A/N: And here it is, part two of the four part finale. Another chapter and one step closer to the end. The fallout of what's been happening beings to make itself apparent. The question isn't how will things work out, but rather can what they have really survive the oncoming storm? The wind is beginning the blow, and it's only a matter of time before the cradle will fall.

I'm sorry but your going to hate me by the end of this chapter, and I think you have every right to.

I don't own the song that is sung in this chapter "You'll Be in My Heart" by Phil Collins, but it's a great song (I'm sure you've heard of it one way or another by now.)

Anyway enjoy, don't forget to read the A/N at the bottom, and please don't forget to leave a review!

Benny's Baby

Chapter 16: When The Bough Breaks The Cradle Will Fall

Benny spun around on his computer chair and despite the seriousness of the conversation he was having couldn't help but smile. The sight of Erica sitting on his bed with Eric in her lap, and Benny-Rabbit in his sent a warm feeling through the young Spellmaster's body. It was almost too much for him to handle, how he longed to jump on his bed and snuggle close with his family. Instead he shook those thoughts away and listened to Erica's arguments.

"I just want to be a part of Eric's life," said Erica as she rubbed her son's head. "I don't want you to think you have to raise him alone. And besides what does it matter if I went to Whitechapel Community College for two years?"

"It means a lot!" said Benny in disbelief as he stopped the chair. "And you're still going to be a part of his life; it'll just be during the breaks, and holidays and stuff."

"I don't want to sort of be there, this is the only chance I get at being a mother and I want to experience it. Can you at least agree with me on that?"

"Ok, I understand that. This is the only chance I get at being a father, especially if we're going to stay together but that doesn't mean I think you should give up on going away to college."

She groaned in annoyance and leaned back on his bed; Eric giggled and smacked the stuffed rabbit in delight. At least someone was getting entertainment out of this.

"I just want to watch our son grow up."

Benny winced, those words hit close to home, but he needed to stay firm, for her sake. He spun around in his chair again, caught sight of the light in Ethan's room, and silently wished his best friend was here to help. If anyone could convince her it would be Ethan, or maybe Sarah. Heck either one of them would probably do a better job than he was right now.

"I can experience college anytime I wanted; I'm never going to die."

Before Benny could say anything else Erica let out a yelp of pain. He grinned at the sight of his son tugging on her hair.

"Mommy's hair is not a toy," said Erica as she eased her hair out of Eric's hands. "And you wipe that smirk off your face."

"See even Eric agrees with me," said Benny with a laugh as he spun around again. "You need to take advantage of the scholarship and go away for school."

"It's my life, and when it comes down to school it's my choice. Please stop doing that your making me nauseous."

"Sorry," mumbled Benny as he stopped and stared at her. "Erica I'm being serious, why would you want to give up on something you've worked so hard for?"

"I think you're jealous," said Erica playfully as she tickled her son's sides. "What do you think? Does Daddy want Mommy to go away because he wants to go to school and can't admit it?"

"That's not it at all."

"Then do you want me to go away?" The humor was gone from her voice. "Are you that afraid of a relationship with me that you want me to leave? You tell me that you love me and then you refuse to even acknowledge that we might actually have something special between us. I mean the first time you ever admitted we might have a future together was tonight."

"No I just need you-"

"I don't need anything!" yelled Erica suddenly causing Eric to cry. She let out a frustrated sigh and picked him up in her arms. "I think we need to put him down for bed, and then have a serious conversation about us, and our future."

"You're right," said Benny as he took Eric from her. "It's his bedtime, and I think it's time for you to go."

"Oh, so because you don't feel like talking about what's going on you get to decide when I get to see my son?"

"Yeah that's right, you have a problem with it?"

"Maybe I don't want to go to college; did you ever think about that?"

"Just go home."

"Fine," said Erica as she got up. She placed a hand on her stomach and then looked at him sadly. "Maybe I can't go to college."

"Why can't you go to college? It's not like you're me, you have so much going for you! Why do you want to throw it all away?"

"It's not that-"

"Is being that smart and perfect that hard for you? Or maybe you just want to be something you're not!" yelled Benny as he let his frustration get the better of him. He saw the tears well up in her eyes and immediately regretted what he said. "Erica I'm-"

"You know what, screw you! Maybe going away would be good for me; it means more space away from you!"

Benny said nothing as she stormed out of the room. She was right, he was so afraid of losing her, of doing something stupid that he was slowly pushing her out of his life, and in the process Eric's too. He darted after her and stopped when he heard someone slam the front shut.

"Way to go Benny," whispered the Spellmaster as he leaned against the wall and slid to the ground with Eric in his arms. He held his son tight and felt tears of frustration run down his cheek. He only wanted what was best for her, so why was every time he tried to explain it to her they ended up arguing?

