Chapter Eight

Buffy eyed the large building warily from the backseat of the black town car. It towered above them, foreboding and even darker than the night sky.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" She asked again.

"Yes," the vampire driver answered, starting to sound annoyed. "This is where I was directed to take you, you'll find what you need in the envelope."

Buffy fiddled with the lumpy envelope in her hand, still unsure. The driver, a short bald man, had been waiting for her when she'd arrived at the airport in New Orleans, sent by Sophie-Anne and directed to give her the envelope and take her to this location before their meeting together.

"Are you going to wait here?" Buffy asked. She was supposed to see the Queen in an hour, it seemed like a long time for him to just hang out doing nothing, but she wasn't sure what she was doing here and she didn't really want him to leave.

"No, someone else will be taking you," he answered, sounding relieved at that.

"Oh, okay then…" Buffy said, reluctantly getting out of the car. The driver followed and went around to the trunk where he pulled her two bags out, sat them on the sidewalk, and left without another word.

"Jeez, you'd think I was bad company or something," she pouted, slinging the duffle bag over her shoulder and tugging the suitcase behind her toward the entrance. She stopped in the bright circle provided by the security lighting and looked around. The main door was plain and flat - no windows or decoration. A security camera sat directly above it, making her shift her weight uncomfortably as it stared down at her.

Letting go of her suitcase and opening the envelope, she found a key and four plastic cards. She looked around the entrance door and didn't see a key hole, but finally did spot the card reader. Pulling out the cards, she saw they were different colors and someone had conveniently stuck a post-it on each one with 1, 2, 3 or ELV on it. She stuck number one in the slot and waited for a second, then heard the door locks disengage.

Inside was a plain, dim, gray hallway with no doors except one at the end, about twenty feet away. Two more cameras were in here. Reaching the door, she slid card number two into the reader, passed to the other side and proceeded to do the whole thing one more time.

Talk about paranoid…

Once she was past all the doors she ended up at an elevator. Stepping in slowly and looking around, she was confused not to see any buttons, only another card read. With an "ah ha!" she pulled out the ELV labeled card and stuck it in. The elevator started moving, soft classical music starting up and playing in the background as it went.

Her Slayer senses pinged here and there as she went up, letting her know some supernatural beings were in the building. She wondered what she was doing here. Was she supposed to be seeing someone? Or staying here? Or picking something or someone up? Stuffing the cards in her back pocket, she pulled out the key and looked at it closely. It had an "H" engraved on it and a little blue tassel hanging from it.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, allowing her to cautiously step out into a hall much different from the bare and prison-like ones below. Thick carpeting covered the floor and little tables of fresh flowers popped up periodically down the hall's length. She walked slowly, the luxurious carpet absorbing the sound of her steps and the wheels of her luggage. The paintings that hung on the walls were all interesting and different - no pictures of bowls of fruit or potted flowers. One was of a lighthouse, the brushstrokes heavy and dark. The next a geisha, light and detailed. Buffy found there wasn't one she passed that she didn't like.

So intent on studying the paintings, Buffy almost passed "H" right by. Stopping suddenly, she turned to face the heavy wooden door fully and shuffled her feet a little. Should she knock? She had a key though, didn't that mean she should just go in? Before she could make a decision, the door behind her, "G", opened.

"Hey there, neighbor, good to see you got back in one piece."

Buffy whipped around at the familiar voice and accompanying vampire tingle.

"Rasul? What are you- do you live here?"

"Well, as much as I 'live' anywhere."

"Funny," she said, grinning slightly and rolling her eyes. Her brows snapped down as she suddenly recalled his words. "Wait… did you say 'neighbor'?"

"Uh-huh, welcome home, Buffy," he said in an overly sugared voice.

"Did this happen by accident or are you supposed to be keeping an eye on me?" She asked, starting to feel prickly at the thought of a babysitter.

"Neither, I knew the place across the hall from mine was open so I just recommended it," he said with a shrug. "The building's owned by the queen, so it was an obvious choice anyway."

"Aww, isn't that cute! You missed me!" She said, giving him a huge grin. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

She was actually glad to have him across the hall if this was to be where she'd be staying. Speaking of which… She turned back to the door and used the blue tasseled key to open it.

Inside was… not what she'd been expecting.

