I'm late :( I know. I'm sorry. I really do write as quickly as I can. I just haven't had a lot of time lately and I'm not that great with angst and really emotional stuff. It takes a while for me to get it out and get it right.

With that out of the way, THANKS to Northwoman for betaing and to all of you who are still reading. I do cherish all of you. You mean a lot.

Oh ... and everything belongs to Charlaine Harris ...

So, with the last chapters cliffy ending I doubt you need a recap, so without further ado, here y'all go ...

Sookie's POV

I was doing my best to find normalcy, by cooking breakfast, but the events of last night kept replaying over and over and over in my head. Every single detail and every single feeling constantly bombarded me; driving me absolutely nuts and making the normalcy I sought nearly impossible to find.

It was almost like I was right back in bed with Eric in that moment, even though I was standing at the stove in the kitchen.

After arranging my pillows around my belly I reached up, shutting off the lamp; more than ready to sleep. Eric snuggled up against my back, draping his arm over my waist; his hand resting on and lightly cupping my stomach.

All was content; or so I thought.

But as it turned out, I'd been way off in my assessment.

"Sookie, I … I need to tell you something," Eric declared nervously, out of nowhere.

What was it now and why did his voice sound so freaking ominous? I couldn't help thinking. And, why couldn't we just have one evening with no drama?

"Uh … okay," I responded apprehensively, then rolled over onto my back, slid myself up into a seated position, and flipped the lamp back on. "What is it?" I asked; my voice laced with all the trepidation I was feeling. "Do I really wanna know?"

"Probably not." He followed suit and sat up, as well. "Lord only knows, I really wish I didn't have to tell you."

His difficulties with his dad and the fact Thalia had been hired at his school had both been weighing heavily on him, so it seemed he'd been troubled more often than not, lately. I hated seeing him that way, but there really wasn't much I could do about it other than let him know I was there for him and right now, that meant hearing him out, even though I was seriously dreading whatever it was he had to say.

"It's that bad?"

His brow furrowed and a confused look spread across his face as he shrugged and shook his head. "Fuck, Baby, I … I just don't know."

I nodded, bracing myself for something awful. What he'd told me so far had been cryptic at best, but he'd sounded so upset and worried. "Just tell me whatever it is … please," I begged, just wanting it over with.

"I wanted to wait, but I … I just can't act like things are okay when they aren't." He sighed then continued, "I don't want you to be hurt by this and it kills me you might be."

A tear trickled out of the corner of his eye and slid down his cheek. He sniffled and wiped it away then revealed the last thing I'd ever expected to hear from him.

"Today, I found out Thalia has a son. I don't know for sure, but his birthday's right, Sookie. I think …" He paused; shaking his head then solemnly clarified, "I think he may be mine. I think she lied about the abortion."

I was completely stunned.

So stunned, in fact, I didn't react at all; at least not at first. I couldn't speak; I couldn't think; I could barely look him in the eye, so I just sat there, silent staring at my hands which were resting in my lap.

It was as if the news had just shut me down completely.

"Sookie, please say something," he begged solemnly, reacting to my silence. "Yell, scream, tell me you hate me … just say something … anything," he continued, pleading to me on the verge of tears. "I … please; I just need you to say something."

I said nothing. I still couldn't – not that I even knew what to say anyway. Instead, I broke down in tears, sobbing.

"I … I never meant for this to happen," he insisted, taking me into his arms to comfort me, as he wept right along with me. "I love you, Sookie. I love you so much. I'm so sorry."

Something tugged at the tail of my shirt, drawing my attention away from my own thoughts – which was probably a good thing for several reasons.

I yawned; practically in a daze, staring aimlessly out the window into the cool and rainy spring morning; then turned my attention to the bacon I was frying, or rather burning, as I'd finally noticed.

"Shit!" I shouted, completely forgetting about the tug at my shirt which had brought me back to reality, as I attempted to salvage breakfast.

I was absolutely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

Last night, I'd worked what felt like the longest shift of my entire life. It had started at two in the afternoon and by the time I got home it was nearly three in the morning. I was supposed to have been off at ten, but we'd had a couple call-ins, leaving us both busy and shorthanded, so I'd ended up staying to help close.

By the time I got home, I was pretty much spent.

Even worse, my feet were absolutely killing me. After being on them all day, they were badly swollen and sore. They still were, actually; and I had an awful headache too – neither of which were good. Both were tell-tale signs my blood pressure was up; of course, after Eric's admission last night I didn't know why that surprised me.

