SPOV:

Two days before Halloween and everything was—for the lack of a better term—up shit creek without a paddle.

Work was a complete nightmare. Sophie was back in town and undoing all my previously worked out damage control. I'd realized that my time working for her, and for The Crown, was coming very close to its end. I could handle a lot of things in my life, but Sophie and her bitch fits was not one of them. For years I'd worked 'with' her, but with her usually being three thousand miles away, on the other end of the Internet or the phone. That, I could deal with, no problem. But no more. I was weighing my options and as much as I loved our little team, it was dwindling fast, no thanks to her.

I was working from home that day. Eric was making himself scarce enjoying one of his free days and I can't say I blame him. Jessica was hard work, no doubt about it. He'd called me from the city. Apparently, he was shopping for his Halloween costume, wanting to forgo Pam getting it again this year since last year he'd ended up head-to-toe in leather as one very disgruntled Village Person…People? Village person people? Well, whatever he was, that's what he said. Pam had promised she'd dig out the photos for me to see and shame him.

I'd just finished up Jessica's lunch, and we'd both somehow ended up covered in pieces of her potatoes and vegetables. Of course her chicken was eaten, but the rest ended up on my top.

I wiped up the best I could before the phone rang, letting Jessica crawl around the living room on her play mat while I did so.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Stepping Stones Playgroup. Is this Hadley Herveaux?"

"Uh—"

"Mrs. Herveaux, this is Anita Bleaker. We spoke back in January when you enrolled little Jessica into our program. Well, I'd like to tell you our records indicate that not only is she now of age to join, but we have a space available if you're still interested?"

I fought back the sneaky tears I felt behind my eyes before I interrupted the very chatty Ms. Bleaker.

"Sorry, this isn't Hadley. Hadley died a few months ago."

"Oh. Oh, well, I'm terribly sorry. Oh." She sounded rightly embarrassed. Though not her fault, her little mistake had dredged up all those memories and feelings in the blink of an eye.

"Who is this?"

"I'm sorry, this is Sookie Stackhouse. I'm her cousin and Jessica's legal guardian."

"I see. Well, Mrs. Stackhouse…"

"Miss."

"I'm sorry, Miss. If you'd like to keep Jessica's place it's entirely up to you. If you'd like to come down and maybe take a look at the place, get a feel for it. If it helps, your cousin loved the place and was very adamant that her little girl get in."

That sounded like Hadley. I felt my throat threatening to force my voice to crack on me. As much as I didn't want to cry, I knew the tears would come.

"I'd like that, thank you. Her … well, her other guardian and I should make an appointment, whenever suits you?"

"That's wonderful Miss—"

"Sookie's fine."

"Sookie, how's next week?"

I told her next week would be wonderful, that we'd ring to confirm, and just as I hung up the tears began to flow. Phone still in my hand, I slid down the wall letting my tears get the better of me. I shouldn't be here, Hadley should. She should be the one taking her baby to day care, preschool, watching her grow up and be there for her. Not me.

Those thoughts crept through my head over and over as I struggled to get a hold of myself. Just then Jessica waddled over to me, looking ever so confused and concerned and she flew into my arms with a stumble.

"Mam-mam?" she asked.

I blinked.

And just to be sure, I blinked again.

"What did you say?" I asked holding onto her.

"Mum-mam," she mixed up the words.

"Mama?" I asked and she said it again this time looking at me, with those curious big eyes of hers.

"Mam-mam."

If I thought I was emotional before, I was ten times worse afterward.

"BABY!" I laughed through my tears, "Did you just call me mama? That's right baby… I'm your mama," I admitted to her, and more than that, I admitted to myself.

Hadley and Alcide were gone, Jessica was still here, and she needed her mama. I was her mama, and she seemed to think so too.

"Jessica! You just walked!" I snapped out of my melancholy mood instantly and realized what she'd done. "Oh, honey! We haven't broken you! You can walk!" I said, snatching her up into the air as she just laughed at me. "Oh my goodness, you are such a good girl! Who's a good girl!"

As soon as the words left my mouth, Eric walked through the door, bags in hand.

"Oh my God, Eric!" I said excitedly.

"What? What's wrong?"

"No! Nothing... Jessica is such a big girl!"

"Oh God, did she poo in the bath again?"

"No! She walked! She took actual steps not holding onto anything!"

He smiled, and it got wider as she held her arms out for him to take her.

"You did? You walked! I didn't break you!"

"I know, right? That's what I was thinking!" We were both smiling, beaming, really.

