EPOV:

I kissed her, and I'll admit not much thought went into it in the moment. All I knew was she smelled amazing, and I really wanted to know what she tasted like.

As it goes, she tasted like strawberries from her Daiquiris and vanilla from what I assumed was her lip-gloss. Between that and her heat, I was addicted right on the spot. She fought me, but it wouldn't be like Sookie if she didn't protest. If she really wanted me to let her go, she would have made it more than clear. Instead, she pushed once before her arms wrapped around my neck all on their own. She pulled me in for a deeper kiss, allowing me to push myself completely up against her. Her body was encased so tightly in that dress that it was like skin-on-skin contact when my hands landed on her hips. She moaned as our kiss got even more intense—I'd never gotten so hard from just a kiss before—having told her to kindly shut up, I ground into her a little harder up against the office door. The moan I received in return shot through me like a bolt of lightning.

But then it was over far too soon, and we were both standing there breathless and swollen—and I don't just mean her lips.

Pam walking into my office—without knocking as fucking usual—pissed me off. For one, it meant that diving in for that second kiss was out of the question, and since it was more than obvious that we'd been making out, I knew I was going to catch serious shit from her about this. All of that and she saw the fucking necklace. Being the designer whore she was, she knew where it was from right away, and since it didn't take a genius to add two and two together I knew she'd be ripping me for that as well.

Sookie was as white as a sheet once Pam left, taking to the mirror on the side way to attempt to fix her makeup, I didn't say anything, and neither did she. She just looked at me through the mirror with a very anxious look on her face.

"It was just a kiss right?" She said quietly. "I mean, we just… We just got caught up in the moment right? It didn't really mean…" There was fear in her eyes, something I wasn't used to seeing. And she was silently panicking, that much was obvious.

I could tell where she was going with this. I'd used the line myself a time or two 'It was just sex, right? It didn't mean anything serious, right?' Far be it from me to disappoint her.

"No, of course not. It was just … a kiss."

"And it didn't mean…?"

"It was just a kiss, Sookie. Like you said, a stupid caught of guard… slightly drunken, kiss." I laughed to hopefully dissolve the tension.

She nodded, letting out a large breath.

"Good. I mean not, good, but … you know? Like, it's good." She stammered. Reapplying her lipstick, before her fingers ran down the necklace and she smiled.

"I really do love this. You've got amazing taste."

"Pam's trained me well, I guess?"

"Well, I'll be sure to thank her too. Will I see you at home?"

"Yeah. I'm sure you will."

She nodded with a small smile, grabbing her purse that had fallen behind my office door in our rush to fuck up whatever small progress we'd manage to make.

Fuck.

So, I hid in my office for the remainder of the night. I couldn't face her; I could face her friends; and most of all, I couldn't face Pam. I really wasn't in the mood for a lecture or teasing, since really, Sookie had done enough teasing to last me the rest of the year. So instead of manning up, I sat nursing a serious case of blue balls while downing the last quarter of Jack from the bottle that lived under my desk.

I'd called a cab around two a.m. I figured Sookie would be home and long asleep by the time I got there, or at the very least, I hoped she would be.

Pam of course, couldn't resist getting a jibe in before I took my leave.

"You know, we will talk about this. It's serious, Eric."

"I'm leaving."

"You don't just buy Tiffany for any girl, Eric. I know you. And this? This is scary out of the norm behavior for you."

"Leaving." I waved, grabbing my jacket.

"Aren't you going to ask how my night went while you were hiding away in your office?"

"Fine. How'd tonight go, Pam?"

"Terrific! By the way, Sookie's little friend? Amelia?"

"Yeah?"

"Gay."

"She is not."

"Uh, yes, yes she is, and she's a huge fan of my boobs. I'm so glad you've hired her."

"She's not gay! Sookie's always saying how she's dating this guy and that guy…"

She just eyebrowed me.

"Fine, if you say so. I'm off. I'll call you tomorrow."

I got through the front door to be greeted with the sound of Lady Gaga coming from the kitchen as well as the laughter of more than a few people.

I poked my head in just to see, and was met with Lafayette's loud booming voice.

"Northman! Just in time. Come play with us."

He, Amelia, Sookie, and Tara were seated around the kitchen table. Shot glasses in front of them and various bottles of liquor sat in a semi-circle on the table.

"We're playing drinking games!" Amelia piped up. "Boss."

I noticed how guilty and fidgety Sookie looked, ignoring the fact that she looked sexy as hell with her heels off and her feet up on the empty chair next to her.

