They'll be the King of Hearts, and you're the Queen of Spades,

Then we'll fight for you like we were your soldiers

I know we got it good, but they got it made,

And their grass is getting greener each day,

I know things are looking up, but soon they'll take us down,

Before anybody's knowin' our name

They got all the right friends in all the right places,

So yeah, we're goin' down - OneRepublic

Sookie POV

I find myself waking up slowly. An arm belonging to my vampire is wrapped around me. I snuggle into him trying to stay in this feeling, this false sense of everything is okay, for as long as I can. In this bed, I am warm and comfortable wrapped up in Eric's arms. In this bed, Pam is merely in her day rest and we do not have to deal with Threadgill.

But, of course that feeling does not stay. As the events of last night come back to me, my worry for Pam grows. I sit up quickly, hoping that Pam woke up before the sun rose after I went to sleep. I feel a pang in my heart when I realize that she is in the exact same position Eric placed her in when he put her in the bed last night, signaling she probably has not woken up yet. Hopefully, she will use the day to recover and will wake up this evening. I certainly hope that is the case.

Eric's back had been able to heal itself before the night was through. Ludwig hadn't even really had to look at it last night once she determined that there was nothing added to the bomb. He hadn't wanted to take a donor last night preferring to have one tonight right before the ceremony, but I managed to convince him to have one at both times because I wanted him strong enough for whatever tonight will bring. He would need his strength after all to heal Pam, because he would be healing Pam soon – that is how I talked him into it.

I give him a kiss before getting out of bed to see to some of my human needs. As I come out of the bathroom, it occurs to me that I probably should eat something. I peak out of the peep hole in the door and am happy to see Alcide in the hallway. I open the door a bit and let him know that I will be ordering some food. I found out that it was a good idea to do that if I didn't want the guy delivering the food thrown against the wall.

I also ask him if he had heard anything from home. We are as positive as we can be that we will be attacked here in Rhodes tonight. What we aren't sure about is if Louisiana itself will also be attacked tonight. Alcide says that all things have been quiet on the home front. There have not been any more shootings, which would make sense, as it seems the shooter is here. There have been no newcomers into the state and the ones that came in before we left seem to be behaving themselves. Of course, they could just be waiting for a signal before all hell breaks loose in Louisiana.

We are hoping the vampires left behind can help Tray and those who came to help from Alcide's pack, protect the state if that happens.

As I am talking to Alcide, my food shows up and I go back inside the room to eat it. As I am eating, I decide to give Jason a call. I haven't spoken to him since I have been here. And though the plan is obviously that we will get through this evening, I would still like to talk to my brother. I'm not surprised though when I don't actually get him but his machine instead. I leave him a message simply telling him that I love him and I should be home in a few days.

I leave out the hopefully part.

I finish my food and see that there is still about an hour until sunset. I get back into bed, deciding to try and take a short nap. I figure it will be another long night and I could use as much sleep as I possibly can.

I wake up feeling like someone is staring at me and immediately am filled with worry. I keep my eyes closed hoping whoever or whatever it is will think that I am still asleep to buy me more time to figure out what to do about it. The thought does not escape me however that whoever is currently on the bed next to me will indeed be able to tell that I have woken up. That's one of the side affects of playing with Supes.

It's not my fear for myself that has me opening my eyes to try and find a way out of whatever situation I have found myself in now; it's my fear for the two vampires that are in the bed with me. Well, hopefully still in the bed with me.

When I open my eyes bracing myself for what that will reveal, they immediately start to tear as I see just whose eyes are staring back at me. "Pam," I yell excitedly while wrapping my arms around her neck. I am so happy to see her awake. I look past her to Eric whose red-rimmed eyes are telling me just how happy he is as well.

"You're awake," I tell her while she wraps her own arms around me.

"Stating the obvious there, Sookie," she tells me. "But if I had known that a simple bomb would be all it takes to get into bed with you, I would have tried that a long time ago."

I hug her to me tighter and say, "I'm sure I am not worth jumping in front of a bomb, Pam."

"And it is definitely something you will not be trying to do again," Eric says, trying to sound stern but I can hear the humor and joy in his voice.

I let Pam go and ask her, "Are you really all right." I hear the worry in my voice and I know my friend can hear it too.

She takes me in her arms again and nods against my shoulder. "I'm awake. I took Eric's blood. I know who all the appropriate leaders are and what year it is. I am fine, Sookie," she tells me.

