"Simone wants to stay with us in Bon Temps while he recovers," Eric told Peggy. "I agreed to this."

Peggy's mouth dropped open in surprise. She had been waiting for Eric in one of the bedrooms in Santiago's apartment, enjoying her moment of quiet alone beneath the green velvet blanket, in soft Egyptian cotton sheets. Christopher really did have marvelous taste.

"Is Christopher going to be staying with us as well?"

Eric began taking his clothes off, and Peggy was so distracted by the sight of his magnificent body that she almost forgot what they were talking about.

"No," Eric replied shortly.

"No?"

He turned and looked at her, arching an eyebrow. "It seems that Simone would like some time away from Christopher."

"And does Christopher want this as well?" Peggy asked.

Eric smirked slightly and Peggy fought to keep from smacking him much the same as she was fighting to keep from launching herself at his delicious nudity. "Christopher would prefer to keep Simone with him."

"And Simone doesn't want that?"

Eric lifted the blanket and slipped into the sheets beside Peggy. His hands began to wander over her body immediately, and she was glad that she hadn't bothered with a nightgown. She also knew that Eric was trying to distract her from the conversation.

"Eric…"

"Yes, Margaret, my darling?" He began kissing her throat. "I wonder if you're well enough for me to… bite… you…"

Peggy arched her back. She felt her own fangs descend as rapidly as her body pulsed with the sexual desire that Eric so easily inspired in her. She wanted to bite him just as badly.

"I am feeling quite well," she whispered. "Are you?"

"Oh, yes." And if she weren't certain, his wellness pressed against her thigh. She slipped her hand down to stroke him and Eric moaned in a rather satisfactory manner.

"Simone's leaving Christopher."

The cold thought put only the smallest damper on Peggy's ardor, but Eric made a frustrated sound as her fingers stopped moving.

"Can we talk about it tomorrow night?" he asked.

"I think we need to talk about it now." Peggy withdrew her hands and Eric, with a growl, reluctantly let go of her and sat up.

"Simone is a bit…petulant… that Christopher did not find him sooner," Eric said gently.

"He can't blame Christopher for that! You know he left no stone unturned! He was broken by the thought that something might have happened to Simone," Peggy said.

"I think you give your Maker too much credit," Eric replied flatly, folding his arms across his chest. "He thought Simone had left, so he did not search for him thoroughly."

"Simone's not thinking clearly."

"No," Eric agreed, "He had been starved for two months. You would not be, either."

The thought reverberated through her as strongly as it had in the graveyard. "It could have been us in that tomb, Eric!"

"We had more resources than those unfortunates," Eric said. "Did you know, they were all Christopher's? All of them. They had no connection to another vampire, no Progeny of their own and no way to call their Maker. If that idiot V dealer had taken one of us with more power sooner than he did, the others would have been saved sooner. They were lucky he did not leave them out in the sun when he was done with them."

"Poor Christopher," Peggy whispered. "It is not his fault!"

Eric shrugged. "Maybe not."

"Simone should give him another chance!"

"Margaret," Eric said gently, sliding closer to her again, "We cannot interfere. I have agreed to look after Simone while he recovers, and you can use that time to badger him senseless about Santiago if that is what you wish to do."

Peggy glared at Eric, but she also let him take her into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. It did not take long before his fingers had wandered to a sensitive point and were drawing it to attention. She tried to think as the pleasure washed through her, but like Eric, thinking was growing harder and harder.

She looked into Eric's eyes, fathomless blue, oceans of time washing inside of them. She knew that he was right. It broker her heart that Simone no longer loved Christopher Santiago, but she also knew that Christopher would survive this. Maybe the rift would be mended between them… or maybe Christopher would simply return to his rakehell ways.

"I love you, Eric," she said. "I do not ever wish to feel apart from you again!"

He nodded. "I want the same," he said softly, then kissed her. "I want you forever. Do not wander from me, ever."

"As long as you do not wander from me," Peggy agreed.

Eric dragged her down into the sheets and made both promises and vows with his mouth, his fangs, his body. She tried not to wonder if it would really, if it could really last forever. After all, she and Eric had been lovers for not much longer than Christopher and Simone had been.

Could any love really last eternity?

"Don't wonder," Eric whispered against her ear. "Let me prove it to you. Let go of your fear. Enjoy this moment."

As she had long known, it turned out he indeed possessed the ability to make her let go. The sun rose during one of their interminable moments of pleasure and she fell into unconsciousness still shaking from it.

It pissed her off, just a little, that he was gone when she woke up. Peggy hated that due to his age, Eric could rise before the sunset, even though he couldn't bear its rays any more than she could. She hated waking up alone. She hated wondering where he was, having to look for him.

She calmed herself, closed her eyes, reached out to him with her mind. She caught a glance of him in the kitchen, and almost before she opened her eyes he was coming back into the bedroom with two bottles of True Blood. He had his jeans on, but nothing else. Immediately Peggy felt guilty. Eric sat down on the edge of the bed and handed her one of the bottles.

"Breakfast in bed," he said shortly. "I suppose I should have waited."

"No…I… this was kind of you." And she looked down at the sheets, feeling bad. She toyed with the bottle, then took a sip, afraid to look at him.

Chuckling softly, Eric took her chin in his hand and drew her face to his. He kissed her tenderly. "Let go of your fear." He echoed his words from the night before. "I am not going anywhere."

"When are we going back to Bon Temps?" Peggy asked. She drank the True Blood, trying not to remember how much better real blood tasted.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"I love New Orleans, Eric, but Bon Temps is home. Besides, this trip was rather unexpected."

Eric smiled faintly. "I suppose it was. We will go as soon as Simone is ready to travel."

"Days? Weeks?'

"I will go check on him now," Eric sighed, setting down his empty bottle and standing up. "I think as long as he has fed as much as he can, we can probably go sooner rather than later."

"Thank you."

Once Eric had left the room, Peggy took a quick shower and got dressed as he hadn't returned by the time she had finished. She wandered into the living room and found Anne Marie sitting by herself on the couch, looking miserable and hung over.

"Tequila ain't my friend," she mumbled as Peggy sat down next to her.

"Are you all right with Simone coming to stay with Eric and me for a while?" Peggy asked.

Anne Marie considered. "I tink it a shame he decide dis all Santiago's fault, but yes. I know Eric won't let nothin' happen to Simone."

"Where is Christopher now?"

Anne Marie shrugged. "Ain't seen him tonight."

"And Sam?"

"Him an' Lafayette went out to get us some food. Kitchen here runnin' low on people food."

"I think we'll be going home soon," said Peggy.

"Us, too," said Anne Marie.

"I am just glad that all of this is over," said Peggy.

"I agree," said Eric, joining them in the living room just as Sam and Lafayette entered from the other side of the room. Sam was carrying a big takeout bag, but Lafayette was carrying his clothes. "Why are you naked?"

"Anne Marie—everyone! Watch this," said Sam, turning towards Lafayette. "Show them."

The clothes fell to the floor as Lafayette turned into a large, black Labrador retriever.

[the end]