"No, guys look... He's tired and he probably—"

"I'll play." I said, shaking off my jacket and pulling out the chair next to Sookie—her feet then flopping to the floor.

"Yay! Okay, well we were in the middle of I Never. We're going to move onto Truth or Dare—Spin the Bottle soon though. I love that one." Amelia rambled on.

I wasn't paying much attention to her though, because my focus was solely on Sookie and how she was sitting in her seat—as if she was afraid any part of her would touch any part of me.

"Eric, why don't you go?" Tara added, handing me a empty shot glass that I poured a little Jack Daniels into.

"Okay, I have never… Worn women's underwear."

I didn't take a drink, but of course all the ladies had to, and not so shockingly, so did Lafayette.

"What? They're silky... I like." He justified.

Sookie was up next, though she was decidedly less chipper since I sat down.

"Uh, okay, I have never… had sex with a woman."

I took a shot, and shockingly Lafayette took a shot.

"What? I did it once. That's how I knew y'all were just not for me." Then he pointedly looked at me. "They be missing a thing I really like."

Tara burst out laughing at his fail of a drunken flirt. I just smiled. I'd been feeling pretty buzzed myself, two glasses of jack before I left the office and the shot were mixing together nicely.

After everyone had another turn at I Never, Ames announced that it was boring and Truth or Dare was much more fun.

She started when the empty bottle of wine pointed at Tara—her truth was how many guys she'd slept with. For the record it was a modest three. We ignored the drinking rules and continued to drink anyway as the bottle got spun.

Then Tara spun, and it landed on Sookie. Her truth was at what age she first gave head.

She was fifteen.

Jesus.

She looked suitably embarrassed when Lafayette ribbed her for being a 'little young' but she soon moved on.

Her spin landed on me, and for the first time since I sat down, she turned to look straight at me.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"How many women have you been with?"

Lafayette laughed and Tara sat forward in her seat a smidge.

"Be more specific."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, do you want slept with as in, spent the entire night with? Sex as in just intercourse, sex as in just oral once? Oral for her? Or just oral for me? Sex as in all of the above? "

I could see her breathing was speeding up; her chest was moving at a rapid pace and she was blushing. But not in that cute sweet way. Her eyes told me she was pissed.

Good.

"You know, I don't know, Eric. It's your call." She looked annoyed and took a shot.

"Fine. Spent the entire night? Eight. Intercourse only… nine. Just oral, four. All of the above in one night, six; and blow job? Five. Does that answer your question?"

She just quirked an eyebrow at me, clearly pissed that I went into so much detail in front of her friends, the blush in her cheeks getting deeper.

I heard a "damn," from Tara and "ohh," from Amelia. Laf was just smirking.

Sookie took another shot.

I gave the bottle a quick spin and it landed on Sookie.

I grinned an evil grin as I focused in on her.

"Truth or Dare, Sookie?"

"Truth I guess. I'm too tired to dare."

"Same question."

She smirked. "But Eric, you're going to have to be more specific." She sassed before she answered.

"Spent the whole night with, six. Intercourse only, six; oral on me, six; all of the above in one night, six; and blow job?"

I swear I felt my toes curl as she shot daggers at me. I'd imagine angry sex with her would be a treat.

"Six. And for the record, it was the same six guys, because when I have sex I like the full service. I don't half ass it like some people."

"Ouch." Came Lafayette's reply. I simply smiled at her drunken sarcasm, and her imitation of my voice—which by the way sounded nothing like me. I am not high-pitched.

A few more spins and Sookie excused herself to change. I was sad to see sex dress go away.

"So Eric, your gift to Sookie was beautiful. It looks so expensive."

"Uhh, thanks Tara. It was just a thing I saw that reminded me of her, that's all."

She nodded.

"Mmm, but Tiffany's? That's interesting."

Why was that interesting? Pam said that too.

"It's just a store."

"Oh, men." Amelia cracked up.

"Okay, who's spinning?"

Tara gave the bottle a whirl just as Sookie came into view in her pink checker Disney shorts and a white tank top that with the back lighting from the hallway, showed me that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Sweet Jesus.

Her scowl killed my would be sex fantasy of ripping her out of those shorts and fucking her over the staircase.

Tara spun, and it landed on me.

"Truth or dare, Eric?"

"Eh, dare."

Wrong choice.

"Okay, I dare you to kiss someone in this room for fifteen seconds."

They all, and I mean all looked at Sookie.

