EPOV:

"Sure, Stackhouse. What do you wanna know?"

"How about we do this the old-fashioned way? Twenty Questions..." She smiled, taking a bite of her chicken spring roll.

"Sure. You start?"

She nodded wiping her hands on her napkin.

"Okay… Favorite holiday?"

"Easy, Christmas. I like giving presents."

"So you're a giver, huh?" she snorted. I swear, she actually snorted. "Sorry, nervous humor. That's good, Christmas is mine too. I mean, Halloween is great but after the age of fourteen, it sucks."

I nodded.

"Yep, no free candy." I was serious, Halloween was useless without candy, it's why my parties at the bar always had free flowing alcohol - but also free flowing candy bowls too . I was a man who liked his sugar. I didn't gain weight easily, my lanky frame in need of serious help to keep me filled out. Pam hated that about me. She insisted that women had to work three times as hard as men to stay slim and that if she inhaled air she'd gained weight.

With Sookie, and our little game I went next, and figured I'd start out as easy as she did. But not before I took a bottle of wine from the wine rack attached to the kitchen island and poured us both a glass.

"Favorite comfort food?"

"Of all the food in all the world? That's a toughie!" she smiled as she thought. "It would have to be French fries and a strawberry milkshake. Not very classy I know, but it's yummy."

That was good, it was simple.

"Strawberry ice-cream, no matter how cold it is. Has to be Haagen-Dazs though."

She nodded along.

"How old where you when you lost your virginity?" she asked, poking at her rice.

"Oh, so we're going that route are we?" I smirked and she just shrugged it off.

"Fine, I was eighteen."

Her eyes widened.

"Don't look so stunned!"

"No, I … really? I mean, that's kind of …"

"Late for a guy? Yeah, so I'd heard. I don't know. I wasn't very social when I was in high school. I mostly concentrated on sports and my grades."

"And girls didn't throw themselves at you?"

I laughed. They definitely did not.

"I didn't always look like this. I had really weird hair, my nose was too big for my face—it was the 1990's if that explains the fashion—and I was the awkward lanky kid from Sweden for a long while."

"Awe. You wittle nerd." she fake sympathized, patting me on the arm.

"It's not funny, kids are mean to foreigners!"

She burst out laughing at my high pitched admission before sipping her wine.

"I was fifteen."

"Tramp," I said sarcastically, earning a punch in the arm.

"Hey, shut up! I was stupid and I thought I loved him and all that jazz. He was older and I guess my head was turned by the attention? I don't know. It wasn't very memorable that's for sure."

I cringed. "Mine either. She was older too… way older."

"How much older?"

"I don't know, like forty."

"FORTY? Oh my God, Eric? Who the hell was she—a friend of your mom's or something?"

I looked guilty.

"Oh my God, she was wasn't she?"

"Not really a friend, more like a casual acquaintance."

Her eyes went wide.

"It was at our holiday party that year. I'd just turned eighteen and I was feeling shit about being a legal virgin… and I don't know, she was nice to me… and you know had that whole cougar thing working for her. But God it was awkward. I was terrified and I came so … It just wasn't great."

She was still chuckling to herself by the time it was my turn.

"Favorite childhood memory?"

She smiled. I was glad I brought us back to a more casual topic.

"I don't really remember my parents, but there is this one time, I was about five and we were baking with my Gran—pies, cookies, bread, the whole nine. I wound up covered in flour and all sticky, but no one cared because I was learning to bake with my Gran and mom and it was fun. Now, anytime I bake, it reminds me of my mom's laugh. I don't really remember her voice but I remember her laugh. Is that weird?"

"No, not at all. It's great that you have that to hold onto, though."

"Yeah, I guess it is. I mean, I'd like to think that we can start doing that for Jessica. You know, building memories that she'll hold on to. Good ones."

I nodded. I hadn't really thought about it, but she was right.