Actually, it wasn't just my feet and head that hurt. My whole body ached, it seemed – my legs, my back, and most of all, my heart.

Everything hurt.

All I wanted to do was crawl back into bed, where I could hide from the world and forget, but I couldn't.

Life had to go on.

"That's a bad word, Sookie. We're not supposed to say those."

Turning away from the barely edible bacon, I found the main reason life had to go on today, standing right behind me. Hunter was standing there so innocent and clueless to all that was happening around him.

I was sort of jealous.

"Thanks for being such a good boy and reminding me. Sometimes grownups forget things like that," I acknowledged, nodding.

"Where's Eric?" he asked.

I knew it was selfish, and maybe even cruel, but I sort of wished he'd never left.

He did, though, but it wasn't like he had any other choice. He'd had to go and I knew that. He was only doing what had to be done - what was right.

"He had to go out for a while. He'll be back soon, Kiddo," I assured him.

And hopefully with good news - whatever good news even was in this incredibly unreal situation.

I just wasn't sure, yet.

I turned back to the extra crispy bacon I'd been frying and began removing it from the pan one piece at a time while at the same time I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"You hungry?"

"Mm hmm," he answered, nodding, as he patted his stomach.

"Then go wash your hands, Sweetie," I said, trying to smile and act as I normally would. "Breakfast's almost ready."

He took off, doing just as I'd requested; thus far, none the wiser.

I was trying really hard to act like nothing was bothering me. I knew if I broke for even just a split second, he'd pick right up on it. He was very intuitive like that and the last thing I needed at the moment, was Hunter realizing something was wrong.

But was there really something wrong?

That was the million dollar question and I just wasn't even sure where to begin in trying to formulate an answer to it.

Hell, I hated to even think about it, because all it did was make me feel like shit, but it was constantly lingering at the forefront of my mind it wasn't going to just go away.

I'd just barely had time to wrap my head around everything and was just so damn bewildered - not to mention still a little in shock.

I knew I loved Eric and I was also sure he loved me, Hunter, and our baby and having another child wouldn't change that at all, but even though I knew it wouldn't change the way any of us felt, it didn't mean things wouldn't change.

They most certainly would if this boy was indeed his and as selfish as it was, I wasn't sure I wanted things to change.

That's what made this all so freaking complicated.

To think my husband had another child out there – one he didn't know about – was just unbelievable; even though I was well aware of his and Thalia's history. I just couldn't grasp how someone could lie about something like that. It made no sense and I just kept thinking there had to be some other explanation; although no matter many times I tried, I couldn't come up with one.

There had to be one, though. There just had to be for the sake of everyone involved.

I was pretty sure on some level this had to be like a dream come true for Eric, after how badly he'd been hurt by Thalia's abortion; although last night, he'd seemed just as confused and upset as me.

That said, I was fairly certain once he got over the initial shock, he'd be thrilled.

I wanted to feel the same. I really did. I was his wife and it was what I was supposed to do, but the problem was, no matter how much I wanted to be happy for him and support him in this, I couldn't help feeling I didn't want another kid; at least not yet, and now, because of Thalia's alleged lies there was a possibility I'd be getting one.

I knew, just as I had with Hunter and with the baby in my womb, I'd step up and do what was right for both the boy and my husband, but it didn't change the fact I hadn't signed up for any of this and I couldn't help feeling it just simply wasn't fair a woman I'd never even met could affect my life this way.

I felt horrible for admitting it, but no matter how self-centered and greedy it was, it was truly how I felt and I just couldn't help it.

Eric's POV

I was an absolute mess as I pulled into the Waffle House parking lot.

I was terribly confused, completely exhausted, and pretty sure I was still in shock and if that wasn't enough, I was majorly dragging ass and running late because of it all.

Not that it was really any different when they were open, but every time I'd tried to shut my eyes to sleep last night, my mind had raced, trying to wrap itself around this incredibly incomprehensible situation and I was inundated with emotions ranging the spectrum from rage to elation.

Yeah – at times, I wasn't sure if I wanted to punch someone or do a happy dance and it was really fucked up.

Dr. Lee was going to have his hands full with me at my next appointment. That was a given at this point, between this and everything else I'd been dealing with lately.

As I stepped out of my car and headed inside, I just couldn't stop trying to make sense of it all. I'd been consumed by it since I'd seen that damn file, and although I'd tried to keep myself busy and my thoughts on other things, I hadn't succeeded at all.

Hell, I obviously still wasn't succeeding.

