Only Disclaimer(I always forget): Not mine. All credit goes to Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball. I repeat for emphasis: NOT MINE.

Right, well, I keep getting writer's block so I keep starting new stories, which is really bad, right? Anyway, this is based on the TV show, not the books. Yes I have read them all, and yes I do love them, but I think with the TV show there's more to play with. Like Lafayette, and Tara - they're very different in the show. In a good way. :)

**I realise this has been done before a million times, but I'm going to make it different once we get into the story. Bear with me. If, however, my story is too close to another that it feels like plagerism (I don't think so, but anyway) please let me know so I can delete the story. I really don't mean to offend anyone.**

Anyway - enjoy. :)

I took one last deep breath before climbing out of my red Ferrari. My baby. I shielded my eyes from the constant southern sun as I took in the large white house in front of me. There was a porch that stretched around the perimeter of it with a bench underneath a window, presumably for her to sit on when she fancied some fresh air. I had not been to Bon Temps for a long time, but my mother had made a few visits without me. She was the reason I was here. Her sister and her spouse had died in an accident a while ago and her mother (my grandmother) had taken in their two children. I could still remember how well the pair had gotten along. Sookie and Jason were my best friends growing up - was it sad of me to have cousins for best friends? I was considered too shy and odd to have friends who were not related to me. Life was great. That all changed when my parents heard about Sookie's ability and decided that I shouldn't be 'allowed' to be friends with her any more. They had moved us to New York. To say I was angry wouldn't cover it - I was livid. I did not speak to them for weeks. Four months later, when she was seven and I was five, their parents - my aunt and uncle - died in a flood so they moved in with Gran. My parents wouldn't even let me attend the funeral.

When I turned eighteen, I moved out of their house as quickly as possible and moved into a loft with a few friends of mine. During my high school education, I'd become somewhat popular - I had many friends, attended more parties than I cared to admit, lived my teenage years to the maximum. I did not speak to my parents after I left. They tried to contact me on more than one occasion but I had blanked their calls, their mail. A week ago, I got the call from the hospital: both my parents had died. They'd been murdered by a person named John Booker, who was now in prison for life. Naturally, I had been upset. But whilst I was planning their funeral I decided I needed a change. Somewhere where I could grow up - become more mature, get away from my incessant partying. And there was only one place I could think of going.

So there I was: stood against my baby, looking at the house I hadn't seen for eighteen years. Sookie was now twenty-five years old - I doubted she even remembered me. I finally got the courage to walk up onto the porch and knock hurriedly on the door. Whilst waiting, I bit my lip nervously to the point where it almost bled, and entangled and disentangled my manicured fingers. When she opened the door, she smiled expectantly.

"Hi," I started my voice empty of the southern drawl I missed so much. "Are you Sookie Stackhouse?"

I felt it was polite to ask - I knew it was her. She'd definitely grown up, though - her once short blonde hair was now long and curly, her blue eyes still pensive and penetrating. She had a wonderful figure - any girl would be jealous.

"I am," she replied, looking at me inquisitively.

"I don't know if you remember me…I'm--"

"Evelyn Hayward?!" Her eyes widened as she looked me up and down, her mouth forming a small 'o'.

I nodded as her eyes reached mine, and before I knew it, she flung herself at me, hugging the living daylights out of me. I wound my arms around her too, happy she had, in fact, remembered me. She pulled away, her mouth still open, but now forming a smile.

"Oh my God! How are you?" she asked me as she gestured for me to enter her house.

"I'm good, thank you. Yourself?"

"I'm great! I can't believe you're here!" She still had a massive-ass grin on her face. Her smile was contagious.

"Yeah, I figured I'd come back to my roots…" I said, while simultaneously observing the house. It looked exactly the same. From the bright and open kitchen to the long staircase - it was all so nostalgic.

"Why would anyone willingly come back to Bon Temps after they've lived the high life in New York?" She laughed after she'd said that, and from the way she did I could tell that she wouldn't leave Bon Temps for anything - it was her home.

"Turns out New York couldn't hold me," I teased.

"How long are you staying for? Do you need a place to stay?" She looked thrilled at the idea of someone living with her. I vaguely wondered where Gran was.

"I have no idea how long I'm staying, to be honest. I just wanted a fresh start, you know? Away from the bustling city, the bright lights, the people who only want to know you because you've got money…It can get too much."

She nodded in understanding.

"I heard about Angela and Jerry - I'm sorry…" She looked down to the floor.

I shrugged. "Don't be. I didn't speak to them anyway - we weren't exactly close."

She looked up, her brows furrowed."You seemed pretty tight when you lived here…?"

"I stopped talking to them after they moved me."

