"Who's the smartest boy in class?" Sophie-Anne exclaims (and slack-jawed Ludis grins, because not him either.) Hadley laughs. These are the benefits of court: You see demigods ridiculed, and know that your cage is gilded bright as the sun. And that perfect vessel, Bill wonders, is human? "They prefer supernatural beings. The two-natured..." Like Sam; she agrees. "Shifters, yes. And Weres. Fortunately, they show little interest in us. Something about our hearts not beating. But they'll try any other being that straddles the two worlds." And has those glowy hands. Maryann loves glowy.

"As long as it has a beating heart..." Come on, Bill. I have such low expectations of you, and such great faith. Put it together. You saw her fall in love with Sookie. You have to know what that means. "You have to remember, they've been trying for centuries. They're constantly improvising their recipes in hopes of finding that one magic element that will make it all happen." Like all of us. Sophie-Anne shakes her head, feeling her man approach; he announces Eric and she finds it diverting. He wants her to be a guide so bad, and she's so not interested.

"How's my cousin Sookie?" asks Hadley, who is already as perfectly cast as Sarah Newlin was: Sookie's blowsy, American twin. The perfect pigtailed virgin, with a devil's smile. "Be sure and tell her I said hey," she says regretfully, and asks after Gran. He does that sympathetic smile that always bothers me, but this time it feels real. "I'd love to talk to her sometime," Hadley says sadly, "But I owe her so much money..." (At the funeral, remember, they talked about cousin Hadley, unreachable cousin Hadley, poor ungrateful Hadley, who ran out on a rehab paid for by Gran. Poor Hadley, Bartlet's other victim, who ran into the cold arms of death as quickly as her cousin. But upgrade, come on.)

"I think it's best that you are not in touch," Bill says with that plastered sweet smile, not wanting to drop another bomb or hurt her -- sweet girl, Queen's own -- and she nods wisely: "Oh, I know. There's no place for me in that world anymore. Still think about 'em, though." And that's how I fell in love with Hadley Hale. Bill too, I think. A little. He knows about that. We all do.