From where she was standing, she could only see the living room. Modernly square black couches sat on squat little chrome legs facing a mammoth flat screen. Big chrome lamps and a zebra printed rug added so much testosterone that she thought her living room might actually start flexing and burping. It was the ultimate bachelor pad. For her. Buffy. Buffy in the bachelor pad.

"Who decorated this place?" She asked, unable to look at it any more and turning to back to Rasul.

Rasul coughed and looked away as he pushed his own door open further, revealing a mirror image to her own apartment.

"You bobbsey twinned our apartments?"

"They asked me to take care of it, so I just called the decorator and had them do the same thing over again. It was easier than me going out trying to pick out girly things…"

She shook her head and snorted at his dread of "girly things" and went in, hearing him close his own door and follow her. Leaving her bags in the entrance way, she took a little tour of her new place. The apartment was spacious and very luxurious - Buffy almost groaned out loud in ecstasy when she saw the huge whirlpool tub. Large windows (covered with heavy black curtains courtesy of Rasul's decorator) provided a great view, she guessed she was maybe fifteen or so floors up. But the masculine vibe permeated every room - the king sized bed even had black silk sheets, for god's sake. It wasn't bad, just not her.

Going back into the living room, she saw Rasul on the couch and went over and flopped down next to him.

"Oof," she grunted, as her butt and spine complained. The couch may look sleek and modern, but felt like sitting on a boulder. "I'm a human, Rasul. I have soft parts-"

"Oh, I noticed," he said with a leer.

"-that need cushioning," she finished, glaring at him. "This isn't going to work."

"The couches soften up after some use. But I left the card for the decorators on the table, just call them and have them take back the stuff you don't want," he said, uncaring. "Have them redo it or go pick out stuff yourself. It'll have to stay like it is for now though, we're leaving in fifteen minutes."

Buffy snapped herself out her of her shopping daydreams and looked at the clock - the time she was supposed to be meeting with Sophie-Anne was fast approaching. She grimaced.

"Uh-oh, what did you do?" Rasul asked, leaning forward and grinning.

"Nothing," Buffy said too quickly. "Now get out, I'm not getting a shower while you hang out in here. You have pervy peeper written all over you."

He left with only little complaint, leaving Buffy to get ready. She didn't have time to enjoy the tub like she really wanted to do, but she did hop in the shower, which was big enough for six people and had more settings than she would probably ever use. She wasn't really able to enjoy it though, her stomach was knotted at the thought of facing Sophie-Anne and explaining to her that she'd been… well, less than discreet.

She met Rasul in the hall when she was ready. He was leaning against the wall, dressed in his guard uniform. He tried to pry out of her what had happened on her mission as they rode the elevator down, but she refused to give him anything - both because she wasn't sure if it was against the rules or anything to tell him (all she needed was another way to piss the queen off), and because she didn't want to admit to her unstealthy-like actions.

They exited the building in a different way than she'd come in. They were going to the parking garage this time, Rasul had explained. The security was just as tight as it had been at the entrance, prompting Buffy to ask about it.

"Since the building is owned by Sophie-Anne," Rasul explained as he swiped his first card. "There are a lot of people that work for her in this building."

"Vampires," Buffy said.

"Yes, vampires, who are completely vulnerable during daylight hours and need a secure place to rest. But also regular people, like you, or half demons like Cataliades and his nieces, that might be of interest to enemies of the queen."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," she said, following him through the last door and into the parking garage. "But the doors will only stop them if they don't have the key cards. What if they steal some?"

"Well, they'd have to have all the cards and use them in the right order, firstly," Rasul said, opening Buffy's door for her then going around to the driver's side and getting in. "But also, each of those halls are constantly monitored by camera, which are manned twenty-four hours a day. Should someone not on the approved list of people that should have those cards try to gain entrance, those halls would lock down and… well, certain, rather nasty, security measures would kick in."

Buffy cringed, images of lasers cutting people in half à la Resident Evil running through her head.

"So, did you destroy anything in Dallas? Stake anybody? Blow anything up?" Rasul asked, resuming his questioning now that the building security lesson was over. Luckily, the queen's compound was only a few blocks away so she didn't have to endure it too far. As soon as they pulled past the gate, he snapped into professional guard Rasul mode and stopped pestering her, which was a little creepy, but welcome.

