7

"State your name and business."

The guard at the end of King Bill's drive was clothed head to toe in black, and was most definitely human. He was vicious looking with his automatic rifle and his headset that had an attachment for a night vision targeting sight. Though big and formidable, he would be nothing next to Eric. The fact that Eric was speaking to him from inside a vehicle disguised the vampire's lethality, and made the guard cocky.

"Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5. I'm here to report to the King a mission status."

"And the fangbanger's name is?"

The guard's head was through the window faster than I could see Eric move. The guards at the gate sprung into action, their guns pointed directly into the car.

"This woman is my fiancée, not some classless trashy fangbanger. You will apologize to her immediately, or those words will have been your last."

"Then the rest of the guard will light this car up like the Fourth of July." the man gasped. I sat quietly, shaking in terror of both Eric and the numerous guns pointed toward me.

From the man's headset a tiny voice could be heard in the silence that followed.

"Make your apology, Mr. Tucker, and let Mr. Northman's car pass. Report to your superior immediately after."

"Yes, Your Highness." the man choked out. "I apologize, ma'am, sir. I beg your forgiveness."

Eric released the man, not at all gently, and the man backed away from the car. The guards removed their aim from the car and stepped back. The driver, who had remained completely nonchalant about the whole situation, drove the car on through the gate and up the winding gravel drive under the moss laden trees that framed the lane.

"That's a beautiful house."

The house that came into view was indeed beautiful. The antebellum mansion was lit up from the outside to simulate sunlight, I assumed. There were two full length porches along the front of the house, looking much like the typical Southern pre-War mansion portrayed in modern movies. It looked that way because that was what it was, but that did not make it any less lovely.

"I hate it." Eric said.

"What? Why?"

"Because it where Bill lives."

"You vampires like to hold your grudges." Eric smirked.

"We have infinite time, and memories as long. There is little to amuse us as long or as effectively as a good grudge."

"That's a valid point, I will admit. I still think you all should find a new hobby. Animal preservation. Beach cleanup. Bingo."

I laughed at my own suggestion. The image of Eric playing bingo was as hilarious as it was ludicrous.

Eric thought that my suggestions were pretty farfetched as well, supplying a short chuckle. He placed my hand on his arm and led me up the steps of the old home. The doors were opened for us by the guards at the door, revealing the interior.

The house's decoration was a major let down. Instead of a cozy, country design like the style of the house necessitated, the interior was decorated from top to bottom in a modern, urban loft style. The urban décor did not fit the home at all, and the wall paper and furniture chosen were ghastly. The art alone was enough to make a traditionalist like myself cringe.

"Ick." I said. Eric smirked.

"Ick." he agreed. Like me, Eric preferred traditional design, though he was much more partial to bright, jewel tones whereas I preferred lighter, less loud neutrals.

"Will it be all right if I wait out here while you talk to the King?" I asked Eric, indicating the stiff looking bench seat sitting beside the double doors that were clearly where the King was greeting his visitors. The two extra large vampire guards gave it away.

"Like I'd miss the look on Bill's face when he realizes that it was you that put him in his place earlier."

"It's not nice to treat your boss like that." I teased. Boss or not, Eric loved a good comeuppance.

"But it is so satisfying."

Little time was spent waiting, as just then the double doors sprung open. A young looking male vampire with very red hair stormed out, managing to nod his head deferentially at Eric when their eyes met as he passed on his way out the front door. I took that as a sign that the king was not a kind and benevolent leader.

I kept my head up and my spine straight, determined to look proud and strong even if inside I felt like a puddle of melted gelatin. Eric released my hand where I had been clutching it. He meant nothing by it, I knew; he clasped his hands in front of him, to at least give an appearance of professionalism while in the presence of the King.

For some reason, the thought 'I'm glad I shaved my legs before we left' crossed my mind. Though completely strange and inappropriate, the thought inserted a bit of levity into my tense form, and I relaxed a little.

"Eric, I'm glad to see you." said King Bill as he came to stand in the doorway. He was a short man, making him look even more so while standing before Eric. The inappropriate giggle in my chest nearly jumped up into my throat before I could get a handle on it. King Bill was utterly ridiculous in his neutral grey three piece suit and equally preposterous paisley patterned tie, looking much like the little boy dressed up for holiday photos by a too-conservative mother. "Please, come in."

"Thank you." replied Eric, following Bill into his office. I came in behind Eric, since he had asked me to earlier, and since King Bill had once again neglected his manners.

"To what do I owe this visit?" asked Bill after he came to stand behind his desk. He did not invite us to sit; he wanted to make this visit a very quick one.