"I'm sorry I missed it," he said, his smile faltering slightly.

"Me too," I sympathized before I remembered, "Guess what else she did?"

"What?" He smiled back at me as he walked ahead into the kitchen, letting Jessica down to crawl and maybe attempt more steps. I was practically bouncing next to him.

"She called me mama! Well, she called me mam-mum, but I got her point! Eric, she actually likes me!" I said excitedly bouncing.

He just laughed. "Well, Sookie I'm happy for you, really. It's been a while comin'," he said hugging me as I hugged him back just as tightly. He looked at me as we slowly pulled apart and I had to fight the urge to give in to the shiver that ran down my spine. And I could have sworn he smelled my hair.

"So!" I pulled myself out of it, "What's the costume?"

"Nope, not telling you," he said as he went to the fridge and I attempted to peek in the bag.

"Come on, Eric!"

"No. Though, you can see Jessica's."

"You got Jessica a costume?"

"Yeah. She likes to watch it so who knows, she might like to wear it? If she doesn't, it's no big deal."

I pulled out the little black costume. It was Count Von Count from Sesame Street—little black cape, pink ears and little felt stick on teeth that we both knew she wouldn't allow. Basically, the kid would look like a gay Vulcan.

"Interesting."

"She likes him. Plus, I think she'd make a cute baby vampire," he mused. "What's your costume?"

"What I don't get to see yours but you want to see mine?"

"I'd always like to see yours," he said suggestively.

"You're evil."

"No, just a man."

"An evil man," I sassed.

He rolled his eyes.

"So, uh, is Sam coming to the party? Oh God, you aren't doing that matching match-y thing are you? That's so lame."

He tried to make it sound casual, I'll give him that.

"No, he isn't and no, we'd never do that."

"Oh. Why?"

"Well, like you said, it's lame."

"No… why's he not coming?"

"Oh, right. He has a medical conference in Chicago so… he's not going to be able to make it."

"Oh. Didn't he have a conference on your birthday, too?"

"Yes, so?"

"No, nothing. I was just… it's just a little odd."

"It's not odd, Eric. He is a doctor and he does teach too, you know?"

"Yeah, once every few months when the real lecturer is out," he mumbled.

"I heard that."

"Well, I said it loud."

"Eric…God, I really thought you'd gotten over your imaginary issues with Sam."

"I have."

"Uh huh."

"No, really. It's fine if you're happy, then that's … fine. How are things with you and—"

"Sam."

"Sam, though I still call him Doctor Douche in my head, just so you know." He grinned.

"I thought you might. Things are good."

"Still as 'nice' as ever, I assume."

"What's wrong with nice? You've met Bill. Can't you see why 'nice' is a necessity for me right now?"

He nodded, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and taking a sizable bite.

"I can see why. I mean, after that bastard, I'm shocked you didn't like … turn to lesbianism or something." I smiled, thankful we'd both not heard from Bill since and he was able to joke about it now, having walked on eggshells around me for days. "But, I don't know, he's not the only nice guy out there, Sook. Maybe find one you have actual chemistry with. Or you know, actual things in common with, for example."

"Eric, I swear you and I have this discussion a lot… And for the record, Sam and I do have things in common."

He quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Such as?"

"We…" And I'll admit it was a slight struggle to think of something. I hated how easily Eric could bait me. "We both like trying new restaurants for fun; we both like the countryside in summertime; we're big fans of Stephen King novels and we both flip to the back to see how they end first. And we both—"

"Okay, as riveting as this is Sookie, you're describing things you and a million other people have in common. It's not really helping your cause."

"Well, neither is you being nosy and not minding your own business."

He just rolled his eyes, again.

"You know, one of these days your eyes are going to roll right out of your sockets."

"Yours too," he sassed.

Ugh... God, I hated when we got into a bantering match. It really was exhausting.

"Anyway, I have to get Jessica ready."

"Why?"

"I'm meeting Sam for an early dinner and all she ate at lunch were her tiny pieces of chicken. She'll need something else soon, so I figured I'd take her with me."

"Oh? Well, I'm here now, so if you want to just leave her with me. I could make her … us, something. I'm actually pretty hungry."

"It's why girls stop to have coffee or eat during our shopping trips. It's hungry work."

"Okay, Joan Rivers."

"Seriously, Eric. A little less E!, okay?"

He looked bashful before hiding behind his 'searching the fridge' routine.

I picked Jessica up and sat her on the island where she promptly started grabbing at the grapes in the fruit bowl.