When they arrived at the same room she'd visited before, he gave her a little smile and a nod, waiting in the hall as she went in. Sophie-Anne was once again behind the grand desk, looking just as perfect and professional as before. Looking at her in her severe gray suit with her serious expression, hair pulled back into a sleek bun, Buffy wondered what would happen if you took all that away. Put her in jeans and a t-shirt, messed up her hair and took away the heavy presence of a vampire that had been around for centuries on top of centuries.

She'd look like a high school girl at her father's desk, Buffy realized. Instead of finding it funny, she just found it sad.

"Tell me of Dallas," Sophie-Anne said, leaning back in her chair and focusing her attention strictly on Buffy.

So Buffy squared her shoulders and did. And she left nothing out. Okay, she left out that the blond vamp she'd run into was way hot and that she had a really steamy dream about him. And she left out the punning - that was a kinda 'you had to be there' thing. But other than that she gave the Queen the full story, deciding it was better to just get it all over with at once than to have her find out from someone else down the line.

"So, after I specifically told you to remain inconspicuous, you were seen by multiple Fellowship of the Sun members and the director himself, Steve Newlin. You were also seen by Sookie Stackhouse, whom you gave your actual name to, and two vampires. Three if you count the one that met the sun," she reiterated flatly. "And you set fire to the house next-door to Stan Davis's."

"Well, I didn't really start the-"

"You were also caught on tape by the security cameras at The Silent Shore," Sophie-Anne interrupted, withdrawing a folder from her desk drawer and pulling out a still frame taken from said camera of Buffy's rental car. Funny, she didn't remember it looking so banged up… "The footage didn't show a clear shot of you, but it was enough for them to track the rental car - a rental car that you destroyed, by the way, and I had to pay for - to Sunshine Smith. That alias is now useless."

"Oh, no more Sunshine, huh? What a shame," Buffy said, trying to keep a contrite look on her face.

Sophie-Anne stared at her blankly, not at all amused. Buffy gave a sheepish shrug. After a moment more of uncomfortable silence, the Queen sighed slightly and leaned back in her chair.

"But you did keep the telepath from dying at the hands of the Sun. And you kept the Renouncer from giving them the publicity they wanted. Plus you kept them from attacking Stan Davis's headquarters, though that probably would've made martyrs of them, giving him more power. He, I'm sure would've liked that, but I'm quite satisfied with the outcome."

Buffy gave out a gusty sigh of relief.

"Two nights from now I'll be attending a masquerade ball hosted by the King of Arkansas, Peter Threadgood," she went on. "You'll be attending as well."

"I will?" Buffy asked in confusion. "I thought I was supposed to be secret girl?"

"You are. There will be many people there, humans as well as vampires, and, being a masquerade, you'll be in costume and not easily identified."

"Okay, what exactly am I supposed to be doing there?" Buffy asked, reeling.

Part of her was excited. A ball! A masquerade ball! She was already picturing big fancy dresses and the little masks you hold up on the stick. So cool… But the part of her that was changed into an 18th century girl one Halloween was less than enthused.

"Threadgood and I are in talks regarding a marriage union."

"Oh, um, congratulations?" Buffy asked, taken off guard and snapping her attention back to the queen. Married? Really? Vampires did that?

"It is a business venture, not a love match. It would greatly strengthen our two kingdoms should we join forces. Unfortunately, I'm not sure of his intentions. I'd like you to see if you have any luck finding them out."

"Well, his intentions are kinda obvious. Both of you are marrying for power. I mean, that's why the two of you are getting together, right? So, if you already know that, what else could I possibly find?"

"That he means to sabotage or kill me."

"Oh. I guess that'd be nice to know," Buffy said dumbly. "I don't see how I can find anything like that though. I doubt they'll be talking about stuff like that out in the open."

"Like I said before, vampires underestimate humans, especially women. They won't be as guarded around you."

Buffy went still and stiff as an ugly thought occurred to her. "If you're implying that I let these guys bite or screw me to get information for you, I'll tell you right now, not happening."

"That would be the easiest way, but I'm sure it's not the only one. I'll leave how you get the information up to you. Just make sure that you do indeed get it."

There was more than a hint of a threat in Sophie-Anne's last words.


Eric watched the goings on in his bar with a scowl. He imagined he must look quite frightening, as he'd been approached by far less vermin this night, but for once he didn't care about appearances.