"I'm so happy you're okay," I tell her. I'm even happier when I see the look on Eric's face over her shoulder. The smile on his face is a genuine one, one that he hasn't had a reason for in the last day or so. There is also a look of pride on his face and that is just one of the reasons that I love him so. I know he doesn't understand it yet but with a simple look like that he's not only saying that he's ecstatic that Pam is awake and all right, he's saying how much he loves her.

It's going to be great when he realizes it too.

The door opens to reveal Thalia. The look on her face when she sees that Pam is awake is another look that I have decided we need more of. She hesitates in front of Pam and I, but I am not having any of that. I wrap my arm around her pulling her in for a hug and though I was hopeful, I am surprised when she doesn't fight it at all, instead wrapping her tiny arms around the both of us. "I told you, you wouldn't be losing anyone else," I tell her.

"You better be saying that again in about eight hours," she tells me before pulling away. I only nod, hoping myself that I can say that again right before sunrise. I don't want to lose anyone in this room. I don't want to lose any of my friends outside of this room. Hopefully we will all still be standing at the end of the night.

Eric gets Pam's attention and suddenly Pam is saying that she will help Thalia get dressed. I have long stopped trying to understand how these two communicate. If we survive the night, maybe I'll have time to figure it out.

As the door closes behind Pam and Thalia, I find myself in Eric's arms turned so I am facing him. "I am grateful for how close you and Pam are."

"She's important to you so she's important to me," I tell him. I know she is beyond important to him. I can also tell he has more he wants to say and I am hoping that he will continue to speak.

"It is more than that with the two of you. You worry for her. She protects you. The two of you care for each other. You have grown to love her," he says and pauses to see how I will respond. What he gets is a simple nod of my head in agreement with him in hopes that he will continue to speak. He's right though, I do love Pam.

"You would do anything for those you love with a ferocity that I admire. I am just grateful to you for sharing that love with Pam. I saw how worried for her you were last night. You were more concerned with her than yourself. I saw how truly happy you were when you saw she was awake tonight. Pam has been missing something for a while now, something that I have not been able to be even as her maker. Thank you for being that for her. You are filled with love Sookie Stackhouse. You have so much and are willing to give it."

I stand in front of him astonished, as those are qualities that I have always wanted to have, but never have associated with myself. But in the last few months, I have strongly associated them with someone else. I rise up on my tiptoes so that I can kiss him. "So are you, Eric," I tell him, kissing him again when he starts to open his mouth, undoubtedly to deny my words. "You fight with a fierceness for those who are important to you," I tell him, hoping that he will believe my words. "Eric, I could go on and on about what you have done for me because you have done so much. I wouldn't be here, free and in this frame of mind if it wasn't for you. I would still be running and hiding from a past I never wanted to face. And it's not just me. I see how you are with Pam. I see how you would do anything for her, how you want to protect her above everything else, even yourself."

I know how much he cares for her, how much he loves her and I am waiting for the day that he realizes it. The day that Eric realizes and understands all the love he has in him, that he has been showing us how loved we are with his actions, will be a fantastic one.

Eric stares at me for a second and I can see the emotions and questions flowing through his eyes. He knows the qualities he's listed that he sees in me, and what they mean to him. He's heard me tell him he has the same qualities and what they mean to me. I can see him trying to disprove my words without disproving his.

I give him the time to go through anything. In the end, he doesn't argue with my words, which I am taking as progress. No instead of arguing, he takes me in his arms and lays a passionate kiss on me. As he starts kissing down my neck, I hear Pam banging on the wall from next-door telling us we need to get dressed and she will be here in a minute to put out our clothes that had been brought over during the day.

"Why do we...care for her again," Eric asks hesitating on the word he chooses. I smile and will take his almost admission as a victory as I tell him, "Well, she's your child."

"And I would not have it any other way," he says giving me one more quick kiss before opening the door before Pam can break it down.

I have the pleasure of yet another round of preparing for a night that will probably end in bloodshed. When this is over I want to sleep for a week, with a certain male, blond vampire at my side if I am going to be specific. Currently, a female, blond vampire who probably would like to be in that bed too, is fixing my hair and makeup. I'm not exactly sure of the point here. By the end of the evening my hair will surely not still be up in the elaborate bun Pam has put it in. It is only when I see her slide two thin wood sticks in to hold it in place do I understand. She's giving me weapons.

Obviously it would look odd if we went into a wedding ceremony armed to the teeth. There will be weapons of course; we are still dealing with vampires here. But there are only a few that will be out in the open. The rest will be strapped to legs, arms, backs, and even stashed within the room, thanks to Alcide. He won't actually be in the room fighting with us though. He is part of the contingency plans. He would get word to Tray's pack if we lose tonight. Tray would get word to Bubba who would let the other vampires know. He was still in Shreveport. Apparently, he doesn't do well in crowds.