"I am here, Your Majesty," began Eric, his voice dripping with sarcasm though I could tell he was doing his best to hold it back, "to inform you that the deed you requested of me has been fulfilled. The Merlotte family sends their thanks and regards."

"I had thought that you would have made all haste away from Bon Temps."

"There is another matter I would like to discuss with you."

"Oh?"

I shared Bill's surprise. I had figuratively dragged Eric here. He had done the task Bill had set him; what else could he have up his sleeve? I let my face remain emotionless, which Bill had not. His small face had wrinkled up as his eyebrows moved upward in surprise. I decided that I did not at all find King Bill handsome.

"The way that you addressed my fiancée today was unacceptable. She handled your ill behavior with as much grace and diplomacy as the situation called for, but I find myself unsatisfied. I want you to apologize to her personally, and with sincerity."

This time my shock was not so easily concealed, and the same could be said of the king. I didn't know much of vampire politics, but I knew it was plain stupid for Eric to address him in the manner that he had so done.

King Bill was shocked for a much different reason.

"Fiancée?" The way that this king was conveying his shock was downright rude, and incensing. Try as I might to stand quietly beside Eric and let him handle this business with this superior, I found that my mouth was going to have its way with me, as it usually did in response to rudeness.

"Yes, I am his fiancée." My voice held a coldness quite similar to Eric's, offset by the fire raging behind my eyes. For the first time that evening, the small vampire king turned his eyes to me. "I would greatly appreciate it if you could at least recall some tiny semblance of human respect, King Bill, and take a millisecond out of your infinite timeline to at least properly address me. I am sure that you are used to treating the majority of your human guests as second class citizens, but I will assure you that you will refrain from doing the same with me. Please, close your mouth; your shock is not so great as to leave your jaw slack. Surely, the notion that Eric would find another romantic companion would have crossed your mind- unless you are so blinded by petty revenge tactics as to allow such oversight." Caught off guard by my frankness, the king's jaw closed. "Thank you. Now, if Eric is finished here for the evening, and you are not going to at least have the courtesy to address me at all, I would very much like for the two of us to take our leave of your ill-mannered company and the garish chaos you perceive to be décor, since I am afraid that the combination of both are causing me great agitation. Eric, are we through here?"

"We shall be, as soon as the King issues his apology to you." His face was the stoic mask of professionalism he wore when working, but I could see the sparkle of laughter dancing in his eyes. Of the three of us, he was the only one enjoying himself, if only slightly. "Your Highness?"

King Bill took a few seconds to regroup, shaking his head in the most infinitesimal of ways before straightening his spine.

"Please, let's begin again." He said to me, coming around the desk, and actually offering me his hand. The gesture brought Eric's eyebrow up slightly, and he watched closely as I shook hands with Bill to make sure that his grasp was appropriately soft. "It's nice to meet you- I am Bill Compton, King of Louisiana."

"It is a pleasure, sir. I am Lotus Smithson." Both of our pleasantries were somewhat poisonously delivered, but we tolerated the other since whatever was coming next seemed to be of importance.

King Bill invited me to sit, along with Eric, who declined so that he could stand beside me while I took the chair, and rested his big hand on my shoulder.

"Now, it was you to whom I spoke to earlier in the evening, correct?"

"Yes, it was."

"You have no problem putting a person in their place, I have noticed, no matter that person's status. Is this a consistent trait of yours?"

"It is. I have no qualms knocking someone down a peg when they are in the wrong. I would correct the President of the United States if the case warranted."

"I do believe it." Bill actually grinned. I found his smirk repulsive, especially when I mentally compared it with Eric's. "It's quite interesting that you would mention the President, however, Miss Smithson. There is-"

"No." Eric's voice rumbled from above me, and his hand gripped my shoulder in a way that I could only believe was possessive. "It is out of the question." He was glaring death at the King, which only peaked my interest. However, if Eric was opposed to whatever King Bill had been about to say, no matter how curiosity ate at me, I wouldn't undermine him in front of his superior.

"With your fiancée's obviously fierce desire to operate within accepted polite parameters, Eric, I believe it is for her to decide."

The air between them was all but whirling with tension as they sat there engaged in a silent power struggle, and my desire to know what in the world was going on won out over my desire to not undermine Eric. I reached up to where Eric's hand sat gripping my shoulder and squeezed it. He broke eye contact with the king to look down at me.

"I'd like to hear what he has to say, Eric." My tone was a carefully chosen neutral, so that I did not sound like I was demanding anything of him, but allowed me to keep my dignity, as well, since I wasn't asking him for permission. Eric looked at me for a long moment before he spoke.