"You sure? I mean, I know it's early but he's on call so…"

"Yeah, it's fine. We have fun don't we, Jessica? She's being schooled in the art of ninja warfare and also knife throwing. We really have a blast."

I glared at him.

"You know I'm kidding," he said, picking her up as we walked through to the living room. "We start with darts, then knives."

"Funny," I deadpanned.

"Sook, go. Have dinner with Doctor Boring, Jessica and I will be fine. We have a date with Elmo soon anyway."

I ran upstairs and changed into a less messy dress and low heels. It was just a casual dinner. Since we hadn't see each other in a week, we decided to touch base a little bit. Talking on the phone was great and all, but wasn't ideal. He'd been super busy at work too, just like I had. His secretary was on maternity leave and the new girl was a mess. Apparently, he'd spent the better part of the week undoing all her mistakes. I felt his pain, considering who I was working with, and I use the term 'working' very loosely, since all Sophie tended to do was ruin everyone else's work.

We greeted each other with a quick peck on the cheek and we got right into conversation. It was obvious he was tired and overworked. That, and there was an illness that spread among the grade school that week that had left almost an entire class of second graders sick and popping into the neighborhood pediatrician. Since the area was so small, it meant it was just Sam. It was a choice between him and the ER, and apparently most parents had chosen him. He was in need of some serious sleep.

"I'm sorry to be missing the party. It sounds like you guys will have a blast though."

"Yeah, it's great you know. Just getting together and dressing up, acting a fool. I mean, for Amelia this is pretty much an everyday occurrence but… for the rest of us…." I laughed causing him to laugh too. "I am sorry you're missing it. I mean, we already missed my birthday and it might have been nice if we could have done this together..."

Stupid Eric planting his stupid thoughts in my stupid head.

"Sookie, I told you it's been on the cards for weeks. I totally forgot about it being Halloween, and with us being grown ups, I didn't really think it would be a holiday we'd be fighting over."

"You think it's juvenile?"

"A little. I mean, come on, we're not kids. We're not in high school anymore. It's a little … odd."

"Lots of people party on Halloween. It's fun."

"I'm sure it is, and I am sorry I won't get to see you in your costume." He smiled. "But really, I can't cancel."

"I get it, I do, I just… we're both so busy. It seems like work is all we do."

"So quit and come with me? We can make a weekend of it," he suggested with a grin as we waited on our food.

"I can't just quit, and besides, I have Jessica to worry about now and can't just up and leave. Are you really sure you can't just skip it?"

He sighed and yes, I knew I was pushing it. But it had really irked me a little and I wanted to see why he'd be so unwilling to even want to have fun with me, and to finally meet my friends.

"Sookie, you know I can't. There are a lot of important people there that help my career, as well as the practice. It's just too important to skip for some silly party. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," I reasoned. "It's just Eric and I were talking before and well, he pointed out—"

"Eric..." he sighed again, this time more weary. "Of course."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's just … Sook, I'd like us to have one date, one conversation even, that didn't involve Eric Northman."

"He's a huge part of my life now, Sam. Did you forget he's like my partner? I can't just omit him from my life—"

"Partner? Interesting choice of words." He smirked but it was tinged with bitterness.

"Meaning?"

"You know what I mean."

"And YOU know what I mean. He's my partner in raising Jessica."

"And that's what you meant?"

"What else would I mean?" I countered her his shoddily veiled accusation.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Cut the passive-aggressive bullshit, Sam. Say what you want to say."

He put down his knife and fork and spoke evenly.

"I just… I'm sick of it. I'm sick of him and his attitude and I'm sick of hearing about him, every day. I'm not dating him, Sookie, I'm dating you. And yeah, I get that he's a big part of your life, but he's not a part of mine."

"I see," I said clipped.

"Look, don't get mad at me okay? I'm just being honest."

"He's been nicer to you. Well, he's been trying at least." I argued, and for Eric, I mean, it really was an improvement.

"Right, and why's that? So he can impress you, because we both know what he really wants."

Oh, no he did not just go there.

"And what exactly would that be? Oh wait, I know... Me, right? Or just sex, with me!"

"Sookie."

"No! Say it, Sam. Just say it. I'd like to know what you really think of this situation!" I was getting more pissed off at him by the second.