I stay quiet on the car ride over and let the vampires in the car discuss strategy for the night. Wybert had not only made it through the night but was up and standing. His leg and arm that had been blown off in the fight were able to reattach but it would be days before he would know if they would be usable, if the nerves would actually start to grow back. His presence would be there tonight and could potentially be threatening to others but he would be severely limited in what he could actually do.

That required some rearranging, some careful rearranging as though Eric had very strong suspicions he wasn't exactly sure who could be trusted. Having the wildcards and unknowns in the mix is definitely a disadvantage to us, and one that we have to plan for. We have to make sure that our people are spaced out around the room but also must be sure that everyone had back up and would not be surrounded by the enemy. I was exhausted just hearing them talk about it.

Andre was one of those wildcards and though weakened from the silver, he could still be a formidable foe. He was loyal to the Queen, which only makes his behavior even more confusing as his actions appear to contradict her wishes. So either Sophie-Anne is a great actress or Andre isn't following the same plot anymore. Neither situation means anything good for us.

The other vampires in question are Elena and Bill. Eric is almost positive that Elena has switched sides. If she has, with her newfound relationship with Bill it would seem likely that he has too. I would like to say that Bill would never do that. That he would never turn on his Queen, on his state. That he would never do anything that would put me at risk. But I am not as naïve as I once was, at least I certainly hope I'm not. Every part of me now tells me that Bill will do what he believes is best for him, no matter who gets caught in the crosshairs.

As we pull up towards the hotel, the tension in the car can easily be felt. We are the first group to arrive. I am not eager to be back here after what happened last night but it's not like we have much of a choice. Sophie-Anne needed someone she trusts and with enough pull I guess to come back to the hotel first. She also needed to make sure everything was in play for all the contingencies they have been planning for in the first few hours of the evening. I guess that someone is Eric.

As we enter the hotel, it's obvious that security has increased since the bomb went off. There are plenty of uniformed guards and from what I am getting from others in the lobby, there are even more undercover security. And that's just the security that the hotel itself added. There is much more here present from each individual state.

We make our way into the room and take our seats. We have to sit a lot closer to the front than the original plan called for. With Wybert being virtually out of commission, Sophie-Anne wants Eric closer. I don't miss that Eric and Pam have strategically sat me in the middle of them. I also don't miss Thalia at our backs and another one of Eric's vampires at our front. Felicia won't be coming in until right before the ceremony, wanting to take as much time to try and track down the shooter as possible.

I hear someone sit next to Thalia and don't think too much of it, not sensing any tension from any of the vampires currently surrounding me at the new presence. Though when I hear him start to quietly ask Eric about the plans for tonight's festivities, I turn around to see just who has sat behind us. Knowing faces could be a big help tonight, as well as knowing who is on our side.

"Sookie," Eric says, sensing my curiosity. "This is Desmond Cataliades. He is a lawyer for Sophie-Anne and the state."

"Nice to meet you," I say to him.

He nods. "You know your family is very eager to see you, Miss Stackhouse," he tells me cryptically.

I wish I could say that I had no idea what the man in front of me was saying. I wish that I could call him crazy and tell him that I know all of my family and have recently seen all that is left of them. But none of that is true. Because my mind immediately goes back to when I learned of my Gran's secret, that my father was a product of an affair and I was part-fairy, a fairy princess in fact. Jason and I could have a much larger family left than we think.

But this family that this stranger is saying is so eager to meet me, where have they been all these years? To my knowledge they have never made any attempt to see or contact me before. Why would now be any different?

"My family is right here," I tell the lawyer, motioning to the vampires that are around me. Eric wraps his arm around me tighter at my words. Pam's face grows a proud smile while the smile that appears on Thalia's face is one that cannot be denied. It doesn't last long of course, but it's presence was obvious. "And I have a bit more still in Louisiana. Just called brother today. My family is here and has been here for me. They are welcome to see me whenever they want."

Cataliades backs up a bit in his chair at my words. It certainly does not seem to be the reaction that he thought he was going to get. "They stayed away in the past out of respect for your grandmother. Since then, the company that you have been keeping hasn't really been safe for their health."

I can understand that I suppose. I started hanging around vampires when Gran was still alive and the amount of time that I have spent around them has only increased since. Still a card or a call at some point would have been nice. I cannot help but think that if they had waited until now, there is a reason. I am about to voice that idea when the door opens and more people start to file in. "Maybe now is not the best time to discuss this," Eric says.

