Pam greets Sookie as she enters and instructs her to go into Eric’s office and respectfully present the velvet package to Eric. Victor watches as Eric receives the velvet bundle from Sookie, dramatically opening it to reveal the shining ceremonial knife that he used to officiate the vampire marriage in Rhodes and later used to cut himself during the blood bond. As Eric kisses the knife, she becomes uncomfortably aware that she does not understand the ramifications of all that is happening. She is stunned when Victor states that Quinn had requested a private meeting with her that will now be denied and that Felipe will acknowledge Eric’s prior claim on Sookie. Her discomfort gives way to anger as the vampires explain that shifters who do business with the vampires must get Eric’s permission to enter Area Five, a stipulation he specifically negotiated when he allied with the new regime. She becomes even more furious when Victor explains that because she and Eric used the ceremonial knife in a blood ritual, they are now effectively wed under vampire law. Her outrage is not assuaged when Eric tries to appease her by claiming that his actions were taken for her own good, and she leaves, promising him that they will discuss this later.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13. Sam calls with a quick update about his mom’s condition. Sookie is shocked when she is visited by Agent Sara Weiss from the New Orleans office of the FBI and Special Agent Tom Lattesta from the Rhodes branch. After showing Sookie a photograph of herself and Barry the Bellboy in the ruins of the bombed hotel, they begin to question her about Barry and the events of that terrible day. The phone rings, and a shaken Amelia interrupts them to tell Sookie that she is needed at Merlotte’s because a woman has been crucified in the parking lot.