I'd been over it all so many times and now, almost a day later, I was still trying to process everything and was still no closer to any answers. It seemed my thoughts just kept going around in circles, never reaching any real conclusions.

There was a time this discovery would have done nothing more than thrill me, but that was years ago and a lot had changed since then.

Now, I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

All I'd managed to figure out so far was, it hurt.

Thalia's abortion and the way she'd gone about it had hurt me tremendously. It had taken a really long time to get over, or rather past, it.

You truly never really got over pain like that, so I'd learned.

And now, finding out it all may have been a big, ugly lie had forced all the pain - which had been buried deep inside me for years - back to the surface tenfold. Not to mention the fact it also put unneeded strain on my brand new marriage and on my pregnant wife.

It was fucked up.

I'd noticed Thalia the moment I'd walked in, sitting in a booth in the far corner. She'd apparently seen me as well because almost immediately, she stood and waved, signaling me over to where she was seated.

She was dressed casually, looking like she'd come from the gym, in a pair of yoga pants, sneakers, and a t-shirt with her raven hair pulled back in a messy knot on the top of her head. Seeing her dressed like that, as opposed to her norm – all made up and dressed to the nines – made me feel a lot better about my own state.

I'd been so tired this morning I hadn't bothered with shaving or showering which meant I was looking pretty damn rough.

"Eric," she said, greeting me as I approached. "I went ahead and ordered." She motioned to the table full of food. "I hope you still like the All-star."

"I do," I assured as I slid into the booth across from her. "Thanks."

For a moment, we sat there staring at each other in silence, until Thalia finally broke it, seeming a little nervous herself.

"I was a little surprised when you called, but I'm glad you did … you said you wanted to catch up?" she uttered sheepishly, prodding me to start.

I'd set up this meeting with Thalia right after she'd been hired simply to catch up – to try to get past the awkwardness I felt working together could bring. Sookie had actually suggested it. Considering the way things had ended between us a lot had been left unsaid, so I'd thought it was a good idea. The problem was, after yesterday, I had an ulterior motive and it made what was already an uncomfortable situation even more-so.

"Uh … yeah," I answered, uncomfortably.

Now that I was face to face with her, I didn't know what to say or where to begin, so instead of talking I meticulously prepared my breakfast.

I put a packet of creamer in my coffee, stirred it, and took a drink, savoring the much needed caffeine; and then I went to work buttering my waffle and drenching it in syrup. Once I'd finished that, I started on my toast, thoroughly slathering all four halves with apple butter.

Next came the ketchup. I squirted the tasty red stuff all over my eggs and hashbrowns.

I was sort of freaking out. It was a bit of a delicate subject to broach.

Honestly, as much as I wanted to get answers, it'd be a lie if I tried to say I wasn't having second thoughts because I definitely was, so I was doing whatever it took to avoid what I'd come here to do.

"Me too … I think we should catch up," she said finally, after watching me smother my food in various sauces while she finished her egg white omelet. She smiled, a little awkwardly then took a drink of her juice. "But … god … this is a lot … I don't know … weirder … harder … more uncomfortable than I thought it'd be," she said, setting her juice down on the table.

If she only knew all the reasons I'd asked her here and all that was going through my mind at the moment then she'd really know how weird, hard, and uncomfortable this could be.

"Tell me about it," I agreed, nodding, then took a bite of my eggs. I swallowed then continued, "I know I invited you here, but honestly, I don't even know where to even start, Thalia." I shook my head. "I guess, first and foremost, I just wanna make sure things won't be awkward between us at work."

"I couldn't agree more, Eric," she announced nervously, yet matter-of-factly. "I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to accept the position, after I found out you were principal, but I really didn't have a choice." She shrugged. "It was the first long-term position I'd been offered since going back to work six months ago and it was close to family."

She took another drink of her juice then continued, "I don't know if it'll make it any easier for either of us, but I do feel I owe you an apology. I've been through a lot in the past couple of years and I've sorta been forced to re-evaluate my entire life and in doing so I've realized I've made a lot of mistakes. I know I hurt you and I don't expect or deserve your forgiveness after what I did." She shrugged and shook her head. "Hell, I haven't even managed to forgive myself. I struggle with my decisions every day. But for what it's worth, I am sorry."

"Thalia, I … I … I just don't know what to say."

I was taken aback by her apology because it made me realize although I'd been a victim of her actions, she'd been one also in a sense and that was something I'd never considered. Just as I had, she'd had to live every single day with what she'd done.