I agree as the conversation has my anger starting to build, which leaves the lawyer with no choice but to table the conversation that had already not been going as he had planned it to. We all start to keep our eyes at those currently entering the room. Originally, the evening was going to take place in two rooms but that would have been hard planning and would have made hiding and moving weapons very difficult. So Sophie-Anne insisted that she wanted the ceremony in the same room the subsequent celebration would be held in, to make planning a bit more easier.

I see those I recognize and some I do not. Russell enters the room and finds Eric's gaze. They both nod to each other, which I can only hope means he is still going to help us. We have enough trouble on our hands without the any of our allies turning on us.

Bill and Elena come in hand in hand and I turn away allowing Eric to follow their movements. I am done with letting Bill get to me. He is not worth my time and I am not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing him hold my attention for any length of time.

As the room fills, those who have remained standing take a seat as Quinn comes out and stands on the makeshift stage. Eric leans over to me to explain that Quinn is officiating the service. Right as he calls us to attention, I see Felicia entering the room shaking her head. I'm not sure if that means there is no trace of the shooter or there is but she can't find her, but I do know that it is not good.

Sophie-Anne suddenly appears onstage with Sigebert and Threadgill follows closely after with Jade Flower. With them present, Quinn starts the ceremony.

I don't know why I am surprised as it goes on. I knew it wasn't a love match but I didn't expect it to be so…obvious I guess. The bulk of the ceremony has the lawyers for the two states going over the final version of the contract to make sure neither party tried to sneak something in. After the lawyers for both sides confirm that this is the contract both sides decided on, it is time for Threadgill and Sophie-Anne to say their vows. As they stand up in front of Quinn, Jade Flower and Sigebert move to stand with them. With neither side trusting the other, the need to make sure their leaders stay among the undead is pretty much the only thing both sides can agree in.

The King and Queen promise to basically put the other and their state above all others, the exception being their own of course. Sophie-Anne has to help and support Threadgill unless it threatens her state and vice versa. They both cut each other with a knife and their blood is combined in a cup. Eric whispers to me that usually the two would drink the combined blood. It isn't surprising that both had opted out of that part of the ceremony.

Then it was just a simple sign of the papers from both parties and their lawyers and Louisiana and Arkansas are joined. Yippee. The applause, or should I say lack there of, from both sides show just how happy the residents of the two states are at the joining of their leaders.

The two then dance before others are invited to join them on the dance floor. From there, it's simply mingling time while everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. It seems a bit weird, to be socializing with people that you plan on fighting later, but everyone here is just acting like it's any other night.

Eric keeps Pam and I close by his side and I wouldn't have it any other way. They both tell me that Pam is fine and I trust them, but I can't help to worry. It's a little concerning just how many vampires seem to know my name as I move with Eric through the room. I guess I am a bit better known in this world than I thought. It's an unnerving thought.

About a hour after the end of the ceremony, Threadgill lightly hits his glass of blood with a knife, I can't even figure out why he has one, signaling that he would like to make a speech. As the room quiets he starts to thank everyone for being present for the joining of the two 'wondrous' states. "I am sure this will be a beneficial adventure for both of our great states, and therefore our whole clan. As we pool our resources I'm sure our states will be all the stronger for it as what belongs to Arkansas becomes Louisiana's and what belongs to Louisiana becomes Arkansas'," he says looking right at me as he does so. Eric pulls me into his side, which elicits a smirk from Threadgill. Sophie-Anne strides up to her new husband, as his smirk starts to grow.

"Yes, I agree," she says, causing Eric to growl a little bit. Sophie-Anne has been playing nice with me staying at home, with me being Eric's. I just hope that continues. "The resources of Louisiana and my retinue will be shared with Arkansas. However, as you know, the personal resources of the vampires residing in my state must be negotiated with that vampire."

That knocks the smirk off of his face completely and is obviously something that he did not see coming. "Those who reside in the state belong to the state," Threadgill says incredulously. "Therefore, those in their personal retinue belong to the state as well."

"Not the way we do things in Louisiana," Sophie-Anne says. "Those in Louisiana are either residents or employees. They do not belong to the state and serve it out of loyalty."

"That is not how we do things in Arkansas. The vampires residing in it are property of the state so their personal property is as well. They and everything they own belong to the state."

"Not how it is Louisiana. The contracts I have my Sheriffs sign and the contracts that they have their residents signs render them assets of the state, not property of the state. I had my lawyer bring them in case there was any confusion."