Her eyes bugged out a little at this, and they then filled with what could only be described as gratitude and loyalty - like I'd been loyal to her.

"So where's Gran?" I had not seen her for years - I missed her, and her cooking.

Sookie's face fell and twisted with sadness. Shit.

"She died, a few months back. There were mass murders around here not long ago, and Gran was just in the wrong place at the wrong time…"

This wasn't a good time for the Stackhouse family. Adele Stackhouse had been murdered, along with her daughter and her husband, and apparently more people living in the quiet town of Bon Temps had been caught in the midst of the situation.

"Mass murder in Bon Temps…It's unheard of," I muttered quietly. She nodded in response, both of us still reeling from the loss of Gran, even though it was only news to me.

I decided we needed a change of subject.

"If you're offering a place to stay, Sook, I would be really appreciative…"

Her face brightened considerably.

"Of course you can stay here! It was practically your home for years!"

I laughed as she led me up the stairs and into Gran's old bedroom, which was now void from her things. The wardrobe was empty, the sheets were un-slept in. I guessed that this was now more like a spare room to Sookie, a room she preferred not to go in - too many memories.

"I'll help you with your stuff and then we can catch up."

So, after unloading my multiple cases of clothing from my car, she sat me down at the kitchen table with a glass of lemonade.

"So what's new if the life of my favorite cousin?"

I chuckled."Not much, really. I got accepted into Dartmouth to study psychology, but I decided not to go, after all. At the time I was going through my partying stage - yes, I went through that phase. I'm trying to…mainstream, at the moment. I need to mature - get a job, earn a living and not just live off the money my parents left me."

She nodded, taking in everything I said.

"How much did they leave you?"

I blushed slightly. "A hell of a lot…I don't even remember…I nearly passed out when the lawyers told me…"

She chuckled a little but let it drop.

"So quiet little Evie from Louisiana parties?" She smiled a teasing smile.

"Yes…I met some people in High School who had an influence on me. I'm a completely different girl to who I used to be."

Her smile turned wry.

"No…You still blush, you bite your lip and you still laugh as delicately as a daisy. You've just grown a backbone, Evie."

"I did grow up in New York - of course I've grown a backbone. I take shit from no one," I laughed, as did she.

"So what about you? How's life?"

"It's…great. I work at a bar as a waitress - you should look for a job there, we're low on staff - and I have a boyfr--" She cut herself off and looked to the floor.

I gasped in fake shock.

"Sookie Stackhouse, do you have a boyfriend?" I giggled at her embarrassment.

She nodded mutely.

I breathed in sharply and said with conviction, "I knew it!" to which she laughed a little.

"So who's the lucky guy?"

She hesitated before throwing caution to the wind.

"His name is Bill. Bill Compton."

"Compton, eh? I always loved that house. It had a mysterious aura. I thought they'd all died though…" I mused.

She froze, her eyes darting around looking anywhere but me.

I stared at her, trying to think why she had that reaction. She'd stiffened when I mentioned the Compton's were dead…Clearly they weren't. But what if--

"Sookie, is Bill a vampire?" I asked her bluntly, since there was no other way of saying it. No point in beating around the bush.

She remained silent for a few beats before raising her chin high so she looked strong.

"Yes, he is," she said, almost hostilely.

I smiled. "That's pretty cool. I think you topped my Dartmouth acceptance."

She relaxed visibly, before her ever-present smile appeared.

"You're not against vampires." It wasn't a question; it was more of an observation.

I shook my head. "I'm not. In my mind, they're just people - annoying as hell and full of shit."

She laughed at that, the previous tense atmosphere gone.

We continued to discuss our lives for hours. I told her about my past relationships and my friends, she told me about her friends and the latest news on the town. I found the fact that she dated a vampire very interesting. I'd never met one before - I'd always wanted to go to a vampire bar whenever my friends and I went out but they were always either scared or disgusted. I, however, had nothing against them. People were worse, in my opinion. Most vampires had a mild sense of decency and maturity - humans did not. They were all uncouth and vulgar - only after one thing. I assumed vampires were only after two things, one of them being a common factor with humans. The other being blood. At least vampires showed variance.

Sookie and I talked for hours until she informed me that she had to attend work, and I should come with her. She told me Sam would hire me, and if he did that she would show me the ropes on how to be a waitress. I was fairly excited, surprisingly. My first job - and it was at home.