"Fine. I think it's unhealthy. I think you two are playing this little game of happy family and ultimately it's going to blow up in your faces."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. You two argue constantly; there's always some problem or something that needs fixing; he's out every weekend, with God knows who, to then come back to you and the kid; and you're coming to me and we're in this relationship but it's not just you and me. It's you, me, and Eric. Because it seems he matters more to you—his opinions, his ideas, his dealings with Jessica everyday—it all matters more to you than actually being in the present and spending quality time with me. You're here in body, Sookie, but you're mind is elsewhere. Your mind is with him. And... I'm sick of it."

"You're sick of it? It's my life, it's part of the package, Sam. Jessica, not 'the kid'—she's not a goat—is my package now, and you know what? Eric is her dad now and he's in my life. He's helping me live this life and I thought you were, too. It took some adjusting, yes, but we're in this together and I thought you were part of the team. Now you mean that it's what? Been bothering you for how long? Are you sick of it, Sam, or sick of me, because I'd really like to know? Maybe save us both from wasting anymore time here."

"Look, don't be like that. You asked me to tell you what I was thinking and this is what I'm thinking. I'm sorry if you think I mean I'm sick of you because I'm not. Sook, I love where this relationship is at and maybe where we're going. I don't want to change that, I just want our relationship to be about US for a change."

"Are you serious right now?"

"Look Sookie, I don't want to fight about this, okay?"

"Well, tough, we are fighting about this. You want to be an 'us' yet every time I've asked you, you don't want to meet my friends or hang out with us. You don't want to try and smooth things over with Eric, and you don't want to attend my 'juvenile' Halloween party. It's a little hypocritical don't you think?" I was fuming.

"No, I don't. What I do is work. This is your personal life—changes can be made."

Oh that was it.

"Right, sure. Change one, we're done here."

"Sookie, you're overreacting."

"Maybe I am, but how the hell did you expect me to act. You just expect me to change my personal life to suit your work life? I don't think so, Sam Merlotte."

"I'm not saying everything has to change. I love little Jessica, you know that. I just meant… less of Eric."

And wouldn't you know it, his ring tone went off! I had given him 'Single Ladies' as a private joke, which not even Eric knew about, but it made me smile.

Sam just rolled his eyes.

"I have to get this."

"Of course you do." He went back to eating.

"Hello?" I asked, turning to the side to avoid Sam's gaze.

"Hey, listen I can't find her diapers and a we have a bit of a situation over here… did you move them?"

"Yeah, when I was cleaning. They're in the fourth drawer of her little dresser—more fit in there; it makes more sense."

"Oh." I heard him juggling the phone with what I assumed was Jessica in his other hand. "Cool. Date going well?"

"Not really," I sighed, knowing Sam wouldn't have heard his question.

"Bad time?"

"Something like that. Look is that everything?"

"Uh, yeah, you sound stressed. Is he being a dick? Want me to kick his ass? Please say yes." I could hear him grinning and I fought a smile.

"Bye, Eric." I disconnected. "Diaper emergency."

He nodded.

I sighed. I was beyond frustrated with the entire thing. I really needed to unwind and just forget all my damn problems.

"Sam. I think you and I need to take a few steps back."

"Sookie, I'm sorry. Look, this was a stupid fight and it's not even worth the breath arguing about it. I'll get over it, deal with it, whatever."

"No. I just, you had valid points, but so did I. And it seems you're back peddling now, when before, neither of us was willing to change. That's an issue. I think we need to take some time and think about where things are going."

"Sookie, don't be like this, please? We can work it out."

"Maybe we can but for right now, I need to think and breathe, and I can't do that here."

"So that's it? Just like that, we're done?"

Was it fair just to give up so quickly because I didn't like a few of his opinions? I wasn't sure.

"No. We're not done, not yet anyway... But if we're going to be together Sam, we're going to have to find a place for one other in each other's lives … and to do that, I think we need a break. Just for a little while, till we're both on the same page about what we want."

"I know what I want. I want you."

But did I want him? I think deep down I knew the answer. I was just scared to dig at it.

"Well for right now, I'm not sure what I want."

Having gone to Tara's for a little female bitching, as well as some moral support and a side of party planning, I got home that night to find Jessica still up. It was past ten thirty, and it surprised me since Eric was such a pro at getting her to sleep before nine. I heard him talking to her in the den as I stood by the door.

"Now, just so you know, I'm sure Cinderella was great girl and all, but that whole happily ever after thing? Total myth. I mean, Charming seems like a lovely two dimensional little guy, but you know they barely know each other and they're off getting married? Promise me you won't do that; meet some random guy—royal or not—and just shack up in some castle somewhere … Seriously, Prince or not I'll kick his ass."