"That was part of her plan," Eric says, sounding a bit excited. I look at him confused as he explains Sophie-Anne had everyone in the state sign new contracts about a few weeks ago. In essence, the contract provided them with a little more freedom. As there were no strings attached, Eric and his residents signed. "

A female is suddenly standing up there with Sophie-Anne and Threadgill and the vampires from Louisiana are suddenly on guard for any move that she may make against Sophie-Anne. But her attention is all on Threadgill as she yells out, "I told you. I told you." Threadgill is trying to get her to stop talking and Jade Flower is even starting to physically remove her as she continues to yell, "She's been manipulating you this whole time. You couldn't see it. This has been her plan from the beginning – to take everything from you and give you nothing in return. This is why I did it. I tried to stop this whole thing for you."

I have never seen a vampire this out of control before, at least in this ranting way instead of in a violent way. If I hadn't met Bubba before, this would be very surprising. I make sure to stay focused on the whole room though not knowing if this could be a diversion.

Threadgill manages to help wrangle the vampire into Jade Flower's arms but Sophie-Anne prevents her from walking away instead asking the vampire, "Did what, Jennifer? What did you do?"

I hear Eric suck in an unneeded breath, as the dots must connect in his mind. I wish I could say they do in mine but they don't until Jennifer says, "The bomb. You were supposed to meet your final death when that bomb went off."

The room was quiet before but now it is deathly silent as I am sure the words that were just said echo around in everyone's mind. Jennifer just admitted to setting the bomb last night. She just admitted to trying to kill Sophie-Anne. I may not know everything about vampire politics yet, but I am sure that's a big no-no, especially considering Louisiana was in negotiations with Arkansas at the time.

"Oh my dear Peter," Sophie-Anne says with mocking sincerity. "You tried to have me killed," she states.

"It was not I, Sophie-Anne. I can't be held responsible for the actions of my vampires."

"Oh but you can be," she says with a victorious look on her face. I can feel the triumph flowing off of Eric as he grabs my hand. That's when Threadgill's previous words come back to me. He put the silver nail in his own coffin.

"You just told me that we have a fundamental difference to how we see the vampires within our own state. Your vampires are property of the state. Their actions are state actions. Since you are head of the state, their actions are your actions. You can be held responsible for Jennifer Crater's actions." Sophie-Anne stops talking and her eyes settle on a different spot in the room, drawing everyone's attention to where she is now looking. As I turn to look, my eyes focus in a dark corner. I see an old woman with guards standing around her.

"And I demand that you will be," Sophie-Anne calls out, but everyone's eyes are on the old woman, a vampire as my mind is telling me. She simply nods to Sophie-Anne, I assume saying that Threadgill will be held responsible. Though I'm not sure why, I can feel that this vampire's word is rule. I don't even have time to consider what that will mean for us tonight, before the old vampire's eyes turn and settle right on me.

No, that's not unnerving at all.

Eric wraps his arm around me but my eyes cannot leave the vampire's. She's not trying to glamour me or anything, I just find myself not being able to look away from her gaze. It's only when one of her guards steps in front of her and starts to usher her out of the room am I able to look away.

I look back up to where Sophie-Anne and Threadgill are standing. Sophie-Anne looks triumphant while Threadgill looks like he's about to be sick. When he realizes the focus is back on him though, he straightens up and takes on an air that the news hasn't bothered him in the least. He starts to look over the crowd as his look turns more appraising. His eyes stop when they get to Eric for a few seconds before they land again on me. I have to say that having all these vampires focus on me is making me a tad uncomfortable.

Threadgill's lips move so he must be saying something, but I can't make it out. I do know that it sets every vampire in this room on edge. Every one of them takes a defensive stance at his words and I find myself pushed behind Eric with Pam once again protecting my back, Thalia watching the sides. Eric has his sword drawn and weapons are being thrown to Pam and Thalia.

I am being pushed right into Eric's back as the vampires around us start to move. Eric's tall, broad shoulders are all I can see for a second before he is forced to swing his sword at an oncoming vampire. It's then when I can see over his shoulder and see the swords that are being swung at Sophie-Anne and Sigebert's heads by vampires that should be on our side, as a shot rings out from above.

Hello dear readers. I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter. As you can see things are about to get a bit more interesting. Bad news – we do only have a few more chapters in this part of their journey. Good news – there is one more story in this tale that will be coming.

There is still time to vote in the You Want Blood Awards.

Happy Memorial Day to my fellow Americans.