"This one time my dad and I went fishing, which in Stockholm isn't that rare, but he was a busy guy so for us it was treat. We drove out into the country and had a picnic—it was Lunchables and a flask of tea, but it worked. Anyway, we fished for hours and he would tell me about how his dad did it with him and how much he loved the water. We didn't catch anything but on the way home we stopped off at this fish market and bought this huge salmon. We totally lied to my mom but she was so pleased. She probably knew we were lying but she never said. It was a delicious fish, too."

She smiled wide. "That's so sweet."

"What is your tattoo of?"

She blushed.

"I swear you're obsessed."

"Show me a straight guy who wouldn't be…"

"It's…God, I hate you for this. It's just a stupid thing that I did to piss off Quinn."

"Quinn being the virginity stealing douche of a boyfriend?"

She nodded.

"It's lips, okay? Two little pink lipstick looking lips, like a kiss mark."

Kinky.

"And why…?"

She cringed her face into her hands. "We'd had an argument. He was fine with me going down on him, but he wouldn't do the same. And I was curious about it an all. So to piss him off, I got it done. My argument was if he wasn't going to, I'd need someone's lips there," she said deadpan and it make me laugh out loud.

"Nice move."

"It was. He was so jealous that things improved rapidly after that," she said smugly.

"Have you ever been in love?" she asked me.

"Once."

"Elaborate."

"Do I have to?" I gave her my fakest whine in the hopes she'd let me off.

"Yes," she said, giving me her last spring roll.

I sighed, suddenly hating this game.

"I was nineteen and in college; her name was Anya. She was an exchange student from Stockholm. She reminded me of home, I guess? We dated for a little over a year and then—" I coughed, I hadn't thought about Anya in a long while. "I found her in bed with her Ethics professor. How's that for irony."

"Bitch."

"Pretty much. I was a dork in love and she … was apparently fucking half the faculty."

"Jesus, I'm sorry, Eric."

"For a long time I hated her, you know? But that was a long time ago."

"And no one since her?"

She looked at me, those big blue eyes so full of curiosity and sympathy. I could love her; I could love her a lot, I realized.

Instead of telling her what was floating in my brain I looked away.

"No." I picked at my food a little more. "My turn."

She smiled again. God, I loved her smile. "Make it a good one!"

"Okay. What do you think of me, honestly?"

Her eyes went wide.

"That's a dangerous question, Northman."

"It is and depending on your answer, it could be explosive."

Instead of ignoring me, she simple set down her fork and turned to face me.

"Honestly, huh?"

I nodded.

"Well let's see. On first impressions you come across as … a douche."

"Thank you."

"But there's a lot more to you. I mean, we all have our douche-y moments, right? Um... you're tall."

"No, really?"

"Shut up and let me finish!" She rolled her eyes.

"You're tall, and … well you're… you know, hot." She looked away when she said that. "You have nice eyes and a cute butt." She coughed a little with a sound of 'a-hem' before looking at me again. "And you're a good dad to Jessica. You have a goofy side that I think you need to let loose more often, and you're fair. If your employees are anything to go by, you're an awesome boss."

"Did Amelia say that?" I smiled.

"Shush. You … you're patient—with me, with Jess, with Pam too, I'm guessing. That's a good quality to have. Oh, and you make nice pancakes." She grinned looking at the floor.

"Wow, that was a lot of compliments, coming from you. Be careful, my head might explode."

"Okay, shut up. Moving on..."

"Hey, don't you want to know what I think about you?" I poked her in the side.

She sighed dramatically before taking a sip of her wine. "Do I really? I don't know. If it's just going to be 'stupid bitch' then I think I'm good not knowing."

"You're not stupid, and you're not a bitch … most of the time."

She glared at me for awhile. I could see her thinking it over.

"Fine, tell me."

"On first impressions you can come across as a bit of a closed off champagne stealing nightmare."

She grinned wide at my reference to our first date.

"Thank you."

"You're short. But I like short girls." I repeated her way of speaking. "And well… you know, you're hot. You have nice eyes—real nice eyes—and a seriously hot ass." She was blushing but she recognized that I was copying her pattern of compliments—they were all true.

"You're a good mom, but you need to relax and you could be a great mom. You have a goofy side that I think—"

"Okay, I see what you're doing here. Nice," she smirked, sipping her wine.

