The moment Tara awoke, she knew she was not in a real hospital. At least not one for humans.

She was in the Authority Hospital, which to her, was the equivalent of prison! She began to sit up, but Eric, whom she had not seen until he put his hands on her, gently pushed her back among some pillows. He then moved away from her and stood at the foot of the bed, towering over her.

"You are in the hospital." he said.

"Not a real one! I can't believe you would bring me here! My real doctor..."

"Didn't know enough to really help you. Dr. Ludwig had to give you some human blood. Donated by fangbangers."

"I didn't need any!" Tara snapped and tried to sit up. But she found it was difficult. Looking down, she realized her stomach was much bigger than she remembered!

"How long have I been here?" Tara asked, surprised.

"A few hours."

"And in a few hours I've blown up like a whale?"

Eric moved from the foot of her bed, to the side.

"No. In a few hours, you were given the blood you should have been feeding on this whole time. The babies are now the proper size. What your 'doctor' should have explained to you, is that even if our babies our human, their mother who is carrying them, needs to be healthy as well. You were malnourished. Your 'doctor' should have seen that." Eric said coldly.

Tara sensed his anger and slowly sat up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"Or you didn't want to realize?"

Tara tilted her head.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I don't know how to deal with a woman, that loves another version of me, more than ME. I've never run across such a thing. Especially when the other me was...well...weak..."

"Prince Eric was NOT weak!" Tara argued. "You just think that because he was an open and loving man."

"And I am not?"

"He could've never asked me to butcher a child."

"But you didn't kill Emma Garza, Alcide did. You watched. You didn't have a hand in it and WHY DOES IT ALWAYS COME TO THIS?!" Eric snapped.

"Because you were wrong." Tara said tiredly, leaning back against her pillows. Eric said nothing for a long moment, then spoke.

"You will stay here until you are fit to come home. You will begin seeing Dr. Ludwig regularly until my children are born. And then you WILL let all of this other...crap, go, or we're going to have a problem, Tara. A real one."

Tara didn't like his tone at all!

"I don't like your fucking tone!" she told him. Eric gave her a cool look.

"Then you'll like what I have to tell you even less: don't try to go back to Dr. Benedict. When I heard how poorly she had been looking after you, I had her killed."

Tara gasped!

"How could you?! She didn't know..."

"Well she should have. Or she shouldn't have taken you on as a patient if she didn't know how to help you. You will be here a couple of days. Is there anything I can bring you from home?"

"I am not coming home with you when I get out of here!" Tara huffed. Eric leaned down and caressed her cheek.

"I can not WAIT until you are a full vampire again. All I'm going to have to do is ORDER you to do as I ask, and all of this arguing will cease to exist. I will send Sookie in now." Eric said, taking his hand away from her face and leaving the room. Tara sank down into the pillows, deeply upset and frustrated. Eric had had her doctor killed. He was practically forcing her to stay in this pit of a hospital...

The hell she would! Tara managed to climb out of bed, still shocked at how much bigger her stomach was. She then made her way to a closet and saw her clothes hanging there. She was just reaching for them, when Bill, and not Sookie, entered the room. He could see what she was doing and he quietly closed the door.

"I wouldn't even try it." Bill said.

"Oh come off of it!" Tara snapped, reaching for her top. "You run this place, not Eric. Just override him."

"No."

Tara blinked.

"What do you mean, 'no'."

"I mean," Bill said, walking towards Tara, "that you are staying here until you are deemed fit to go home. And in case there is any misunderstanding: Eric sought my permission to have your other doctor killed. I granted it."

Tara's mouth dropped open briefly, before closing it, then opening it.

"Why, Bill? Why would you go along with that?"

"Tara, your children are the first of their kind! A half vampire carrying human babies. That woman could've have destroyed your children! Maybe she didn't mean to be that ignorant, but the the fact is Tara, your vampire half was malnourished. And it was affecting the babies."