*********************

We arrived at Merlotte's about ten minutes later, which gave Sookie enough time to throw her hair up into a ponytail and change into her uniform of a white t-shirt and tiny black shorts. I was not looking forward to wearing that if I got the job. I was slender, but it was not something I tried hard for. I was short, meaning I was petite. I'd always hated being small - it made people look down on me in more than one sense. I would have worn heels constantly if it wasn't for my complete lack of equilibrium. Gran had always said if there was an object within a three-mile radius I would inevitably find it and trip over it. There didn't even have to be an object - sometimes my feet would just manage to entwine themselves and I'd trip over that. So due to my small frame, the opposite gender found my body…appealing. I did not know how Sookie could cope with the male attention, as she was sure to receive by wearing that. I did not appreciate unwanted attention.

Merlotte's was very authentic and stereotypical of a southern bar, but it held the atmosphere that everyone was content with being in here amongst old friends - it was very homely.

Sookie tottered off to the bar as I observed my surroundings. I saw that she was talking to an attractive woman who was eyeing me curiously, and somewhat spitefully. I cautiously approached them.

"Evelyn, this is Tara. Tara, Evelyn," Sookie introduced us.

I held a hand out to her which she eyed suspiciously before shaking.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, trying to sound polite, though inside I was growing tired of her uncalled for suspicions.

"Mmmhmm," she hummed before walking away to tend a customer. I stood there, and scoffed at her rudeness.

"You'll have to forgive her, Evie. She can be a little…hostile to new people, ever since what happened. You know, the murders, and all…"

I nodded in understanding, when really I didn't see the need for her resentment. I was Sookie's cousin - not a murderer.

"Come on, let's go find Sam."

Sookie grabbed my hand as she led us both round behind the bar to a secluded office. She knocked lightly once, and entered not waiting for an answer. A man sat on a desk; he had long-ish sandy hair and seemed very country - I could tell this due to his checked shirt and boots. He was kind of cute, but not my type at all. He seemed too good to attract me in any way. That being said, bad boys did nothing for me either…Who knew what my type was.

"Hey Sooks," the man, Sam I assumed, said happily, standing up.

"Sam, this is my cousin - Evelyn. She's looking for a job, and I told her you might consider it…?"

Sam perked up a little before letting out a breath that was not a sigh.

"Sure…Have you had any waitress or bartending experience?"

I nodded my head a little too enthusiastically.

"My friend's dad owned a bar back home, and when they were a little short staffed I poured drinks. I didn't get paid, though, because I was sort of…pouring drinks for myself too. It was very informal." I felt a bit embarrassed that I couldn't say I'd worked in a formal place, serving drinks sober.

Sam nodded his head a little before speaking up.

"Well, if Sookie's willing to show you the ropes, I'd be grateful if you could help us out."

I felt like hugging the man right then. As it was, I squealed a little and jumped up a bit, as did Sookie. She grabbed my hand again, dragging me back out to the bar.

"Thank you so much, Sam! You won't regret it!" I hollered over my shoulder. I heard him chuckle behind me, either from my comment or Sookie's enthusiasm. I expected the latter.

For the time being, Sookie handed me a spare t-shirt with the logo on, but it was a little too big since I was so short. She found this humorous - I did not. I remained in my skinny jeans throughout my tutelage, which wasn't that hard. You had sections, you took their orders, you took their orders to the cooks (whose names I learned to be Lafayette and Terry - I genuinely like the both of them) then when their food was ready you brought it them. Simple.

People were very understanding when I pointed out that it was my first night, but most people knew that already - they couldn't remember me, and they noticed I was new. This bar was the social gathering place.

I met more people as the night went on but I could only remember about four. I was always terrible at names. After midnight, things died down significantly. I sat at the bar with a glass of Coke full of ice, sipping it as I waited for any more business customers. Tara thought this was a good time to talk to me.

"So you're Sookie's cousin?"

I nodded.

"Yeah - her mom's side."

"I must've come here just after you left. You really devastated Sookie, you know?"

"I know…it really wasn't my fault, though. If you'd have known my parents you would have understood," I said, laughing a little towards the end. She gave one hard laugh as she looked at me differently.

"I can relate to that, that's for damn sure…"

And with that she walked off and began cleaning the bar, asking the customers if they wanted anything else. I could see that she was just looking out for my cousin - her rudeness was not undeserved.

Twenty minutes later, someone walked in, and the remaining drunken people all shut up, leaving the music the only thing heard. I shook my head at their dramatics, continuing to clean up Table Six - damn kids always made a mess, spilling ketchup everywhere.

I collected their glasses and walked over to deposit them at the bar to be washed. I saw that Tara was chatting away idly to a man, so whoever it was who just walked in had no one to serve them. I put on my smile (Sookie had told me that smiles always helped get better tips) and spun around to be faced with a pale brunette male, with strong cheekbones. He was gazing at me intently, before his eyes trailed around the bar - it was obvious he was looking for someone, and since Tara was right there, and Sam was by the Jukebox clearing tables, that left Sookie. Ah - this was Bill Compton: the boyfriend.