He wanted information and he wanting it now.

He'd gone out to look for the mystery woman after he could safely do so without drawing attention to himself. He'd found nothing. He knew Davis's people were looking into it as well, but they were being remarkably close-lipped about it - having had a traitor in their midst had made them much more cautious.

Pam's approach drew him out of his thoughts. The horrid black dress she wore when she was on the bar floor floated around her as she made her way towards him, drawing appreciative glances from the majority of the patrons.

"Have you found anything yet?" He asked immediately as she sat down.

"Stan Davis's people were able to get the surveillance footage from when she dropped off Sookie. They've tracked the car to a rental agency, who have the girl listed as 'Sunshine Smith' from Miami."

Despite his foul mood, Eric couldn't help but to smirk at the moniker. "Sunshine" indeed.

"Have you spoken to Rammerstein?"

"Yes, he may be the best but he's still an idiot," Pam said, curling her lip. "He said he couldn't work on the search for us now because he was already working on one for the Queen herself. Also being under Sophie-Anne's rule, he felt perfectly comfortable with sharing his current work with me. We must remember not to give him important information if that is the way he behaves with it." When Eric waved her on impatiently, she continued. "She has him searching for anything on a petite, blond named 'Buffy' with exceptional fighting skills."

"Buffy and Sunshine," Eric said, leaning back in his chair with a humorless smirk. "Aliases then."

"Seems that way."

"So we're no closer than we were before…"

"Why were you there? In Dallas?"

Eric blinked and raised an eyebrow. "To make sure things went smoothly and that Davis didn't kill Sookie and Bill should things have gone badly. You know this."

"But you didn't ask permission from the Queen. No one knew you were going."

"That's correct," Eric answered slowly, eyes narrowing as he wondered where she was going with this line of thought.

"Is it too much to assume the girl might have been there for the same purpose? Sent to do what you were already secretly doing?

"You think she works for Sophie-Anne?" Eric asked, surprised.

"We've both had our suspicions on Bill's association with Sookie - that the Queen might have ordered him to her. If she would go to that length to secure her talent, then wouldn't she want to make sure it's kept safe?"

"I suppose she would at that…" Eric said, thoughts whirling. "Your devious mind never ceases to amaze me."

"I learned from the best," she said, flashing him a dangerous grin. "And if she is working for the Queen-"

"-then she'll probably be in Arkansas," Eric finished. "Looks like I'll be attending Threadgood's masquerade this year."

"It's rumored that the queen and Threadgood are negotiating a marriage contract," Pam said, sending a warning snarl at an approaching fangbanger and sending him scurrying away.

"So I've heard," Eric said, tapping a finger on the table and feeling better now that he had a course of action. "It would be powerful arrangement, but Threadgood isn't to be given trust lightly."

"All the more reason for your little blond to be there."

"'My little blond', I like that…"

"It's always the blonds with you," she said, shaking her head and getting to her feet.

"It's because they taste the best," he grinned.

"They also always cause you the most tribulations," she said. "Didn't you almost get staked in Rome because of a blond? And blown up in Madagascar? And didn't you go over that cliff in Spain because-"

The cordless Fangtasia business phone Pam carried with her began to ring, cutting off her list of his missteps, but also preventing his rebuttal. There were perfectly good reasons for all of those events...

She answered it, looking far to smug for his liking.

"He is," Pam replied to the person on the other ends inquiry, then handed the phone to him without another word.

"I am here," he answered.

"And I am here," Sookie said on the other end, making him grin. Despite his newest fascination, Sookie was still entertaining. And she proved it once more as she went on, explaining how she needed an escort to an orgy of all things. An orgy where vampires weren't invited and he wouldn't actually get to have any sex. Oh, and he should pretend to be gay while attending as well.

Orgy with Sookie or hunting and espionage at a masquerade…

Eric weighed his options carefully, then his eyes landed on Pam, watching as her lip pulled back in disgust while a large sweaty fangbanger kissed her shoes.

Hmm, how about a little payback while he went to the masquerade.

"My apologies, Sookie, as much fun as going to an orgy with you sounds, I'll have to decline. I'm going out of town and have some last minute arrangements to take care of. But Pam will be there," Eric said with a smirk. "I'm sure there's nothing she'd rather do than go to a human orgy with you."