She just shifted from one foot to another awkwardly.

"And if I don't agree?"

"You chug the jar of green congealed shit in the fridge, naked, on one of the neighbours lawns."

That jar had been in there before Sookie and I moved in. No fucking way.

"Fine."

Tara gave a 'woo' and Lafayette told me to lay one on him, which I ignored. Tonight was a night of first kisses, but I didn't want to kiss a guy. It had never interested me, no matter how glittery his eyelashes where.

"Amelia, would you mind if kissed you, to please your friends?" I asked in the sweetest fake tone I could muster, letting her know that this wasn't that big of a deal.

Amelia was facing me, so her back was to Sookie. She looked back at Sookie as if for some kind of permission or silent girl code and then looked back at me. Sookie stood arms crossed and with a general look of annoyance on her face.

"Uh sure, I guess. I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't be the one I would have chosen but… wait, does that make sense?"

IT kind of did to me. So I made my move, laughing along with her at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Just so you know, I don't make it a habit of making out with my staff… Just … one or two." I admitted, though I'm pretty sure they all took it as a joke.

I kissed her, as ridiculous as it all was, but I didn't close my eyes. In fact, I didn't even look at Amelia. As Tara counted down the fifteen seconds painfully slowly, Amelia and I kissed—properly with tongue and everything—but my eyes and my focus was all on the woman standing behind us.

My eyes never left Sookie's. I saw a number of things in her face that night. Shock, annoyance, pain and frustration, all aimed at me.

But why? She wanted to brush off our amazing, and I mean amazing, kiss as if it was nothing. She wants Sam—the good, solid one. She thinks I'm a whore and an asshole, even though all I've tried to do is be someone that both she and Jessica could rely on and need. I do all that and more. I love being here; I never thought I would, but I do. My feelings for Sookie, while not as obviously cheesy as Sam's, I felt them, and to me they were very real.

But how could I tell her?

I saw that fear in her eyes when we kissed. It was the same fucking fear I felt. If we did this, it would be amazing for a few hours—the sex I could tell would be mind blowing, if only because we'd piss each other off enough to fuck the other through the mattress. But, what then?

If we broke up, if we really ended up hating each other, there was a little girl to consider. And I guess, right now she was more important to us than the other was. So, I'd bury my feelings for now. In fact, I'd be burying them balls deep in the next date I could line up.

If she didn't want me, there were plenty of other women who did.

SPOV:

I was panicking. I'd kissed Eric, and not just in-my-dreams kissed him. Like, real kissing with curling toes and quickened hearts.

Shit!

I wasn't meant to kiss him! He was Jessica's "daddy" now, and I was her "mom" and we were her parents. That's it! That's all we were meant to be. We'd become closer, yes that's true. But the attraction, it wasn't one either of us should have been acting on.

If we fucked this up, Child Protective Services would be on our ass for being … I don't know, whores, in charge of a baby.

Pam and her timing couldn't have been better. Had we lasted much longer, she'd have found us—I was sure—in a much more compromising position. Instead, I gave him the out that I was sure a guy in his position was looking for. He was attracted to me, that much was obvious, but this was Eric. Eric liked to date around; I wouldn't say whore around, but he did like to date. A lot. I would have just been a notch. And afterward the awkwardness would tear us apart.

No, it was better if we left it as just a moment of weakness. Thankfully, and as I expected he would, he agreed with me, that it was just a stupid fluke. I was emotional and a little buzzed, and he was … well… I assumed, horny.

That's all it was.

That's all it could ever be.

I made my excuses to him; I had fixed myself as best as I could but when I came face to face with my friends, it was painfully obvious that I was flustered as all hell.

"What did you get up to?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Eric and I were just talking." I answered Tara.

"Talking?"

"Yep. Oh and he gave me my birthday present."

"Oh, I'll bet he did. Was it big?" Lafayette teased.

"Excuse you. It was this actually." I lifted up my necklace to show them and they were all suitably impressed with Eric's taste just as I had been.

We'd taken a cab home to my place, and they made no signs of wanting to leave. They broke out the tequila and the drinking games began. I knew I'd be feeling like shit in a few hours for all the drinking I'd done, but I took my shots like a pro. If anything, it would attempt to remove the taste of Northman from my system.

Watching him kiss Amelia, knowing that it was for my soul benefit, was so obvious. The smirking, the eye contact. I thought that maybe he was making it known that he could do this, and that maybe our toe curling kiss wasn't that special after all? I don't know what his intentions where; all I knew is that it hurt like hell to see it happen. As soon as they stopped and Tara was laughing, Lafayette looked straight at me. Ames and Eric just started to rip the other one on their shitty kissing techniques. I simply excused myself and went upstairs.

