"Hello, my darling," said Christopher Santiago, lifting his top hat to Peggy. He sat on the front step of Sam Merlotte's trailer, looking out of place in his evening clothes. His dark hair fell in shiny waves around his sharp-featured, intelligent face and his expression was wily enough to make her wary of this trickster vampire who had kept her from death by giving her his blood.

"Sookie wouldn't let you in?" Peggy asked.

Christopher sighed dramatically. "The waitress does not trust me."

"She's wise," said Peggy. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you."

"Really. Then why didn't you come to my house?"

"I knew you would be here."

"And how did you know that, Christopher?"

"We have a bond, pretty Margaret. You know that."

Peggy laughed and shook her head. "You never change. How are you? You haven't answered my calls in a year."

"I know. I'm very sorry," said Christopher, not sounding terribly sorry at all. "I was depressed."

"And now? Are you over Simone?"

"I suppose I still hope he will talk to me."

"He's not here." Anne Marie had told Peggy that her brother had moved on to Las Vegas.

Christopher's lips twisted in a pout. "He was. I know he was."

Peggy nodded. She felt sorry for him, in a way. She knew that Christopher loved deeply, but his wild and wily ways often caused his lovers to abandon him. They just didn't understand him, she thought. She did… but her heart belonged to Eric. Peggy beamed as it came to her. Eric. She did love Eric. Nothing had changed. Her feelings for Bill… well, although under other circumstances it might have blossomed into something real, Eric had proved himself to her. He still wanted her, still loved her.

"Will you follow him?"

"You mean, if you tell me where he went?"

"Yes," Peggy said shortly, though she wasn't sure she meant to do so. Christopher nodded.

"I suppose that would be foolish. I ought to let him go. After all, I have eternity for him to return."

"Will he?"

"Sometimes they do."

"Christopher."

"All right. I suppose I shouldn't expect him to." He sighed. "It just seemed different with Simone. I thought I had done everything right this time. And I thought… he had accepted me as I am."

Had they been human, Peggy would have hugged him. She felt pity for him in that moment.

"I accept you as you are," she said shortly.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "You always did. But even though you are my blood, you were never mine. I don't care to fight the Viking for you, especially when I know you belong with the big lug."

Peggy couldn't help but smile. "Do I?"

"Yes. However, we have more to deal with now than your angsty heart."

"Such as?" Peggy had an idea, of course, but she wanted to know what Christopher knew.

"A mad bomber at Fangtasia."

"What do you know about that?"

"You'll be surprised!"

"Fantastic. Tell me."

"There's more…"

"Is there?"

"There are two large alligators in the grass behind the trailer."

Peggy laughed. "I'm not surprised."

"Shifters, then."

"Are you reading my mind?" she asked.

"If only I could. I know this is Puss's trailer. Her whole family travels on four legs. But gators? How déclassé."

"I wouldn't let her hear you say that, Christopher."

He laughed. "I suppose not. Anyway, they won't eat the baby, I would fathom. Or Madame Compton."

"No," said Peggy, "But they might take a chomp at you."

"I am delicious," Christopher admitted.

"I don't doubt it." Peggy had had enough banter. She brushed past him and knocked on the door to the trailer. Sookie yanked it open.

"You can come in," she told Peggy as Santiago stood up. "He can't."

"He won't harm anyone," Peggy said and Christopher attempted to look harmless.

"Sorry," said Sookie. Peggy shrugged as she followed her friend inside, leaving her maker on the porch. Sookie closed the door in his face. Peggy winced as she felt his irritation. "I don't trust him."

"Nobody does," said Peggy, "Do you know there are two alligators behind the trailer?"

"Yes," said Sookie, "Anne Marie's brothers."

"Sookie, Christopher knows who bombed Fangtasia."

"Well, who was it?"

"He didn't tell me. Can we let him in?"

Sookie opened the door again. Christopher was leaning against the door frame, looking annoyed. "Who set the bomb?"

"How's Bill?" Christopher asked.

Sookie slammed the door again. Peggy shook her head. "Sookie!"

"Well…"

"Well. I need to know who set the bomb and stop them before they hurt Eric. You need to talk to Bill before you lose him. Christopher needs to get over Simone Boudreaux. And those gators need to go home."

"That about sums it up," Sookie agreed.

"How's Belle?"

"She's fine. Sleeping."

"Good. Can we let Christopher in? It's going to take a lot of wheedling now to get him to tell me who set the damn bomb."

Sookie considered. "I'm not sure Sam or Anne Marie would want to give him access to their house. Let's go sit on the porch and talk."

Peggy nodded. "All right."

She opened the door again. Christopher had a girl on his lap, and was kissing her fiercely. She had long, rippling dark hair and smelled like honey. She wore a brown pantsuit that looked expensive, but her clothes were only a footnote. Peggy's fangs sprang out at the scent of her.

"If you bring the baby out to see me, you can taste me," the girl whispered to Christopher, but the words didn't escape Peggy's sharp hearing.

"Try and stop me," Christopher growled.

"Oh, I can stop you. I can stop you dead."

"Who the hell are you?" Sookie demanded.

The girl slithered off of Santiago's lap and stood up. She bowed to Peggy and Sookie. "My name is Caroline. Why don't you bring little Belle out to see me?"

"Can I taste you if I do?" Peggy asked, intrigued.

"Of course."

"Peggy, no! What are you doing?" Sookie demanded. "We're not bringing Belle out to meet a stranger!"

"She's a fairy," said Christopher. He reached for Caroline but she chuckled and moved away.

"You need to leave," Sookie told Caroline.

"Make me," Caroline simpered. She laughed again, and Peggy found herself laughing as well. Christopher laughed along with them. She smelled so yummy, Peggy thought. Even better than that bitch, Elise.

A low rumble echoed through the yard. Peggy had never heard such a noise before, but it was easy to connect it to where it had come from. Two alligators over ten feet in length slithered into the yard. The fairy's eyes grew round. She took a few steps backwards, stumbling slightly.

"Bad dogs!" she squealed.

The gators began to move faster, and the fairy turned and ran. Peggy had never known how fast gators could move, but she learned now, and quite honestly, she was impressed. The girl disappeared into the woods and the gators followed. A moment later, Christopher shook his head, and Peggy felt her mind clear. She realized then how much like drugs fairies were to them, to vampires.

"I wasn't really going to give her the baby," Christopher said to Sookie, spreading his hands and smiling benevolently. Sookie slapped him across the face. "Well, it was her who set the bomb," Christopher said, rubbing his cheek. This time, Peggy slapped him, and he went flying backwards off of the porch into the dirt.

Somehow his top hat stayed on.