"And that's all you ever really cared about anyway, isn't it?" Tara asked quietly. "Look, my doctor is dead and I've got blood in me. My cuts healed from my fall. Just let me go."

"You can go when Dr. Ludwig says you can leave. She will put you on scheduled blood feedings, since your human side is throwing you off. You're not craving the blood, so you're not drinking it regularly. That will change when you go back to being a vampire."

Tara gave him a dirty look.

"How long did YOU know about that little bit of information?"

"Eric informed both Sookie and myself of it, tonight. He was wrong, Tara, to keep it from you. To keep it from all of us. But I think he was scared of losing you. He seems to think that things have been going well between the two of you and he wanted it to continue going well." Bill said.

Tara was about to say something, but Bill interrupted her.

"I'm going to tell you something: I have spent my whole relationship with Sookie, threatened by Eric. His presence and the uncomfortable knowledge that one day, he might actually take Sookie from me. The night he turned you, I knew he did it to get into Sookie's good graces and I figured I'd lost her for good. But instead, whether Eric realizes it or not, his interest in Sookie lessened and his focus has been you. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I don't know. I don't get the impression he doesn't care for you, Tara. But he is your maker. You will never be able to cut ties with him. Not completely."

"So what are you saying, Bill?" Tara asked quietly.

"Find a way to work things out with him, Tara."

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, Sookie watched something suspicious. Alcide and Kibwe walked up to Eric and began having a conversation that she suspected needed eavesdropping on! But because they were all vamps, she couldn't hear their thoughts.

And she was right to be suspicious...

Eric had sent Alcide and Kibwe to murder Dr. Benedict and a nurse got caught in the fray! Both bodies were taken to parts unknown, but their disappearances would probably make the news.

"I am feeling rather weak," Kibwe said, "is there anymore donated blood?"

Eric eyed him.

"Why are you weak?"

"I was about to partake in a lovely fangbanger at the club, when you called. I did not get proper nourishment." Kibwe stated matter-of-factly. Eric nodded.

"There are a few 'volunteers' in the cafeteria." Eric told him. Kibwe turned and walked off, leaving him and Alcide alone.

"I need your help with Tara." Eric said. Alcide smirked!

"Of course you do! You always will. You killed her fucking doctor and from what I can tell, Tara liked her."

Eric folded his arms.

"Never mind that. I had you kill Tara's doctor because she was starving her. Did you bring her files to Fangtasia."

Alcide didn't like the sound of this shit!

"Yeah, like you told me. What do you mean she was starving Tara?"

"Go and see her. Dr. Ludwig gave her proper blood and the babies are now at a proper size. The woman had to know something was wrong. But as usual, Tara refuses to listen. She thinks the woman was killed because I'm mean... or whatever. Talk to her."

"Northman, I don't know that you didn't have me kill the woman, because you're mean! I'm not telling Tara shit until I see some proof of what you're trying to say. Otherwise, I'll go in there and comfort her."

Eric smiled coldly.

"You are very good at that. Comforting her. I don't suppose for once, you could remember your family obligations and put in a good word for me?"

"You don't deserve a good word. You know that. I'll go in now." Alcide said and turned to walk towards Tara's room. Eric massaged his temples. He was a vampire for God's sakes! He shouldn't be getting headaches! But ever since he turned a particular human...

"Eric?"

Eric saw Sookie standing in front of him.

"Yes?" he asked tiredly.

"What happened tonight? You said Tara fell?"

"Didn't Bill tell you? I told Tara the truth as you suggested and now she's here."

"So this is my fault?" Sookie asked, her tone becoming salty.

"I simply asked you to convince Tara to get examined by a proper doctor. Instead you had to go on some crusade about my lying to Tara. And you convinced Bill to go along with it. Luckily, he has made up his ignorance to me."

"What are you talking about?" Sookie asked suspiciously.

"I mean I had her 'doctor' killed. Bill gave me permission to so. That woman was killing Tara and my children as well."