However, exactly what she'd done was still up in the air and I was getting no closer to figuring out how to slip that into the conversation. I didn't want to outright accuse her of lying; especially not after her heartfelt apology.

"You don't have to say anything, Eric. I just needed you to know that and I'm glad I got the chance to tell you." She smiled.

"I'm glad you got the chance to tell me, too," I agreed, nodding, then reached across the table, placing my hand atop hers. I nodded and assured her, "It really does mean a lot."

As my hand touched hers, she looked down at it and the moment I finished my sentence she exclaimed, "You're married!"

It took me off guard, at first, but then I realized she'd seen my ring.

"Yeah." I nodded. "For almost two months … we got married on Valentine's Day."

"Aw … you always were a romantic." She smiled. "I'm glad," she insisted. "You really do deserve to be happy, Eric."

"Thanks," I said, a little surprised at the turn this meeting was taking.

For a few moments, as I told Thalia about my beautiful wife and family, I smiled and we were actually both at ease, but then I remembered how badly I'd hurt Sookie last night, causing my smile to fade a little and the look on my face to become more serious.

I was also reminded of the task at hand – finding out if Thalia's son was mine or not - not that I could actually forget it. It was still poking and prodding relentlessly at my mind.

As shitty as it was, part of me wanted to just get up and walk away, pretending I'd never seen the file.

Years ago, I'd have been all gung-ho about meeting my son and taking responsibility for him, but it had been eight long years. I didn't know him and never had. Aside from possible blood, I had no connection to him and assuming the rumors were true, that meant for eight years he'd known another man as his father and he probably didn't even know I existed.

It wasn't that I didn't want him, though.

If he was mine, I wanted him more than anything, but I wasn't sure where we'd fit into each other's lives and I wasn't sure if even attempting to be in his life would be for the best for either of us the more I thought about it.

It was just a really complicated situation.

And for whatever reason, Thalia obviously didn't want me hanging around. If she had wanted me around I wouldn't be sitting here now, stressing over whether he was mine. I would have always known.

All that said, I wasn't stupid, though.

I knew it wasn't just her call to make and I knew putting off finding out the truth wouldn't benefit me at all. A lot of the stuff I was confused and unsure about meant nada if it turned out he wasn't mine.

"Thalia, I … I …," I stammered, but just couldn't go through with it.

I'd left my balls in the fucking car, apparently; or maybe even back in Bon Temps.

It was her apology. She'd meant it. That, I could definitely tell and the fact she'd truly meant it made it that much harder to accuse her of lying about the abortion.

Thalia was staring at me, urging me to continue, looking a little confused – probably because I was a stuttering idiot who all of the sudden forgot how to make a complete sentence. And, although she'd gotten her degree in Elementary Education in college, she'd minored in English, so I was sure she'd noticed.

"Eric, what is it? I can still tell when something's up."

I was busted.

Now, I had to do this. I had to find my balls because now. I couldn't puss out. Besides, I had a right to know. That's all there was to it.

"I …." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "I just … I need to know something and I just don't want you to take it the wrong way. I don't want you to think I'm being accusatory," I explained, nodding. "I … I saw your file," I said, nervously then added, "And your son's."

The moment I'd mentioned her son's file she became noticeably agitated - even more-so than she'd been when I'd first arrived. She knew exactly what I was about to ask and instead of letting me, she took the words right out of my mouth.

"You want to know if he's yours?" she interjected, snarkily, shaking her head.

She was officially pissed, but that was to be expected. Even though I'd not intended to call her a liar, in reality, it's exactly what I'd just done and I was well aware of it.

"I'm sorry, Thalia," I apologized, hoping to salvage our meeting. It really had been going well. "Like I said, I didn't intend to accuse of you of lying or anything. I … I saw his birthday and the date added up … that's all. Any man would have wondered the same thing."

Standing up, she defensively declared, "He's mine. Just leave it at that."

Hers? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Her evasiveness sent me straight from apologetic to pissed off. I didn't want or need to hear all the details; especially if he wasn't mine, but I deserved an explanation and I had every intention of getting one.

"Just leave it at that? What the hell, Thalia?" I spat, trying to remain calm but doing a piss-poor job of it. "You told me you aborted my baby, then eight months later you had a baby." I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "If he's mine I deserve to know and if he's not mine, I don't care who he belongs to," I said matter-of-factly. "But I think I do deserve an explanation. None of this makes any sense, Thalia. I've obviously been lied to about something."

"Eric, please, just drop it," she pleaded, looking as if she could turn and run at any given moment.

