Chapter 9

Erin's POV

"With who?" Jack repeated.

"Erik," I replied. I think they were in shock and didn't think it was real that they just HAD to sizzle my brain into ashes with a million (or more like two trillion) questions.

"Erik? Like him?" Shaunee asked me, pointing at Erik who (after a small cool down of his temperament) was standing by me. I just nodded. I look at Erik who wasn't exactly happy that I had told them about this relationship of ours. Erik and I were having a conversation through telepathy:

They already hate me and they DON'T need to hate our daughter. He had said.

HEY! Don't say that … they don't hate you. I knew he wasn't buying that. They just don't particularly like you. OK?

"What- what are you guys doing?" Jack asked almost trembling. "Why are you t-talking in your heads… why can I hear you in my head?" He, lately seemed like he belonged in an insane asylum, or maybe someplace that helps those with anger problems (I never thought I would say that about Jack).

"We were using telepathy," Erik replied, putting his arm around my shoulder but he tensed as if he was ready to pounce if anyone made a wrong move.

"Um OK? Alright guys plan was to get the baby stuff and she'll explain on the way to the Daycare," Damien said setting everyone straight.

"Oh," Shaunee said in a daze, "Right." So Damien split us into groups. Erik and I were to look for baby food and then some food for us. The rest bought some clothes and other necessities for the babies and us.

"Come on Erik we have to get some food for us too," I told him when he started comparing baby foods.

"Well the babies that we are feeding our goddess' babies," he told me using that matter- of –fact tone that he gets when he knows something others don't. His phone buzzed.

Erik's POV

Name suggestions?

-Z

"Who's that?" Erin asked. Honestly the girl had more potential than her stupid group will ever realize because she could tell all my emotions and used telepathy all the time.

"It's Zoey," I replied. "Sh-

Before I could finish my sentence Erin asks, "What does she need?"

I give her a long look that she knows indicates for her to stop interrupting me and listen. "She wants names, for the children. She wants our opinions."

Erin stood for a minute staring at the baby food then she said, "This one, we fed Jessica this brand of food." She plucks a few off the back of that row of baby food and then moves over and plucks a few off the row of food that I was comparing with the brand that was already in the cart. She now had fifty cans in the cart, twenty five of one brand and twenty five of the other brand. She rolls the cart over towards the normal fruit and picks out, no doubt to blend up for the babies, a few apples, some mangoes, and an abnormally large watermelon. Then she grabs some human food for us, nothing special (mostly pasta). Finally she got somewhere I liked, the liquor section, where she picked up some red wine that I would, no doubt, have to show my license to the cash register person for.

"Erin, are you alright?"

"Fine." No emotion flow through her voice, well just maybe a hint of annoyed. I didn't say anything after that because I knew she would go on saying she was fine and then she would burst out in tears telling me some kind of pity story, that Iabsolutely didn't want to hear. We checked out and threw the stuff in the trunk of the car and hopped in. Everyone had been waiting for us.

Erin's POV

"Sorry, just wanted to get a good food for the kids," I mumbled.

"S'okay we've only been here a few minutes," Shaunee said making me feel a bit better but not much.

"So… uh tell us about your daughter." Damien was driving but I could tell that he was analyzing every move I made and every sound that can from my mouth.

"So, Erik got me pregnant one night after our circle making ceremony to kill Kalona or banish him or whatever. We had been going out for more than a month so it seemed fine at the time and we didn't think it was possible for us to have kids so we overdid it a bit," I told them. "So I ended up having a kid and all was well because you guys were busy doing other things, but the more we moved around the harder it was for us. Finally I had my Mum take her because you guys were going to find her if I kept her in my room and once I heard that we could be staying here for a while I had my mother register her in a Daycare close to our hotel."

"We- we would have noticed wouldn't we, with the really swollen stomach and all that?"

"No, normally for Vampyres they only have swollen stomachs if their child is with another species. However Erik is a Vampyre, as am I and we got lucky that you didn't notice us sneaking off every once and while to check on her."

"Well… where is the Daycare?" Damien asks smiling. I smiled, although it came out as an exhausted smile, back at him.

"Right up here on the left," I told him. I directed him into the daycare and got out of the car, "We'll be back in a second." So with Erik in tow I went into the daycare and to the desk of the supervisor.

"How can I help you?" She asked smiling.

"I'm looking for Jessica Bates, please."

"Sure, I'll bring her out in a moment." The lady disappeared into the backroom where I guessed they would play. She came back again and she had my little Jessica with her.

"Mommy! You're here!" she jumped into my arms with a wide grin and I couldn't help but smile with her. She finally got down and noticed Erik in the corner too and she ran to him and hugged his leg.

He messed up her hair and said, "Hey hon, how was your day?"

"Good!..." She went on about her friends and the toys and how lovely their babysitter was and her whole day.

She finally asked about 'grandma' and I almost broke down but for her I stayed strong and I told her, "Uh… grandma passed away so she is not going to be able to see us anymore. She is partying in the skies now."

She replied, "OK, we'll talk to her someday though right?" I didn't trust my voice so I just nodded.

The lady interrupted and told us, "You need to sign her out." The lady handed me a clipboard and a pen. I signed quickly and hurried out to the car with Jessica on my hip.

"Where are we going Mommy?"

"To a hotel, with all my friends." I hop in the car and buckle her in on my lap.

"Hey, what's your name?" Jack asked my lovely child.

"She's Jessica Bates, the real first Descendant."