We're getting closer to the end now! For all of you worried about how Eric was going to keep her safe, I hope this chapter works for you.

As always, I own nothing. That right belongs to Charlaine Harris.

"I really think you're getting too much pleasure from this."

"Nonsense," he retorted silkily. "There's no such thing as too much pleasure."

"Mind out of the gutter, mister. What I meant is you're getting too much satisfaction."

"Pleasure and satisfaction go hand in hand," he came back with, laughing as she groaned. "You'll learn I'm right. There really is no such thing as too much."

"Are you really flirting with me as we wait for my boyfriend to show up so I can break up with him?" Her mock annoyance was in jest; she didn't consider herself tied to Bill any longer and Eric flirting was the same as her breathing.

"Why not? I thought we'd already established that he's a no good son of a bitch who's not only wrong for you, but who wasn't even good enough to look at you in the first place?"

"You have a point there," she joked with him. "Let the flirting recommence." Her laughter was genuine and the vampire smiled to himself.

Two nights had passed since Sookie declared she was leaving Bill and while both chafed at the delay, it was practically unavoidable. The younger vampire was unpredictable, leaving dangerous repercussions to avoid. The plan he'd designed was ingenious; no immediate physical harm could befall her as she gave him the news and he got to watch the devious bastard as it happened. It was perfect, and yes, he did derive great pleasure and satisfaction from it.

"You realize your only excuse disappears tonight, don't you? You will be a single woman very soon. Want to celebrate?"

"You realize I'm not jumping from one man to another without at least a couple of days separating everyone, don't you? I'm going to be a single woman for more than tonight."

"Uh-huh," he agreed with some part of what she said. "So was that a yes or no on the celebration?"

"I'll give you an answer on that after," she answered pertly. She was nervous, despite his efforts to keep her amused and relaxed. "But I'm pretty sure post break-up celebration is traditionally going out with your girlfriends and bitching about everything that was wrong with your ex. In my case that would probably mean getting drunk with Lafayette since he's the only one who never gave me a hard time about dating a vampire."

"Who is this Lafayette?" An emotion even he admitted might be jealousy reared its ugly head while he struggled to regain his composure.

"Lafayette is Bon Temps first and only out and proud gay man, who also happens to be quite flamboyant and totally inappropriate at times. I can't imagine what it would take for him to turn his back on me."

"I like him already," the vampire declared firmly as the beast inside him settled for the time being, still coiled and poised to strike again at unexpected moments. "Getting drunk with a friend might be what you need, and please do bitch about him all you like, but be careful what you divulge while under the influence."

"You're talking to a seasoned pro here," she reminded him. "I know more secrets than anyone has a right to and I've never talked about any of them, even when I drink. Trust me. Yours are always safe with me."

"You're up, buttercup," he told her, pleased to have a reason to not think about the inordinate amount of trust he did have in her. "He just walked in."

"Uuhhh," she replied with a groan. "I don't want to do this. Why can't I pretend I just never met him?"

"Because if you never met him, you may never have met me," he told her seriously. "Do it now, my future lover, and it will be over quicker than you can imagine."

"Easy for you to say," she grumbled. "All you have to do is watch him and you're going to have fun doing that. And you've really got to stop callin' me that."

"I'll try to restrain my enthusiasm, if that would help," he offered helpfully, but both knew it to be a lie. This moment promised to be one of the best in modern memory.

"At least I don't have to worry about you popping some corn and settling in for the show," she muttered.

"Nope. Best I could do is a bottle of True Blood and a straw," he laughed. "It won't be that bad. Just keep it short and sweet and don't tell him what you know."

"Okay. I'm going to do it. Call me when it's done?"

"You have my word. Don't worry so much. We will keep an eye on him from here. He won't get close to you," he promised solemnly.

Fangtasia was hopping, but the raised platform offered a perfect view of the younger vampire. Bill stopped at the bar, exchanging quick words with the new bartender before his eyes scanned the crowd, landing unhappily on his Sheriff. A direct order had been necessary to ensure his presence this evening and his displeasure was conveyed in his expression. Eric watched as he took two steps towards him, before stopping to withdraw his phone from the pocket of his pleated khakis.

Sookie was right. He was deriving entirely too much pleasure from the situation, but he didn't care. His neutral expression didn't falter as he listened in on Bill's side of the conversation. To the casual observer, the handsome blonde vampire appeared interested in nothing more than his phone, but not a single pleading note was missed.

Amusement faded as Sookie's soon to be ex reacted to the news he was receiving. His words became more desperate, but his expression - and the rage burning in his eyes - confirmed all the Viking needed to know. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he fired off multiple texts to ensure all the players were ready for the game to begin.

No more than three or four minutes passed before the conversation ended and Bill approached with a sour face and tense demeanor, the phone still clutched in his hand.

"What do you want from me, Eric? I have important matters to attend to," he stated pompously.

"So I heard," came the mocking reply. "Trouble controlling your human, Bill?"

"A minor disagreement," he stated, waving his hand impatiently. "Nothing to concern yourself with. Why am I here?"

"You will have to ask Pamela for the details," Eric replied dismissively. "Some type of discrepancies in your paperwork, I believe."

"Surely this could have waited."

"She can be tedious at times, but she's really quite efficient. She likes to keep her paperwork in order." Pamela would in fact be immensely irritated by the amount of paperwork this night would entail, but she was also an eager participant.

"Where is she? I'd like to get this dealt with so I can leave."

"You can wait for her downstairs. She won't keep you waiting long," Eric assured him smoothly. "It's the door at the end of the bar."

The dark haired vampire turned without a word and moved quickly through the crowd, impatiently pushing past any in his way. As he opened the heavy steel door and stepped into the beyond, the ancient one smiled grimly, satisfaction lightening the tense lines of his face. Swift finagling and creative storytelling would be necessary, but Bill Compton's fate was sealed as the door closed behind him.

Familiar numbers were dialed and the first ring barely sounded before he heard her voice.

"Eric?"

"It is me. You did well, lover. It's over now."

We all know it can't quite be over yet, right? The Queen has not spoken, but we'll learn more about that next chapter!

What do you think?