"Of course. Please, continue, King Bill."

"Thank you, Eric." Bill looked smug, and continued what he had been about to say before Eric had interrupted him. "There is going to be quite the social function- I don't know what it would be called these days. A gala, perhaps?- at the end of next month, hosted by the President himself at the White House for all the vampire monarchs to encourage the meshing of the two governments."

"That will happen." Eric added, his sarcasm as thick as hand churned butter.

"Hardly, but showing goodwill toward the human government is still a wise move." Eric nodded his agreement. "Miss Smithson, you have shown me this very evening in no uncertain terms that I am not prepared for a function of this caliber. The limits of human manners seem to have surpassed me in the time that I have been a vampire. Between now and the gala, I would like to hire you as my personal human manners coach."

"Pardon me?" It was my turn for my eyebrows to jump upward. Whatever I had expected the vampire king to say, it had not been that.

"Hiring you to be my human manners coach would be the best move I could make. I am a dominating man, Miss Smithson, as my old-fashioned rearing molded me, and it takes one of strong character and even stronger mind to change the way I do things. In both of our brief conversations this evening, you have bent me to your will, though I fought it, with very little effort from yourself. For me to act more like a human at this most important function, I need a tutor of whom I can be sure will not be intimidated by me, and thusly, do a subpar job of re-training me. You, Miss Smithson, will not be a subpar teacher, of this I am sure."

"Indeed, I will not. However, if I am to even consider your suggestion, I need to know what gains I will take from this union." Eric's quick pressure on my shoulder told me that I had said the right thing.

"You will be paid, of course, quite handsomely. I will also need you to accompany me to this function, so you will get to attend the historic first meeting of human and vampire governments. This will make you an important person in the kingdom's affairs, therefore, you will have the best protection money can buy. All your expenses will be covered- air fare, room and board, and a clothing allowance."

"Unfortunately, King Bill," I said, "I do not trust your guards to protect me, especially after the incident tonight at your front gate. There is only one person I trust to protect me, and I think you know who that would be."

"Naturally." King Bill replied. "Eric would be most welcome to accompany you. In fact, he would be an asset. Yes… Even the First Lady would not be immune to Eric's charms."

I giggled at the vision put into my head by King Bill's words. He was right; Eric would certainly be a useful man to have along at this kind of meeting.

The phone on the king's desk beeped quietly several times, obviously a message from his secretary.

"I shall inform you of Lotus's decision within the next few days, Your Highness." Eric said, removing his hand from my shoulder and offering it to me. I took it and found my feet.

"Yes, please do. I will be anxiously waiting for your call." replied the small man. He showed us to the door, remembering his manners and thanking us for our visit and bidding us a good evening. There were several vampires and one kept human waiting in the entrance outside the double doors, including Jessica. She had removed her hostess uniform in favor of casual clothing, which did not endear her to me anymore; she was entirely too pretty. Waving at us with vamp speed was her way of acknowledging us before she skipped the others who waited in line to see the king, who ignored the fact that his progeny cut in line, and saw her next.

I couldn't relax even after we left the king's property, and I asked the driver to pull over. Eric didn't say a word as I got out of the car and headed for the line of trees along the roadside. He must have been sensing my restlessness through the blood bond we shared.

Though he didn't speak, he followed me as I tramped through the woods, tripping and stumbling more than once over the unkempt undergrowth in my less than appropriate footwear. My feet were beginning to ache pretty badly when I noticed that the trees ahead had light behind them. I exited the woods into a little cemetery mostly populated by antebellum headstones looming between the draping Spanish moss like ghosts.

I found a mossy spot under the tree in the middle of the graveyard and collapsed there, exhausted.

"Feel better?" Eric asked, sitting beside me, barely making any noise as he did so.

"A little." I said. Eric's hands slid down my legs to my feet. He slipped my shoes off, and stilled.

"We've had an eventful night." He said simply. I agreed, but said nothing more. We watched the fireflies dance in the fronds of the moss hanging above me like stars let loose from their tethers. I think I fell asleep there, because when I woke it was after noon and I was in the bed in my apartment. Eric wasn't there, since my apartment wasn't light tight, but he had left me a note on the counter bar telling me to look in the freezer. He had made me my favorite emotional overload snack- spinach and artichoke dip. His thoughtfulness made me happy and sad all at once, so I nuked the dip in the microwave and got my chips, tissues, blanket and television remote ready and settled in to watch sad television shows and have a good cry while I crunched undeserving tortilla chips.