Eric looked up at him and after a moment said: "Da-da?"

Benny looked at him and then wiped away his tears; this was what Erica wanted to be a part of. How could he be the one to deny her something as special and unique as parenthood?

The students passed by her without so much as noticing Erica as she stopped and leaned against the trashcan. She took in deep steady breathes, and did her best to keep breakfast down. She felt her stomach church, and inhaled through her noise.

"I'm not going to puke, I'm not going to puke, I'm not going to puke."

The bell rang, and the hallway cleared. Once alone she felt bile at the back of her throat and suddenly it didn't become if she was going to vomit but when. She leaned over the trashcan and began to cough. She felt someone began to rub her back, and after a few dry heaves the nausea began to subside. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and was surprised to find none other than Benny standing behind her. He had a worried look on his face that annoyed her more than it should have.

"What's wrong?" asked Benny as he handed her a water bottle from his backpack. "Did you over eat again?"

"No," whispered Erica as she took the bottle gratefully. "Why are you even here, shouldn't you be in class?"

"I was but Rory said he saw you acting funny, so I thought I'd check in, make sure everything was ok. And I wanted to say I was sorry about what I said last night."

"I don't want to talk about this right-"

"I-I just wanted you to know I realized what you were talking about when you said you didn't want to miss out on Eric growing up. After you left he looked up at me and said 'da-da' again, and it hit me. This is only going to happen once for us, and maybe going to a closer college wouldn't be such a bad thing. I don't want to the reason you miss out on some of the most important part of Eric's life. I understand that now and I'm sorry that I was being such a jerk about it."

"You got all that from Eric?"

Benny blushed red. "Our son has a way with words. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings; I just wanted what was best for you."

"I understand," said Erica. "I'm really glad you told me, but Benny… last night my parents and I were taking, and we agreed that I should take the scholarship. I'll be going away for school, just like you wanted."

"Really?" asked Benny his voice barely above a whisper. "You're going to leave?"

"Yeah," mumbled Erica suddenly ashamed to be near him. "I'm going to be moving out towards the beginning of summer. I decided to get an apartment with Sarah before she starts to travel. This way I can get a job, and get things sorted out before the semester starts in fall."

"But if you move out-"

"I'll be able to visit during the vacation time; it just won't be for as much if I was actually living on campus or if I went to Whitechapel Community College."

"Are you doing this on purpose?" asked Benny his voice shaky. Tears began to well up in his eyes. "Is this because I didn't want to talk about us being together last night? Is this a punishment, because of what I said? Erica I'm sorry for what happened but you can't just leave Eric and me."

"No it's not like that. You said you wanted me to focus on my future and I am. I promise I'll visit as much as I can, and it will only be for three years, then maybe you'll be ready for us to be together, like a real family."

Benny felt the world spin around him; he gave her one last look and then quickly turned in the opposite direction. If this was everything he wanted for her then why did it suddenly hurt so much?

Benny's nightmare eventually gave way to reality as Eric's cries broke through his troubled sleep. He tossed off the covers and let out an exhausted yawn as he headed towards the nursery.

"It's going to be all right," said Benny as he picked up the crying infant. "You don't need to be sad, Daddy's here."

He didn't need a change, didn't need to be burped, and he seemed otherwise ok, expect for the crying of course. He let out a frustrated groan when Erica's words suddenly drifted through his head.

"He likes it if you sing to him before you put him to sleep. Or maybe he just likes to know one of his parents are there."

Benny thought about it for a moment and then began to sing

"Come stop your crying it will be all right. Just take my hand, hold it tight."

Sure enough Eric stopped crying and began to sniffle. He looked up and Benny felt his heart swell with pride as he stared down at the bright blue eyes. Yup, he definitely had his mother's eyes.

"I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry."

He paced around the room as he continued to sing, and after a few minutes Eric was fast asleep in his arms. He smiled as he felt the weight of his son in his arms, the sound of his breathing, the color of his blonde hair. It was almost too much for him to handle, this was his son. Not just his son, but Erica's as well. She needed to be a part of his life, and it was these little things that she had every right to be part of. He suddenly felt horrible; he had been the one to push her away, to split apart their family before it even had a chance to begin…

Erica began to cry again, and Benny shook his head; now not the time to be thinking about all of that. No there would be time for that later; right now he needed to focus on his son. He heard someone open the nursery door and when he looked up he was surprised to see it was his Grandma. She gave him a weary smile and motioned for Eric.

"Here let me take care of him for a while," said Evelyn as she gently took the infant from his arms. "You have school in the morning so go get some rest."

"Are you sure?" asked Benny as he gave her an uneasy look. "I can't sleep right now so I don't mind staying up and watching him."

