nodded, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Eric will you read me a story before bed?"

"Sure," Eric said smiling.

I got Hunter ready for bed and Eric read him Green Eggs and Ham. In just a few short hours they'd really become quite a pair and I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

I was laid out, half asleep, on the couch when Eric took a seat beside of me, nudged me, and said, "Sookie. Lover, wake up." I jumped, but then realized what was going on. "It looks like Hunter isn't the only one that needs his rest. Let's get you to bed."

So there it is! Telling people hasn't been bad yet, but when Eric gets to work, I wonder how many of them will know and how many of them he'll have to tell. Also, how will they react? I think most will be happy for him, but there could always be a few older jealous teachers, who he beat out for the job as principal, that think they can use this to their advantage, as well a few younger jealous teachers who liked having Principal Hottie single! I also wonder about the school board members and other people over Eric. He's not friends with them and doesn't talk to them on a daily basis. Will he tell them straight up, just in case his worst fears come to fruition, or not?

Oh, and let's not forget about Pam! He'll be telling her about the pregnancy soon. She knew about the relationship before anyone else so it's only natural that she'd find out about the pregnancy before anyone else, too!