I didn't care if they stayed over. I was tired and drunk and now just a feeling a little bit sorry for myself.

Lafayette came in not ten minutes later. "Hey, Ames is passed out on one couch, Tara on the other. I'm just going to crash in one of the spare rooms, that cool?"

"Of course." I smiled "Want to crash in here with me? I could use the company."

He slipped off his shoes and shirt and crawled in beside me.

"So Sookie, what's the deal with you and Viking?"

"Not now La, please?"

"But there is a deal?"

"No. I thought maybe… but no, there's just Jessica. That's all."

"A—"

I tried my best not to cry. I wouldn't not over something so stupid.

"G'night Lafayette."

He sighed, but dropped it.

"G'night Sook."

The night of my birthday was something I thought I'd never forget. I'd set out with the intention of making it memorable, but of course succeeded in making it memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Eric and I had a job to do, and that was raising that little girl. And that's what we did. After that night, it seemed he and I both decided that a more businesslike approach was needed to our parenting skills.

There was a schedule, and it was never ignored. In fact, we worked it out so well that for a whole month he and I didn't even have to talk to each other. We'd hired Maxine as her part-time babysitter on the days that both he and I had to be gone at the same time. His business was booming according to Ames, who just adored working for him and Pam. The Crown on the other hand was sinking and it didn't matter what I did because Sophie just went and undid it. I'd reached the end of my rope with her.

Before I knew it, it was the end of September. The summer of upheaval had ended and we'd made it safely to another season. Jessica was thriving; she'd gone from one or two words such as her little "hi" to "juice," and of course her favourite, "no." For almost a whole week everything was answered with a hearty "no." It took us both asking her double negatives to get her to agree to something. "So you don't, don't want a bath?"

"No."

"Awesome."

But she had gone from those little words to full sentences and it was an awesome thing to witness. "I goes now," and her favorite for when I'd leave for work in the morning, "bye, bye nows."

She had yet to address me, even as Sookie. She just wouldn't say it. I was still just 'uhh.' Do you know how emotionally draining it was for your little girl to pass you over, in favor of "spoon" and "cookie?" I mean hell, Cookie and Sookie were practically the same word, and yet—nothing. Eric, on the other hand, had several names. First, he was Da-ric, then he was Wic, and then she just settled on Dadda. I knew it affected him. The first few times I'd seen her say it to him, he'd freeze. I knew how hard it must have been for him. We both questioned what she should call us—technically we were her parents now—but in both our minds, that title still belonged to Alcide.

She wasn't walking. In fact, she seemed pretty set against getting on her feet. I mean, why should she? Eric liked to carry her just about everywhere they went, and she was more than attached to his view of the world from way up there. She'd tried a few times, but each time she'd stand, she'd fall back on her little butt again, and laugh to herself before crawling off. Like the talking thing, I decided that worrying about it was pointless. She'd walk when she was damn well ready.

Eric decided that he'd start dating again, and by 'dating' I mean going out on a Friday night and coming back Saturday morning to do his walk of shame. Except for Eric, there was no shame. While his usual joie de vivre was missing, he didn't let it stop him.

Sam and I, we continued to see each other and even took the relationship to that next crucial level. The dates were always sweet and thoughtful. Even silly things like going to the park with the baby and a picnic he seemed to enjoy. Being with him, it was simple and so easy and just so chilled out. There was no drama or tension, no arguments or fights.

It was the exact opposite to what I was used to, living with Eric. I needed him in my life and even though Sam and I were a mismatch in so many ways, I really wanted to make things work between us. I tried my hardest to love him as much as I liked him, and yet something was missing. Everything was chugging along, admittedly not as smoothly where Eric was concerned, but Jessica and work where my main focus, and Sam came after that. He knew where he stood and he was fine with it, because I also knew how much he loved his job and exactly what it demanded of him. It wasn't until Bill showed up at my doorstep one rainy Friday that it clicked within me why I was clinging to my relationship with Sam so tightly.

*Shuffles nervously* Okay all I ask is for you to breaaaaaaathe, and please don't hate Sookie. I have a plan I promise. Say it with me, plot development. :D If you don't hate me that much, hit the review button like a sweetie! Big thank you to vikinglover_elle for her beta'ing skills and making this baby all pretty :D