"It'll give me a chance to bond with my great-grandson, now go on get some sleep, don't make me say it twice. Good night dear."

"Good night Grandma," whispered Benny as he placed a kiss on her cheek. He gave her one final look and then quietly closed the door as he left.

Evelyn shut off the baby monitor, took a seat on the rocking chair, and began to rock back in forth in a steady rhythm. Eric shifted unhappily in her arms and she did her best to calm the unhappy child. Outside the trees could be seen shaking in the wind, it would only be a matter of time before another storm fell upon Whitechapel. She closed her own eyes and thought about everything Ethan had told her during the afternoon. She sighed wearily; how was she going to tell him?

"You poor thing," whispered Evelyn in the darkness as she looked down at the crying infant. "You're not crying because your upset, are you?"

Eric looked up at her with his blue eyes and she felt her heart break a little. "Your crying because you can feel what happens next can't you?"

Dark clouds were beginning to gather over Whitechapel, and Benny did his best to beat the rain as he ran home. Leave it to Hannah Price to scold him for bailing out of the play at the last minute. No sign of Ethan, or Erica, at all today. In fact he had spent the day with Sarah, Rory and Della, and what a mistake that had turned out to be. Maybe it was for the best, after all the less he saw of Erica; the less he would be reminded that she was leaving. He bolted up the entryway and looked over his shoulder in time to see the rain start pouring from the sky. With a triumphant smile he opened the door only to stop when he heard his Grandma talking in the kitchen.

"Hey Grandma," said Benny as he tossed his backpack to the side. He was surprised to see Ethan sitting at the table a depressed look on his face. "What are you doing here E?"

"Benny," asked Evelyn as she looked at him. "Take a seat, we need to talk."

"If it's about the birds and the bees, I think I understand," said Benny as he thought about his night in the gardens. He felt himself flush and banished the thoughts as he remembered he was upset with Erica. "But what's up?"

"It's about Eric."

"What's wrong with Eric?" asked Benny suddenly afraid. "Is everything ok? Is he all right?"

"He's fine, but it's important that you tell me what you used in the potion when you created him."

"Snails, slugs, frogs parts, my hair, Erica's hair, and I used a seed as a base for his body. Why?"

Evelyn took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. She suddenly looked so much older; in fact it even looked as if she had been crying.

"Do you know why you've been feeling so exhausted since you created Eric? Or why your body was so worn out when you casted the spell at the hospital?"

"Isn't because I haven't been sleeping and I used my life energy to cure Eric's DNA?"

"When a child is created with magic it requires a constant amount of life energy until its body can being to produce its own. You created a link between you and Eric upon his birth and he's been feeding off of your life force ever since."

"So he's been absorbing my life force and that's why I'm tired?"

"Exactly, under normal circumstances this wouldn't present a problem but you have to take into account Erica's vampire DNA."

Ethan suddenly spoke. "When you cured Eric at the hospital do you remember what you did before you touched him? Before you actually used the spell on him?"

"I-" He closed his eyes, thought about it for a moment and answered: "I kissed Erica."

"There's a reason that the spell didn't kill you," said Evelyn sadly. "You increased the flow of life into Eric, but since his body's basic structure is a seed you maxed out his life force. Think of it like this, a plant and a human both have very different amounts of energy they can hold. That's why when you kissed him there was a flash of light; it was the extra amount, the excess energy he couldn't handle."

"So I fixed my son, and he's taking more energy from me. But I'm fine, just a little tired, and why does that extra energy matter? All I did was kiss Erica, I can't cure her she's been a vampire for way too long."

"Exactly," whispered Ethan. "But the little spark of life inside her, the one that had just been exposed to her DNA and yours. You accidently cured it when you wiped away her tears and kissed her. At that moment you began a second life force connection without even realizing it. And when you cured Eric all that extra energy that should've gone back to you instead went into that second connection."

"What are you talking about?" asked Benny trying to understand what his friend was saying. "I don't understand."

"Erica's pregnant Benny."

Benny looked from Ethan to Evelyn and when he saw they weren't kidding his hear skipped a beat. He was going to be a dad again, but this time it was going to be 'normal', or as normal as a pregnant teenage vampire could be. He looked up at Ethan expecting him to smile and congratulate him and instead his friend looked away.

"Does Erica know?" asked Benny. Both of them shrugged their shoulders. All the signs had been there this entire time, the morning sickness, the way she kept touching her stomach. It all made so much sense. But did she know? If she had known then that meant she was planning on going away without telling him about it. Why would she do that? But she wouldn't do that... right?

"So Erica is pregnant, why is that a bad thing?"

"Children created through magic," began Evelyn. "Normally take the life energy from both their parents. Since Erica is undead, she has none to offer, which means you are supporting both children with your own life force."