Sookie just peered at him. Then she said something that surprised him.

"You really believe that?"

"The babies are now at a proper size. I am supposed to believe that Tara's other doctor, didn't realize that a woman that was half-vampire, would need to be properly nourished, in order for the babies to be healthy?" Eric asked.

"I guess you could be right. But I met her the other day. She seemed nice." Sookie said, a bit confused. Dr. Benedict might have actually been starving Tara to death? Why?

"Of course she SEEMED nice, Sookie! I mean this woman, may she rot in hell, lured Tara in with the promise of being able to deliver two healthy babies to her. Bill is also to blame for this, which is why he allowed the slaying to take place. HE should've been accompanying her to her appointments. He might've picked up on something. But no. Tara and Bill had to conduct this farce of a marriage and endanger my unborn children." Eric huffed.

"Okay, calm down. Dr. Ludwig is taking good care of Tara."

"And I took care of a situation that could've ended very badly. Sookie, I expect some help from you here. I want Tara to understand now where her priorities lay. You are her dearest friend. She will listen to you." Eric said firmly.

Sookie thought about protesting, but decided now was not the time. And something HAD been wrong. Maybe for right now, she would suggest to Tara that she just try and cooperate with Eric.

Alcide quietly entered Tara's room. She was back in bed looking surly. She looked up when he entered.

"I'm surprised Eric let you in here." was all she said.

"Eric let me in here, because he thinks I'm going to get you to go along with him." Alcide said. He sat on the edge of her bed.

"So he told you? About my turning back into a full vampire after the babies are born?" Tara asked gloomily. Alcide reached over and took her hand.

"Tara, we'll figure something out on that. I know it scares you not to be able to see the babies during the day. But we'll figure it out."

"The only way is to let someone else raise them when the sun is up. Then see them at night. What kind of life is that?" Tara asked in a hollow voice.

"The best you can give them," Alcide said firmly, "now...I have to tell you something else. Something you're not going to like. But it has to be said anyway: Eric sent Kibwe and myself to kill your doctor. A nurse was killed too."

"Oh Lord no! Why Alcide?"

"You know I don't have a choice, Tara. And to be honest, I didn't mind. I'd never admit it to Northman, but something doesn't seem right with this whole thing. Maybe you should just consider yourself lucky."

"That Eric killed my doctor? And an innocent nurse?" Tara asked with a sigh. "Look, I appreciate you stopping by. But there isn't anything you can do. When Dr. Ludwig says I'm well enough, I'm going home with Eric."

"You don't seem too happy about it?"

"I was fine before I found out he lied to me! Alcide, I'm not stupid here. Eric hid that information because he was planning on using it against me, while I was still married to Bill. As my maker, he could've forced me to come to him and bring the babies. And I think that was what he had in mind. I guess it doesn't matter now. I just have to accept what is." Tara said, sinking down against her pillows.

Alcide squeezed her hand.

"Why don't I move in with Eric and you? Just to make sure things are okay."

Tara stared at him.

"Uh, I don't think Eric would go for that."

"Well hell, Tara, he's always talking about how the three of us are 'family'. I can look after you while he takes care of business. He'll go for it if you say you want it." Alcide said, keeping his emotions in check. He would move in and by the time the babies were born, both Tara and the children, would be leaving with him.

Eric looked from Tara to Alcide, when he heard their absurd proposal!

"You know, my first instinct is to say 'no'. But you know what? I'm not going to say no. Yes, Alcide. Come and move in with Tara and myself. Watch her when I can not."

Tara smiled up at Alcide, who smiled back. Eric gritted his fangs and added one little caveat to whatever game his 'children' were playing here(he liked to think of it as a game, because if Alcide seriously thought of fucking Tara in his house, he would perish so badly...)

"And of course, neither of you will mind if I ask Sookie to move in as well. To watch over you, Tara, during the day...and at night as well." Eric revealed.