"If you meant what you said earlier about being sorry … and I think you did … you'll tell me. I have a right to know," I reasoned, toning it down quite a bit. "Please, just sit back down and talk to me, Thalia."

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a ten and threw it down on the table in front of me. "He's mine, Eric. Mine. That's all you need to know."

And with that, she left, leaving me more confused as ever.

Sookie's POV

"I just don't know what to do, Sookie," Eric declared with a shrug, completely out of nowhere, turning away from the onion he was chopping for the chili we were preparing for dinner.

He'd been gone all morning long and when he got home, unfortunately, it was obvious he was just as torn as he'd been when he'd left, but this was the first he'd actually mentioned of it. He hadn't even told me what had happened; short of he didn't find out anything. I'd been waiting for him to bring it back up and it was really sort of a relief he finally had.

I really hadn't wanted to be the one who had to do it.

"I mean, I know I need to know the truth and I just keep telling myself I shouldn't worry about anything else until I do, but it's not as easy to do as it sounds," he said, sounding frustrated. He sighed, shaking his head as he slammed the knife down, onto the counter. "What the hell am I supposed to do if he's mine? Where's he gonna fit in?"

Luckily, I wasn't as confused as he was; at least I wasn't anymore. I'd realized a few things while spending the morning with Hunter and now, I knew exactly what I needed to do.

In all honesty, I'd known the whole time. It had been apparent to me since he'd first shared his suspicions, but I just hadn't wanted to face it.

It took me most of my morning to come to terms, and I still wasn't quite there, but I'd reached the conclusion fair to me or not, I was fully capable of playing the cards I'd been dealt. I had to support my husband no matter what. It's what people did when they loved someone.

I had no excuses.

Stepping away from the hamburger I was frying, I took the few steps needed to be directly beside him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him tight. "I wish I knew what to tell you, or that I could make this easier, but I don't and can't." I kissed his arm. "But no matter what, we're in this together. We'll figure it out."

His arm snaked out from between us and up around my shoulders. He smiled and a look of relief spread across his face. "You have no idea how it feels to hear you say that." He leaned in, turning slightly, and kissed the top of my head as his free arm wrapped around my other shoulder, pulling me into his embrace.

"Were you afraid I wouldn't?" I asked quietly; my head buried in his chest.

"Well … I don't know," he answered, sounding frustrated. "It's just … none of this is fair to you," he pointed out solemnly, releasing his hold around me.

He was right, but I'd learned time and time again life wasn't fair and I'd always managed to make it out on the other side, feeling more fulfilled than before. It was hard to accept, but I knew this would be no different.

"Eric, years ago, right after Hunter was born, when Hadley and Remy came to me and asked me to be the person that looked after him if anything ever happened to them, I said I'd do it, but I'd be lying if I tried to tell you I actually thought I'd end up raising him," I said as I went back to work, browning the burger.

"I was only twenty at the time; plus, nobody thinks their cousin and her husband are gonna die … they were my age; but fast forward to six years later - they died and they left me with a kid I was completely and totally unprepared for," I added, shrugging and shaking my head.

"Today, after spending the morning with him, I was reminded of that and I realized how I felt then isn't all that different than how I'm feeling now or how I felt when I first found out I was pregnant," I explained.

"It's not that I don't have my reservations because I do and I know it won't be easy, but I also know firsthand the greatest blessings come from the hard stuff, not the easy stuff." I looked over at him, smiling. "Just look at us. Had I not been given guardianship of Hunter, we'd have never met."

"And your life would be a lot easier right now, Baby. I mean, I don't want to lose you, but I came … I know I came with a lot of unanticipated baggage."

"Don't be like that, Eric," I insisted, sitting my spatula down as I turned toward him. He'd resumed his chopping, finishing the onion before moving on to a bell pepper, but as I turned he stopped again, sitting his knife down on the counter and turning to face me as well. "I know it sucks, but life's just like that … full of surprises, both good and bad," I nodded and assured him, "I love you no matter what life throws at us."

"I know and I love you too, but sometimes …" His phone rang, drawing his attention away from our conversation to the slim, black device, sitting on the counter beside him. His eyes settled on the display and he shook his head, sighing. "It's Dad, Sookie. I gotta take it." He shrugged. "But we'll talk more later."

Later eventually came, but it was way later.

I was in the bathtub and hadn't been soaking long when Eric strode in, slipping his boxers off as he walked in the room. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, already stepping into the tub.