"Well, what do you know, Sook, we have shit in common after all! Has hell frozen over?"

Our game of twenty questions was productive. I learned she'd wanted to be a fairy when she was little because she really wanted to fly. She learned that I wanted to be Batman, for the obvious extremely cool bat cave reasoning. She liked country music because it reminded her of her grandmother, and she hated peas. I held off on asking her what I was curious about, what exactly Bill had meant when he called her those things. Was it purely out of anger and spite, or was there something deeper behind his words? I wanted to know, but I was sure that the timing wasn't right at all for me to bring that up again. She and I were making progress. I didn't want to fuck that up by messing with her emotions again. Instead, I took what I could get, and what I got was to know her just a tiny bit better than before.

SPOV:

"She's peeing!" I yelled.

"She's in water how do you know she's peeing!" he poked his head around the door.

"Pee face!" I pulled her from the tub to hold her over the toilet.

"Sookie, does it really matter? She's a baby."

"It's gross."

"But it's baby pee."

I scrunched up my face. How did he not get this?

"Yeah, pee being the key word. No, it's just icky. And do we want her to grow up being one of those people who pee in the shower? No, we don't."

He just shook his head at me. Eric and I had been making leaps and bounds with our whole 'friendship' thing. We'd been talking a lot more, and he'd even started opening up to me about his family—especially when it came to funny stories about his granddad.

Niall was someone I was looking forward to meeting, even if Eric refused to call him. I still couldn't get it out of him why he wasn't on full speaking terms with his family, but then he'd remind me that Jason hadn't stopped by since we 'took over' either, and I couldn't really argue with him. Jason just didn't care, and who was I to force the issue?

"Okay here." I handed him the towel covered baby. I was a soaking mess since Miss Jessica decided that 'Row your Boat' meant splashing the living crap out of me as I tried to wash her. "Take her, I'm going to find a dry top."

"Why? This one is already very fetching." He looked straight at my boobs and smiled, it wasn't until I glanced in the mirror that I realized the water had made both my top and my bra see through.

Jesus!

"Pervert," I called to the next room, but all I got was a boisterous laugh in return.

"Can I use your treadmill?"

"Sure. You know, you don't have to ask. I mean, it's here for both of us," he answered as I made my way to Jess's room.

"Thanks."

"Though, Sookie, I can think of a number of better and much more fun ways of getting your heart rate up and making you sweat." He wriggled his brows at me.

"Seriously? How have you not been slapped repeatedly by women before, really."

"Because, woman… most women, love me."

"Uh huh."

"This one loves me." He pointed to the partly powdered baby laying naked as anything flapping her arms and legs at him with her pacifier in her mouth.

"You love me don't you, Jess? Yes you do." He grinned. "More than Sookie because at least I have a name." He eyed me sideways. Sarcastic bastard. I threw a towel at him.

"I'm just kidding. Maybe it's because your name is so weird she's like, refusing to use it," he sassed.

"I have heavier things than a towel nearby." I shouted as I left the room.

An hour later I was worked out as much as I could. My legs hurt, my stomach hurt, my lungs hated me. But that was a good sign. I never liked my workouts unless they caused a tiny bit of pain. What was the point otherwise?

I'd just rinsed out my hair in the shower when I heard him.

"SOOKIE! QUICK!" I heard his voice through the door.

"What?" I yelled from inside the shower.

"COME HERE, NOW!"

He sounded freaked.

"IS SHE ILL?"

"NO, I THINK SHE'S GOING TO WALK!"

NOW? Really? Damn she could pick her moments.

"Gimme a second!"

"IF SHE DOES IT YOU'RE GONNA MISS IT!"

"Video. Blackberry." I shouted trying to rinse my hair faster to stop it from dripping as I reached for a big towel.

"I think she's doing it!"

"STALL HER!"

"Stall… how?"

"Distract her!" Stupid freaking towel wouldn't wrap right! By the time I almost fell into his room clutching my towel around me, she was crying.

"What did you do?"