I smiled at a life lesson only Eric could give her. I walked in to find them both sitting side by side on the couch. Both in their underwear and not much else. She was in her diaper and a vest and he was in his boxers and his white tank top. What the hell happened?

"Uh, hi," I said and they both looked up at me.

"Hi," Eric said, followed by a very animated, "Hiii," from Jessica.

"What happened here?"

"Oh, like I said, diaper emergency. I think she's sick."

"Oh, God, no."

"Mmmhm. She doesn't have a fever or anything, but Sookie … someone that small should not shit that much. I mean, where does it come from?"

I laughed, lifting her up on my lap to sit next to him. She cuddled into my boobs instantly.

"What did you feed her?"

"We just had some spaghetti and salad … mostly she ate the meat and the shells, I ate the salad."

"Seems fine. What did she drink?"

"She had orange juice in her sippy cup."

Ah, there we go.

"Yeah, oranges make her explode. I thought I told you about what happened when I gave her juice before we went to the park? Nightmare. There was you know what, everywhere."

"Oh shi— crap."

"Mmhmm."

"It was unreal. It was everywhere and then it got on me and it was just … so wrong. So we took a shower. Well, I stood her in the shower and hosed her down. She loves the water but now I think it's perked her right up. She wouldn't go to sleep at all.

We spent the next half hour in relative silence. It was calm, it was necessary, and Jessica fell asleep still holding onto the strap of my bra through my top. The calm and serene nature of the night was the calm before the massively horrible storm the next night.

"Jessica, baby please? Come on, just lay down for me and sleep, okay?"

Nothing, she was still crying. It was eleven thirty-eight and I'd been trying since eight o'clock to get her down with no success. She'd been fine most of the day—her nap had been shorter than normal—but other than that, she seemed her happy self. When it came to bedtime, however, it was another story completely. She wouldn't take her bottle, she wouldn't lie down, and the newest trick was when she realized she could take off her own diaper.

Nightmare.

I had taken to putting on her little pyjama bottoms that snapped into a one piece sleep suit just to keep her from picking at the tabs. I had tried lullabies, pop songs, rock songs and even some rap. Though I was just thankful the house was empty and my rendition of Baby Got Back wasn't witnessed by anyone other than an un-amused Jessica. Nothing worked, and she'd started her little sob/cry an hour later. It was now two hours later and she was tired, she was cranky and she was still sobbing. I had changed her, burped her and rocked her. Nothing and I mean nothing was working.

I was exhausted, to say the least. Having been up since six for work, Sophie had decided to redecorate my—I mean HER—office and I needed to be there to let the decorators in at seven. Two more staff quit, leaving us short a server which meant between my office work, fixing her messes and doing my regular job, I had to fill in for tables eight, nine and eleven for the dinner rush. I got home just as Eric was heading off to work. I was so thankful he had the sense to make dinner and have Jessica fed for me. I had managed to tidy up the living room and start on some paperwork, while I hoped Jess would tire herself out crawl-walking around the living room with her toys, as I kept an eye out. But no, she was still up and bright-eyed by the time I was ready for my grave. It was almost as if she knew that I was wrecked and decided to whine.

By twelve thirty, my eyelids were slowly drooping as she and I laid on my bed—lights were dimmed, there was silence, it was perfect—only she was still softly crying to herself.

I was all out of ideas and I was slowly losing my mind. You would, too, if you had to listen to a baby cry for two hours without a break and no idea how to make it stop.

"Jessica, please just tell me what to do and I'll do it? Okay? Please?"

All I got was her little red face, her tear filled eyes and a mumbled "mum-ma," before the sobbing started again.

A whole manner of things shot through my head that could have been wrong. I thought she was sick—but I'd taken her temperature and it was fine; I'd checked her diaper and she was fine; she was fed; she had her bottle she didn't want; and she didn't seem ill. If there was a reason for the crying, I couldn't find it. Illogical as it was, I swore she had realized I was going to be a terrible mother and just didn't want me anymore. Yeah, crazy right? Again, I'd been up after a long, extremely busy day, and had a sobbing child for hours on end. I was feeling a little insane.

Then I thought she knew. She knew why I'd be a terrible mother.

It was why Bill had called me 'broken.' It was why, for a long time, I had viewed myself as such and made the mistake of telling him that was how I felt. I was going to be a mother, once. But everything got screwed up …

By one a.m. Jessica's sob had fallen into a full on wail and I was still none the wiser. I'd taken to crying right along with her on the couch in the living room when Eric came in, instantly freaked out to see us both up that late.

