I met Viviane's eyes with my realization.

"Why did I forget you?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I do not know – perhaps the trauma of your loss."

Claude realized he was missing out. "What are you talking about? You remember her?" I nodded. "I suppose you want me to get Hunter and get him out."

"Yes, Claude, I think it would be best until everything gets done." I hugged him.

"Area 5 should remain primarily unaffected, but one could get loose." Viviane shrugged. "Go by first light."

"Go back to the guardianship – did Niall ask you to watch her, too?" Claude asked.

"Yes, but when we lost Adele, I realized a different skill set was needed – that's where Claudine came in." She caressed his jaw. "I am sorry – she was one of the kindest souls I have ever known."

"You knew her?" I asked.

"Yes, but she did not know of my tasks or that I'd ever been to Bon Temps. I allowed her to hide out with me when she ran away the second time in 1846."

Claude laughed. "I would love to hear that story soon. She was never in more trouble. She wouldn't say where she'd been or who she saw. Niall grounded her magic for a year."

"A fairy hid with a vampire?" I asked.

"I am no danger to them – have you seen my eyes glaze over and my fangs pop out at him? Have I told you that you smell delicious?" I shook my head. "You smell different, but not any yummier." Her phone beeped. She flicked her gaze to it. "We need to go down – Benny is impatient." She pressed a quick kiss to Claude's cheek, to which his expression was priceless. She, of course, giggled. "Please take the child and protect yourself."

He nodded. "I will." Then he pulled me out of my chair and hugged me. "Call when you know something."

"I'll try," I promised. Then he popped.

"I somehow enjoy his abrasiveness – it's so honest," she said. "Come on."

I followed her out and asked her what's next.

"Oh, we'll go back, do the exchange and then I'll go on TV." Her heels clicked down the hallway like nothing was wrong. The constant dulled pain was dragging on me. "And we'll feed you and put you to bed with Pam or I."

My stomach growled on cue.

Viviane's phone rang. She answered and listened before responding. "Felipe, he is 536. I am not his vampsitter." Felipe is on the phone? She sighed as we kept walking. "Bartlette is released – what do you want me to do? He's probably on a conjugal with Russell. Yes, picture that." She giggled as she punched the button to call the elevator. "You know I have my TV appearances with Tupac. I had to go to California for them." She clamped a hand over my mouth when I opened it. "Idris is with me, but I haven't a clue where they are. I left them in the sheriff's suite. The human felt poorly – I don't think he fed her." I made a shocked face – he so fed me and ruined her microwave in the process. "Surely they are with him seeing the Vegas lights or such. I have more important things to worry about than a missing telepath. You are wasting my night." She hung up on him and looked over at me, giggling.

"He fed me, just so you know. He also ruined your microwave," I told her as I stepped into the elevator.

She frowned. "How?"

"Apparently, he didn't know you can't put metal in them." I shrugged with a laugh as I pushed the first floor's button.

Her laughter ricocheted around the elevator as the doors shut. "I knew he was lazy, but this takes the cake. He has never heated his own bottled blood. They all have metal lids save Royalty and those bottles are too large to heat all at once." She shook her head. "I cannot wait to give him hell about this. How angry was he? Did he make that scrunched up face and refuse to speak about it?" I nodded, smiling when I pictured it. "He is like all men – such a baby when he cannot complete simple tasks."

I choked a sob back at the prospect of not seeing him make any face again to see her give it to him, feeling guilty for my moment of laughter.

She eyed me beyond her mirth. "What?"

"We need to go back for him." She knew I meant Eric. "I can't leave him. What happens to the rest of us without him?" I realized I never wanted to be without him in that moment.

"We will, but it must be smart." She pulled me into her arms. "Know this, Sookie Stackhouse, I will protect you above all others. It is more than my promises to Eric on that matter – it is a guardianship. I will not fail again." She kissed my forehead, slightly taller than me in her heels. "Sookie," Viviane hooked my chin to turn my face to hers, "I know we have things to work out between us, but Eric would want me to protect you over everything. I will not fail him in this. Please trust me – Adele did."

Could I trust her? Eric and Niall did and so did my Gran apparently. She'd lied to me – a lot. But she was a vampire – that was the modus operandi most vampires employed.

She let go of me as we neared the bottom floor.

"Truce, at least?" she asked. I shrugged, figuring I didn't have a whole load of choices at the moment.

The doors opened before I could respond, and Quinn and Benny sat on a bench in the lobby. You could cut the tension, although Benny was in downtime. Quinn clutched a large cooler.

"Viviane, that was more than 15 minutes," Benny said.

She smiled and wrapped her arm around his when he stood. "I'm a woman – you should know by now to always add 10 minutes to our estimates."

Quinn and I followed them out to the waiting limo. After everyone was inside, Viviane asked about the food at the compound. Benny assured her he fed his staff well. She winked at me as Pam discussed Benny's shoes with him – they were some designer or another.

We wound our way toward the mountains until we turned onto Uplands of the Kern Drive. The homes were few and spaced far apart – all upscale and well-manicured.

The one we pulled up in front of was the same. It was the biggest private home I'd ever seen – all stucco and desert colors. The outside lights flickered with gas lighting and the upper floors' windows had wrought iron grates on them.

I followed everyone out, hanging at Pam's elbow. I may have a newfound truce with Viviane, but Pam was the only one I trusted.

Even when I saw Bill standing in the portico with Idris, Shawn and Tupac.