"I … distracted her." He looked guilty.

"By doing what?

"Ipushedherbackdownagain," he looked like he might be sick.

She was looked so confused, her face red from sobbing.

"She landed on the pillows and it's not like I wrestled her to the ground! It was a little push!"

"That probably has her traumatized! Aw honey." I picked her up for a cuddle and she continued to side eye Eric like a pro. She wasn't calming down for no one, and I was dripping all over Eric's floor since my hair was towel-less.

"Sugar! Here take her and try and get her back to normal." But as I handed her to Eric, Jessica decided she was too attached to my towel and yanked it along with her.

Leaving me standing naked in front of them both.

It must have only been for a millisecond before I snatched it off the ground, but the look on Eric's face combined with Jessica's sudden giggling fit, I didn't know where to look first.

Eric's mouth was suddenly agape, and Jessica's tears were replaced by a constant stream of giggles.

"Oh my, God." I blushed. "I … I …"

"Bathroom?" Eric offered, pointing as I made sure the towel was secure around me. I turned and all but ran from the room.

"Hey, Sookie?"

"What?" I answered, red-faced from behind the bathroom door.

"Nice lips."

I cringed. I wanted to die. I swear that kid had it out for me!

"This one?" He asked. Pointing to one box. It was wrong.

"No, I think she's a size bigger now." He threw the giant diaper box into the cart. He looked around for a second seeing what aisle we were in. "I'll be right back."

"Eric…? He's insane, we've covered that right?" I said to Jessica who was chewing on her pretzel, half of which was now soggy and falling to pieces.

About ten minutes later Eric reappeared with a box in his hands.

"What's that?"

"Oh this? A camera. I figured after our talk the other week that we really should be saving stuff for Jessica. You know, that's not just on our phones. So I bought this. It does pretty much everything and there's a tripod."

"Oh, that's kind of cool actually."

He nodded.

"Yeah, and if it doesn't get used for the baby, I could use it."

"For?"

"My extensive sex tape collection," he said loudly. Of course, it's as we pass one of the most posh looking old lady's in the store. She judged us accordingly.

"I'm kidding!" he held his hands up. "No one needs to see themselves have sex. I mean, unless you're like a socialite or whatever.

I looked at him, 'What the fuck?' written all over my face.

"I'm at home during the day. Jessica likes E!"

"Jessica does or you do."

"No comment. Oh, do we need this?" He held up a giant bottle of vodka.

"Why?"

"Well, Halloween is in like two weeks right? Are you planning anything?"

"You been talking to Amelia?"

"Maybe," he smiled.

"Yeah, ok so, Halloween used to be our thing. We'd throw a huge party and dress up and … well, it was fun."

"But not this year?"

"I don't know Eric. Things are so different this year. What would we do with Jess?"

"Get Maxine to baby sit or something? I mean, we're doing a Dress Up Weekend at the bar, but Sunday night is free. It could be fun to have a party in the house. We haven't really had people over."

"True… I don't know. Maybe we should think about it?"

"Well, you have maybe a week before we'd need to tell people, right?"

I nodded. Maybe a party was a good idea after all; it could help us all to cut loose. I know that work had me wound tighter than a drum, and Jessica was testing my last nerve lately since she seemed to hate being alone with me… Maybe I did need some grown up time, to relax.

"No, you know what? You're right. I think that's just what we need. Some nice, good, clean fun."

"Good clean fun?"

"You know, with like fake blood and guts and ghosts. Obviously." She waved a hand in front of herself for effect.

"Riiight, obviously. Good clean, effed up fun." He abbreviated with a smile for Jessica's sake.

Oh God, we had no idea how fucked the fun would be. Literally.

A/N: Short, but sweet right? Thank you all so so sooo much (really I can't tell you) for all the reviews on the last chappy and all the well wishes - I'm a tad better but still miserable and housebound but I'm dealing. Writing is a nice distraction from the coughing and the lack of sleep though lol. What did we think of this? I hope it wasn't too short? I needed to end it there, but in the next one lots more progress! ;) Halloween is coming *cough*