Disclaimer: Sookie Stackhouse - Southern Vampire Mysteries belongs to Charlaine Harris. I DO NOT own this story!

Chapter 18

Mixed Points of View

It had been a few weeks since Isabelle and Christian's return to the castle and court. So far, only Christian had made the occasional appearance at breakfast and a few evening meals. It was strange to see him seem so emotionally numb. It reminded Eric of himself before Sookie came into his life.

Speaking of Sookie, she was a completely different story. He'd kept a close eye on her ever since that day in the hall at breakfast. Eric had also done as Niall had suggested and began to involve her in his business dealings and meetings he held with certain important priests and priestesses and other important areas of the monarchy, including small royal social gatherings.

If she was indeed destined to be his and had been sent to him from the gods and goddesses above, then he wanted her to get a good idea of how things were run around the castle. His Sookie was certainly intelligent; now it was his duty to ensure that she was informed and educated in their ways before he took her as his wife.

Strong and level-headed, she knows herself - what she likes and doesn't like. She was always willing to tell anyone what she was thinking, but had already learned discretion in knowing when and how to do so. This realization made him appreciate that she was the type of woman he needed around him. Furthermore, he understood that this was part of the reason that she'd kept hold of him and hadn't let him go.

Sookie still wouldn't tell him what made her stiffen that day before he made the speech. She'd been tense until he made love with her that afternoon, in their special place in the castle grounds, where he'd first taken Sookie for her first tour of the castle's beautiful landscape decorated with fresh waters of crystal clear streams.

She had been here for almost two months now. Time had flown by quickly with Sookie around; there was never a dull moment. She was a breath of fresh air - his sunshine. He couldn't picture life without her, and he really didn't want her to return to her time.

Eric chastised himself for getting so emotionally close to her – it could be a weakness used against him. But with her annoyingly infuriating great-grandfather and the small fact that they hadn't bothered to hide their relationship from prying eyes, and the other tiny fact of the amazing intimacy and strong desire that rushes through both their veins every time they touch, hungry for more of each other, he isn't disappointed that he'd allowed himself to get close to her. She is a unique woman, and from what he could gather from the little information she'd given about her time, he'd understood that he would also be with her in her time, though he doesn't comprehend exactly how that could be.

2 Months Later:

A few weeks had passed since his brooding day, where he'd wanted some alone time. He had hidden himself in his parents' chambers that day. Certainly, Sookie had given him the cold shoulder for a while, but he couldn't say he blamed her. He was just grateful that she couldn't read his mind.

Isabelle and Christian had made their first appearance down at breakfast together this morning while Sookie spent a large part of the meal throwing up. Eric stayed with her and held her hair back while she threw up in a bowl. This was what he'd been waiting for; he knew that her body had been changing; he wasn't blind, and he was surprisingly happy. They were heading into the third month of Sookie's stay here in his castle, in his time of the Vikings, as she called it.

When Sookie had finished throwing up the contents of her stomach, she slumped against his frame, sweaty and tired looking - another thing he'd noticed lately. He stroked her arms in a soothing manner and kissed her hair as she caught her breath.

"Sookie..." Eric trailed off breaking the silence once Sookie had had seemed to gather herself together.

"What are we going to do, Eric?" Sookie whimpered. She knew all the signs, how could she have been so blind? She was late. She would normally get her monthly course during the last week of the month, and they were now a day into the new month. She was over a week late! Eric placed his hands gently on her naked stomach and whispered in her ear.

"We let nature do its thing. I will call for my personal physician, and if you are indeed with our child that we made out of love, then we will celebrate this gift the gods have given us."

Sookie burst into tears and he spent the rest of the morning comforting her. This was yet another thing he'd noticed: her emotions had been all over the place. He also thought of the slight change in her breasts he'd noticed when they made love in the evenings and sometimes during the day, depending on what mood they were in and what their plans for the day held.

Eric called for a maid once they'd cleaned up and Eric took gentle care, his fingers dancing over certain parts of Sookie's tender skin as they washed each other that morning. The doctor came before the afternoon lunch in the vast hall and declared her to be a month along.

Sookie asked the doctor why she was just starting to throw up now and the doctor explained that sometimes it takes a while for the body to develop and that some pregnant woman don't get morning sickness at all. He also said not to be alarmed if she does not start showing at the three month mark. Some women don't start showing until the fourth or fifth month, it just depends on the body's natural growth. Some women's stomachs take time, and then suddenly flourish around the fifth month.

To say Sookie was surprised about her being pregnant was an understatement. She was shocked, but then she shouldn't really be shocked, considering they'd been intimately active without any protection… though she wasn't sure protection for intimacy existed in this time. Many thoughts were floating around her head; she was happy, worried, scared and excited. She'd always wanted to be a mother, but was afraid that she'd pass on her 'disability' to her children. But then when she learned more about it, and her background and heritage, she realized that she may just get lucky and that her children wouldn't suffer with what she had to deal with.

Suddenly it felt like a large piece of a puzzle clicked into place inside her mind as things started to piece together.

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