"What happened? Sookie?" he asked looking from Jessica to me, before he picked her up and felt her forehead.

"I … failed at life, Eric," I answered in a small voice, since sheer exhaustion and emotional upheaval had drained me so completely.

"What happened?"

"She just won't stop crying. I have done everything, and I mean every damn thing I know how to do to make it stop and it just won't stop. I think I'm losing my mind."

"Okay, okay, just shh. Stop crying okay, Sookie? I can't deal with crying women, least of all two crying women. Okay, so… just… is she ill?"

"No. No temp, no soggy diaper, no obvious headache or other signs of distress. Believe me Eric, Google and I have been over everything she could be going through and nothing is working. She hates me. She knows what I did, and she hates me."

"Wh—…What did you do?" he asked taking off his jacket while balancing the baby.

"I killed my baby."

"What?" he asked, clearly freaked out. I tried to blink away my tiredness and stop my silent sobs as I told him how I got pregnant in high school, but once my boyfriend Quinn found out, he dumped me. Being alone and unable to tell anyone else but Tara, I decided I couldn't keep the baby. We went to Shreveport to have it termination. I was seventeen, stupid and alone. I didn't know what else to do. Only, I had a change of heart; I couldn't do it. I couldn't go through with it and I'd decided I was going to keep the baby on the way to the hospital. But that's when IT happened. Literally seconds after I'd told Tara killing my baby would be a mistake, that I'd make a good mom no matter how old I was, the truck on the other side of us swerved. Their tires blew out and they hit our car, smashing the windshield, causing us to slam into a wall. There was major damage done—Tara had a broken leg and arm, I had two broken fingers, a screwed up wrist, and my baby was gone. Part of the trauma had made me miscarry, and the doctors told me it would be highly unlikely, to near impossible, that I'd ever conceive another child. I was broken because I'd planned on killing my baby that God knew to take from me because of what a horrible mother I'd make.

I sobbed harder then, fully wallowing in my grief. Eric just held me in one arm as he held Jessica in the other, both of us still crying.

"Okay. Come on, come with me," he said gently, taking my hand and leading me up the stairs. I was so tired and emotional I would have gone anywhere he led me. We ended up in his bedroom. He turned off all his lights besides the one dim lamp in the corner and told me he was going to try something to get her to calm down. He laid down on his bed and made her lay on his chest, her tiny eyes still looking at me with what I saw as judgment, and he started to hum. Loud deep rumbles from his chest, but he was just humming. Then it fell in tune with a Rolling Stones song that I loved.

It took her a few minutes, but eventually she stopped her whine-sob-cry and started to listen, or feel the vibrations. I wasn't sure which. But either way she'd stopped crying.

"Jesus Christ," I muttered. "You're the baby whisperer."

I was standing beside his big bed, and I probably looked a mess—my hair scraped back, tears down my face. I was beyond dead tired. Still, he smiled and grabbed my hand, yanking me towards the bed.

"Lay down, Sookie. Sleep."

"No, I…" I couldn't even protest. I just crawled in next to him and Jess, who was now silent and looking at me with kinder eyes that were slowly telling me she was drifting off to sleep.

I scooted close to Eric as he wrapped his arm around me, letting my head rest on the small space left on his chest, as he continued to hum.

"I'll just lay here for a minute," I promised.

"Take as many minutes as you need," he whispered in the dim room. His humming not only relaxed Jessica; I was feeling a lot less frazzled myself.

"Thank you, Eric."

"You're welcome… oh, and Sookie…?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're not broken, not by a long shot. And you're not a bad mother. Not even close. You're a good person. We just need a little help sometimes, that's all."

I was silent because I was close to tears again, only this time for a different reason. Instead, I snuggled closer to him and let him, the words from his humming song, clear my head.

Sometimes you can't get what you want… but sometimes, you get what you need.

And more than anything that night, I had needed Eric just as much, it seemed, as Jessica did. Little did I know, less than twenty-four hours later he and I would be indulging in a 'want' and 'need' of a very different nature.

Somehow my Halloween party ended up with a fairy fucking a vampire.

Can you guess who?

A/N: Annnnd we're back! This chapter accidentally turned out to be all in SPOV, but we'll be hearing from both of them next chapter. I felt the need to get the angst out of the way as well as clearing up a few things people had been wondering about too, so I hope you liked it! If you did, put a ring on it… I mean hit the review button ;)