He looked and sounded tired and worn out; like he'd been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, but despite that he was still gorgeous - all muscular and handsome. He was the type of man reserved for actresses and models – and he was mine!

"Of course not," I answered, smiling up at him, as I sat up and slid forward, making room.

He slipped in behind me, pulling me back against his chest; and rested his hands on my stomach, cupping it. "It's been a long, damn day."

"I'm here if you wanna talk about it," I reminded him, not wanting to sound too pushy, but hoping he'd elaborate on some of the details.

Since he'd spent most of the afternoon and evening on the phone with Jim, I was still in the dark about most of them. So far, I was only privy to what he'd told me prior to his dad first calling and what I'd overheard during their conversations; and that wasn't much.

"God, I … I just can't believe this is happening."

The tips of his fingers began slowly moving back and forth, gently caressing the part of me he thought of as his daughter. He was behind me, so I couldn't see him, but I felt his body quake lightly and his chin lightly brushing against the top of my head, as his own head shook.

Sighing, he continued, "Thalia wouldn't admit a thing. All she kept saying was he's hers. Hers, Sookie … she wouldn't admit he was mine or even someone else's."

"What?" I asked, completely dumbfounded.

I felt his chest rise and fall against my back as he took a deep breath then started again at where I was assuming was the beginning of their get-together.

As he recounted the meeting, I listened in complete disbelief. He'd told me earlier he hadn't found out anything, but I hadn't realized she'd flat out denied everything. It was completely incomprehensible and I honestly didn't get it at all.

Eric's POV

"Then, she just left," I said, shrugging as I finished the entire story. "I'm no closer to knowing if he's mine or not."

"Did she not expect this, Eric?" Sookie spat, then continued, "She enrolled him in your school. Did she not think you'd notice her son was the right age to be yours, come Monday? You'd think she'd come up with a better story than …" She held out her hands, waving them in the air as she made quotes with her fingers, and snarked, "He's mine." She shook her head. "I don't get it. I mean, maybe you caught her by surprise with it today, but she had to have known you'd ask eventually."

Those had been my thoughts exactly.

"I don't get it either, Baby," I agreed. "But Dad said the family lawyers can get a court ordered paternity test if necessary. I'm hoping it won't come to that, though."

I really hoped it didn't come to that.

I really wished I hadn't involved him at all, but I had because at the time I'd panicked and wasn't thinking straight, so now I was hoping Thalia would just come clean and tell me what I needed to know. If that would happen, I wouldn't need the lawyers and Dad would be taken out of the equation entirely.

And speaking of him, he was soooooo pissed at me; even more-so than he'd been when I'd gotten drunk and wrecked Pam's car when we were seventeen, but he'd gotten me out of trouble then and, despite his anger and his scornful words, he'd assured me he'd help me now.

The rub was he'd also made it clear there'd be a price.

The price was something I totally and completely dreaded. Actually, it was everything I'd been fighting against recently.

Now, because of Thalia, Dad was going to get his way. He'd won, not that it was a contest and I only hoped whatever he made Sookie sign was fair to her.

I knew she'd be fine with it regardless.

"Hopefully, I can talk some sense into her when I see her next week. I'm really hoping she'll just come clean. If she doesn't …" I sighed and shook my head. "Then we'll probably have to go to Chicago over Easter break," I explained; my fingers still seeking calm by lazily rubbing her belly.

"It'll be mostly for business of course, but maybe we can -" I trailed off because I felt something strange under the palm of my hand. Slightly startled and still unsure I'd actually felt what I thought I'd felt, I questioned, "Sookie, was that -"

"A kick," she interjected, nodding as she turned around slightly; a smile shining brightly on her face. "You finally felt her?"

"I … I think I did," I answered, feeling the corners of my mouth turn up into a smile that could rival the one Sookie wore.

It was absolutely amazing - as was everything about her - and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'd been trying to feel her movements for weeks and I'd had nothing but a bunch of near misses. So many, in fact, I was starting to get discouraged and lose hope I'd ever feel her, but just now, I had felt her and it made all my stress and worries melt completely away.

I'd really needed a break from all the drama going on in my life and my daughter had just given it to me. My day was now made and everything else was forgotten; at least for the time being.

So, I'm working on the next chapter. It's not quite as angsty and should have a lot more happy moments. Although my work schedule isn't letting up any time soon I'm getting days off mid week sometimes, where I have the house to myself and can actually write with no disturbances, so hopefully the next chapter will come quicker.

I, at least, left this one on a happy note.

Tell me what you thought!