Never Say Never (True Blood Fanfic - Tara/Eric)

Chapter 13 - Uninvited Guests

Chapter 13 - Uninvited Guests

Three nights had passed since Eric first discovered he was the father of Tara's unborn child and told her about the Ib of Annubis. He thought she fully forgiven him for allowing Nora to glamour her, but soon realized he was mistaken. Though she didn't bring up the incident with Nora again; there was still an undercurrent of animosity between them. Dealing with an angry Tara who yelled, snapped, and made snarky remarks wasn't as difficult as attempting to figure out this contemplative, moody, and withdrawn person who took her place.

His frustration grew, noticing that she now seemed to favor Pam's companionship to his. This was perplexing considering he had no idea when the two females had bonded. Just two weeks ago, he barely could keep them from killing each other. Now Pam and Tara behaved like old girlfriends, gossiping by the fire, laughing, even combing each other's hair.

He leaned against the railing on the balcony, quirking an eyebrow as he watched Pam's lips curve into an affectionate smile. She and Tara were sitting on the couch discussing names for the baby. In three days, her stomach had doubled in size. At this rate, he wondered if the baby would be born in a matter of weeks rather than two or three months from now.

He watched Pam place a hand on Tara's shoulder. There wasn't anything illicit about her actions, but he couldn't help feeling a stab of jealousy. In all the year's he'd known Pam, she never shown a fondness for humans unless it involved feeding or sexual gratification. With exception of Sookie Stackhouse, he rarely told Pam that a human he fancied was off limits to her. Now he was starting to wonder if he needed to set boundaries to warn her off Tara. It was bad enough he had to deal with Alcide sniffing around his mate. He wasn't about to compete for Tara's affection against his own progeny.

"Strange, huh?" said Alcide, walking on to the balcony to stand beside him. "I never thought those two would ever get along."

Eric took a sip of his TruBlood and grunted in response.

Alcide looked up at the night sky. "It's a full moon tonight. I was gonna go for a run to celebrate. You wanna join me?" He looked towards the line of trees in the distance. "There's gotta be something out in those woods we can hunt. C'mon, it'll be fun."

Eric was surprised by the invitation, but kept his expression impassive, not giving anything away.

"Running through the woods to hunt rabbits with a werewolf doesn't sound like my idea of fun."

Alcide shrugged. "Suit yourself. I just thought maybe you'd like to blow off some steam. You seem tenser than usual."

Eric narrowed his eyes at him. "The life of my eternal mate, my unborn child, and my progeny are all at stake. How would you expect me to be?"

Alcide glanced back at Tara. "You're not the only one who stands to lose someone he cares about if the Authority finds us."

Eric scowled at the way Alcide was watching Tara. "She is mine!"

Alcide met Eric's fierce gaze. "That doesn't change that she's still my friend and that I care what happens to her."

Eric stood up straight. "You want more than her friendship."

Alcide lifted his chin in defiance. "Yeah, maybe I do." He looked away as though it pained him to say his next words. "Not that it matters. Tara made it clear to me that I'm not the one she wants. She's in love with you and you're about to have a baby together." He shook his head. "I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that one. I'm not sure if I believe this Anubie thing she told me about, but it's obvious somebody out there wants you two to be together. I won't stand in your way."