"That's not good is it?" asked Benny as he looked between them. He didn't like where this was going, he felt his hands begin to shake. "What's going to happen to me?"

"If it was just Eric then it wouldn't be a problem, but it's not. It's Eric and the unborn baby, they're going to drain you dry. They're going to kill you."

"Isn't-isn't there something I can do," he tried to remain calm and took deep steady breathes. "Like stop from giving the energy to the unborn baby?"

"That's the problem," whispered Evelyn. "A person's life force must be treated as a single entity. Which means whatever you do to one connection will happen to the other, do you understand? If we stop the connection it will have to be for both. Both the unborn child, and Eric will fade out of existence."

"No-no it's not possible," screamed Benny as he stood up and slammed his hands onto the table. "There has to be some other way! There had to be something we can do!"

Ethan flinched at the words and looked up at his friend. "Your Grandma has been trying since the beginning to find a way to replenish your life force. That's why she's been giving you the tea, it helps restore it."

"You knew this was going to happen?"

"No," said Evelyn. "At the time the tea was merely for refreshing you when Eric took too much energy."

"Can't we just use the tea to keep refilling my energy?" asked Benny as his voice cracked, tears were beginning to run down his cheeks. "It worked these past few times, right?"

"It was only a temporary solution, too much of it is lethal and addictive," whispered Ethan. "That's why she only gave you one glass a day, and tried to space them out. Anymore than that and it would kill you."

"There isn't another way," said Evelyn as she placed a hand on Benny's back. "You have to make a choice, you can survive, and both the children will fade out of existence. Or you can let them live and slowly fade away yourself."

"There's more," said Ethan as he finally looked up to meet his best friend's eyes. "There's no guarantee that Erica could even carry the baby to full term. This hasn't happened before, and it might even kill her. Think about it, can a human baby survive on a vampire's diet? She can't have an abortion because of the magic mixed in with your life force, there's no telling what would happen to her if it was forcefully removed from her body."

"She'll be at risk then?" asked Benny as continued to cry. But that would mean losing Eric…. "She could die…."

"If you sever the connection," said Evelyn as tears welled up in her eyes. "You won't be able to bring it back. Once you cut it its gone forever. Which means you won't have another chance at a child if you were going to stay with Erica. But it won't hurt Eric, he'll slowly fade away, it'll be like falling asleep."

"Why are you telling me this?" He couldn't lose Eric, Eric was everything to him. He was the single most important thing in his life.

"You need to know," said Evelyn as she gave him a hug. He noticed that she was crying as well. "You have a right to know what happens for each of your choices. As much as I wanted to tell you that the only option was to cut the connection I couldn't. But please, don't leave. Please…."

Benny backed away from the table his hands on his head, and made no effort to hide his tears. He thought of Erica, she would be at risk, she could die, but there was no guarantee that she would. Could he really force this pregnancy onto her? Force her to live a life without him, but with two kids? And it would all be from some mistake he had made, one that she didn't even have a say in. And what about all the things he had wanted to do with her, the future he had finally begun to think about? Sure she was leaving but he was getting older too, maybe just maybe there was something waiting for them just over the horizon...

He thought about Eric. What would happen if she did die? He would be raised by his Grandma and Erica's parents, that would mean growing up the same way he had. Could he really force that onto his child or children if the other managed to survive the pregnancy and Erica did not? But could he end his life just as easily? Eric wasn't just some object that when bored with you could just cast aside. He was a real living person, and more than that he was his son. The whole reason Erica and him and even begun to realize their feelings for one another was because of Eric. His first words had been 'da-da', his son trusted him. How could he end the life of the infant that depended on him to keep him safe and warm at night? Eric had so much to life for so much he was supposed to do...

The last time he sacrificed his life without so much as a second thought, but now… now he was afraid. Now there was so much more to lose.

All the moments they had shared, Eric and Erica. How could he choose? Did he even have the right to sentence his son to death, all so he could live? Or could he die and force Erica into a life she might not even be happy with? He began to cry harder, it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

His life or theirs.

A/N: Wow, I was really mean to Benny in this chapter. But yeah this is what the entire story has been leading up to. This was the moment I planned out when i first started this story. (In fact this chapter was written way back when I started) Last time I gave Benny a way out, a way to cheat the rules. But not this time. This time things are set in stone. The last two chapters and the epilogue have been scripted and all that's left is the final touch up and we're good to go.

I'm sorry but someone is going to die. If you hate because I made this happen then I really am sorry but I warned you a few chapters ago that something like this was coming. And a shout out to the longest chapter of the story. Anyways I'll see you next week when the new chapter goes up. In the meantime don't forget to drop a review, I hope you'll stick around for the final two chapters.