When Peggy awoke, she was alone and it felt very late. How long had she been sleeping? A glance at the clock told her it was nearly four in the morning. Where was Eric? She hoped he hadn't done anything stupid with that amulet while she was asleep. A chill of worry shivered across her skin – this was the first time in weeks that Eric hadn't woken her up right at sunset.

Why had she told him she loved him?

Because she did. But telling him? That didn't serve any purpose except to remind her that he didn't feel the same in return.

Or maybe he did – but that was almost worse. Nothing could ever come of it. Her lifespan was so short, and vampires rarely loved others of their own kind, so for him to make her a vampire would be shooting their relationship in the foot.

Peggy sighed.

Dressed in her long, white lace nightgown, she slipped from the bed and padded barefoot down the grand staircase. She didn't realize how tense and nervous she was until she saw Eric sitting on the couch in the living room. Safe. Present. He was staring in preoccupation at the amulet, which lay on the coffee table in front of him. He was wearing the driving gloves – clearly he had retrieved it from her clothing while she slept. He was also wearing a very ugly white turtleneck and she wondered what he'd been thinking when he got dressed.

He didn't look up when she stepped into the doorway, so she stood there looking at him, observing him. He was almost unbearably handsome, with his big, muscular body and pale blond hair. So very different from Godric, who had been small and dark. She couldn't imagine Godric making this large man a vampire, but he had, and the pair of them had spent many years in each other's company.

What had their relationship been? Centuries of love and faith, they both had told her. Could she share that with Eric, if her were to… to…

Did she want that?

Oh, yes. She did.

Not the time to ponder it.

"Eric." His name was barely more than a whisper. He lifted his head in her direction, but she got the feeling that he wasn't really looking at her. "Eric!"

"Yes?"

He was utterly blank. Utterly without emotion. He was every inch a vampire, and everything that drew her to him was missing. Seeing him like this was painful, and she knew it was the fault of the amulet.

"Are you all right?" she asked, mostly because she wasn't sure what else to say.

"I am fine."

"I don't believe you." Peggy crossed the room towards him. She would get rid of the damn thing herself. Before she could reach it, Eric grabbed her wrist.

"No."

Peggy glared at him. "It's too dangerous, Eric."

He chuckled coldly. "The worst it can do is kill me. Again."

"Maybe I don't want you to be killed! And I know that you don't want you to be killed! Is it worth risking your life over?"

"How else can I know if it works?" he asked calmly. He was still holding onto her wrist so that she couldn't reach the necklace.

"What if all it does is make you sick?" she asked softly.

"You are concerned," Eric said, tilting his golden head slightly.

"Of course I'm concerned!"

"You meant what you said last night, didn't you?" he asked softly.

"Which thing?"

"That you love me."

Peggy felt her cheeks flame scarlet. Well, why not. It was the truth and it certainly couldn't make his hold over her any tighter than it already was. She nodded. "Yes."

"That is rather satisfying," he said with some amusement, and she wanted to sock him in the stomach.

Well, what did she expect? That he would say it back? He wasn't capable of love. That was a fact he would gladly brag about. He had said he cared for her, and that had to be enough. It was all there was. She belonged to him and he was possessive of her. Surely she could take pride in that. If he really, really hadn't wanted her he could have gotten rid of her, regardless of Godric's wishes.

After all, Godric was gone forever.

Peggy's knees buckled. Sensing that she was about to fall over, Eric drew her back against him. She relaxed into his embrace, and he held her.

"You said the shifters put the pendant around your neck," Eric said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Peggy said, both angry and relieved that he had changed the subject.

"And nothing happened… nothing at all?"

"Nothing. But I'm not a vampire, Eric."

"True. Not yet, at least."

"Are you inclined to make me one?" she asked sarcastically.

"I might be. There are many good reasons for me to do it."

"Such as you would have kept your word to Godric, and yet you would be free of me."

"Free of you?" Eric asked, sounding confused.

"I would be strong enough to look after myself."

"That doesn't mean I would let you go."

"Eric, I know that vampires rarely stay together," Peggy said in a near-whisper. "I can't blame you. Who would want someone else to have power over them… forever?"

"Someone who is in love, perhaps," Eric said.

Peggy turned and looked directly into his eyes. They were deliciously, enticingly blue, and yet, she could not fathom them. "You already have power over me."

"Oh, I know," he said lazily, and stroked her hair.

"So why even consider—"

"Silly woman," he said, and then he kissed her. It was a long, hard kiss that went on and on, until Peggy thought her clothes would catch on fire. "But now is not the time for that talk. We have another matter at hand."

They both looked at the necklace.

"Putting that on will make you sick," she pointed out.

"Maybe only until I go into the sunlight…" Eric said stubbornly.

"Then you won't notice the sickness while you're catching on fire."

"It will protect me from the daylight!"

"So you think! But so far it hasn't done you a bit of good!"

"I am going to try it today, at dawn," he said stubbornly.

Peggy paled. "Please, Eric. Please don't."

They argued about it for another hour, until finally he began to kiss her, drawing her down onto the couch. She knew it was a diversionary tactic, but she let him. After all, how could she resist? As they made love, she knew he kept glancing at the necklace, as if it might go off on its own while he was seducing her. She wished to hell that it would. And then she thought about nothing but his skilled hands, his hard center, and the pleasure that he gave her so generously.

Lying dazed, bruised, and bitten on the couch, she could only watch as he dressed. Dawn was nearing, and tears streamed from her eyes as she realized that she couldn't stop him.

"What if it works?" he insisted. "I could take you out to lunch."

"That is not important to me!"

He chuckled. "Maybe I should give this to Bill. I know that's what Sookie wants."

"I'm used to the darkness."

Eric reached out and stroked her cheek with a bare hand, then put on the driving gloves. "Come with me to the door. You can push me back inside, like you did last night, if I catch on fire."

"It's not funny, Eric."

"I am not laughing."

Peggy got up and pulled her white lace nightgown back on. "I should let you burn."

"You would not do that."

"More fool I."

Eric smiled, but the smile became a grimace when he picked up the necklace. The silver affected him immediately, and Peggy bit her lip. She realized the purpose of the ugly turtleneck, then. At least the damned thing wouldn't touch his skin.

Rather than just heading for the door, Eric put the pendant over his head and around his neck. Peggy held her breath. He looked like he was going to vomit. Then it got worse.

The fabric of the turtleneck caught fire. Eric ripped it off and cast it aside, looking alarmed. However, the second the necklace touched his bare flesh, it began sinking into him. Eric began to sputter and choke, dropping to his knees. Peggy threw herself forward, grabbing at the chain. She ripped hard, and the metal, already dissolving into Eric's skin, broke. The pendant itself clattered to the floor, but Peggy saw only about half of it was left, and it looked melted. The rest was inside him… poisoning him.

Eric shuddered, then fell to the floor, still.