Thanks for all the reviews! They inspire me to keep writing, so please keep them up. I love to read what everyone thinks so far!

Sorry for the lack of cuddle time in this chapter. I promise, there will be more coming up.

To respond to a few questions by readers- No, Bill will definately not be the hero. :) And yes, the Russell thing is kind of crazy, but I just love that he's got to badly want revenge on Sookie and her "Precious Viking."

...

Sookie felt the slice of fear that ripped through Eric, even as he left the bed and moved towards the window. "You were faster than I thought."

"Ah yes. Well, as you know from your own Pamela, progeny are exceedingly loyal, although sometimes a little slow."

Standing in the open window, the curtains swaying gently in the early breeze, Eric gazed out on the yard, towards the woods. The son of a bitch was out there somewhere, watching him. "That is true."

"Now, back to the lovely Miss Stackhouse. I'd just love the opportunity to say hello."

The anger rose through Eric, the urge to race out into the night and rip Russell apart almost overwhelming. Sookie watched him, amazed that so many emotions could swirl within him even as his face remained perfectly calm. She slipped from the bed, moving close to Eric, setting her small hand on his bicep and looking up at him.

"What is it you want, Russell?"

Russell's voice dropped the amused pretence. "Revenge. For Talbot. For thinking you could bury me in the fucking ground and not pay for it. Your little fairy seems like a good place to start." With a dark chuckle, he hung up, leaving Eric holding a phone, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Eric?" "Eric? What the hell's going on?"

He looked down at her, "I fucked up. And now we're all going to pay for it, if I can't find a way to fix it."

...

Eric agreed to sleep in the cubby only after Sookie promised him she would stay at home, and so she had a quiet day of thinking, without his emotions confusing her even further.

Their blood bond was forcing her to see a side of Eric that was new to her. Yes, he could be an arrogant bastard, but she hadn't imagined the fear that he had felt for her last night, his self-loathing that his choices had put those he cared for in danger. Eric had always appeared to be so cold to her, so willing to manipulate any situation to his own advantage. And yet early this morning, she had sat in the kitchen with a cup of cold coffee, feeling the tangle of his emotions, his need to find a solution before he had finally slept.

...

" As King, it is my duty to handle Russell Edgington," Bill argued, the flashing lights in Fangtasia making him look more washed out than usual.

"Because you managed so well when he held you hostage," Eric replied, leaning back at the table he shared with Sookie. "He's centuries old. To him you're a weakling."

"There must be a way to negotiate-"

"The fucker doesn't want to negotiate. He wants to rip Eric's throat out," Pam interrupted bluntly as she leaned against the bar. She looked over at Eric. "I told you, you should have fried that asshole."

"Well, I didn't, Pam, so we need another option now."

"You could use me as bait." Sookie looked from Bill's appalled face to Eric's unreadable gaze. "That would draw him in."

"Absolutely not," Bill flared. "Sookie, you have no idea-"

"Are you kiddin' me? I was here, Bill! I know exactly what he did."

"I cannot allow a human to put yourself in that kind of danger in my state."

"It's not up to you." Eric's voice was calm. "The Authority is aware that he's back, and I've already been given orders to send him to his true death."

Bill looked furious, obviously not pleased that Eric had essentially gone over his head. "You would put her in that much danger? Against a man who would use her to avenge the lover you killed?"

Eric crossed his arms, responding coolly, "I didn't say that. But, I won't stop her from having a say, since her life is in danger as well."

Sookie looked back and forth between her two former lovers. Bill was determined to protect her as though she were a porcelain doll, and though she'd found it sweet previously, it was beginning to annoy her that he felt she was so….delicate.

Eric on the other hand always seemed to feel that she was capable of deciding what she wanted to do next. "She has a warrior's heart, your majesty."

There was a knock on the back door, and Pam let a tall, attractive man in, his dark hair streaming down his back. "Your majesty." He bowed to Bill, then inclined his head towards Eric, "Sheriff, my name is Charles Twining. Thank you for the position. ."

"Charles." Eric nodded towards the bar, "This is Pam and Sookie. Pam co-owns this bar with me."

He bowed towards Pam, then turned to Sookie, smelling the sweet scent of human blood, as well as a trace that matched the scent of the powerful vampire next to her . "Ah, you must be Eric's mate. "

"It's just Sookie, actually." She threw a dirty look over at Eric as she felt the zing of his amused satisfaction flare through her. Lovely. She might as well tattoo "Eric's" on her forehead at this rate.