I figured I'd see if he had a sense of humour.

"What are your intentions with Sookie?" I put on my best harsh voice.

He looked surprise at my outburst, which made me want to burst out in giggles but I remained pokerfaced.

"Um…"

"Because I have a '45 and a shovel - I doubt anyone would miss you." Ah, my favourite line from Clueless.

He glared at me, and was about to say something when the giggles could not be suppressed. I burst out into snickers, almost doubling over at the look of anger and confusion on his face.

"I'm fucking joking, Mr Compton. I'm Evelyn - your girlfriend's cousin. I really didn't mean to offend you…it's from a film. I doubt you'll ever have seen Clueless, though. My apologies." A small chuckle escaped from my tightly pressed lips, but his face only lightened when it did.

He sighed a little before a small smile graced his thin lips. "You are forgiven, Evelyn. Sookie did not mention she had a cousin."

I shook my head. "No, I left when I was five. Family issues, you could say."

He nodded.

"Sookie's around back. I'll get her for you. Before I do, would you like anything?"

"O negative TruBlood, please."

I nodded once before grabbing a bottle and shoving it in the microwave. After waiting patiently, I pulled the door open and handed it to him, putting it on a coaster. He thanked me and I threw him a smile in response before heading round the back to fetch Sookie.

"Sook?" She looked up from loading and unloading bottles into crates. "You have a visitor at the bar."

Her eyes lit up as she dropped the box and dashed out to see Bill. I had to laugh at her eagerness as I carried on doing what she was before. When I finished, it was closing time. Sam told me to be back at 4pm later that day (since it was now morning) and I'd be working until 10pm. I appreciated it that he gave me a little time to recuperate.

I walked back around to the bar to find Sookie and Bill locked in a kiss of passion. I cleared my throat suggestively.

"Oh, as happy as I am to see my cousin sucking face, the bar's closing. I'm sure you can continue this later…at Bill's house," I added on, because I didn't want to hear them going at it.

They both pulled apart and smiled at me.

"I'm going to walk, I think," I told them, because they still couldn't keep their hands off each other. I rolled my eyes and headed to the door.

"Evelyn, excuse us. We will...behave ourselves."

"You bet you will," I warned them both as they smirked and followed me to Sookie's car. I sat in the back, since I was the youngest, which left Bill able to take Sookie's hand over the gear stick. It was a sweet gesture, I thought. We were sat in a comfortable silence, but Bill broke that when he cleared his throat.

"Jessica will be waiting at your house, Sookie. She did not want to be alone for too long," he said, his voice dripping with disapproval. Sookie just smiled.

"She's always welcome."

Bill didn't seem to agree with this. He turned in his seat to face me.

"Jessica is a new vampire. She cannot control herself as of yet."

"Bill…" Sookie started, but Bill continued like he'd not heard her.

"You must be careful around her, Evelyn."

I frowned, but nodded my head slowly nonetheless. Be careful? Were new vampires savage, or something? I really didn't know much about them.

We arrived at Sook--our house in no time, and clambered out to walk up the steps that led onto the porch.

As soon as Sookie opened the door we were greeted by a tall red head who looked bored as hell.

"Thank God! I thought I was gonna die of boredom. Well, die again…" She rambled until she spotted me. "Who's that, Sookie?"

"Jessica, this is my cousin Evelyn. This is Jessica," she told me. I threw my hand out for her to shake, which she did without hesitation. I did not flinch from her cold touch - I had been expecting it.

"You can call me Evie," I told her, then looking meaningfully at Bill so he knew he could call me that too.

"It's great to have someone new around here. It's starting to get boring, and I don't have anyone to go with to F--" She suddenly gasped as if she had an ingenious idea. "Can I take her to Fangtasia tomorrow night, Bill? Please? She needs to see what it's like there with all the vampires. She looks like fun, I think she'd enjoy it! Please, Bill?"

"Whoa, whoa!" I raised my hands which shut her up. "Fangtasia? Fangtasia? As in a vampire bar?"

I was getting quite excited at this prospect. Visiting one for the first time would be even better if I had an actual vampire to go with, and Jessica seemed all too willing.

"Yeah! See, she wants to go. Don't you, Evie?"

It suddenly hit me that this was the girl who was supposedly 'out of control'. The only thing she wasn't in control of was her hyper activeness. And all I had to be careful about was that she didn't squash me from her jumping up and down.

"Would you like to attend, Evie?" Bill asked me.

"Um…Sure?" I made it sound like a question. Jessica squealed, and I immediately knew she would be like this constantly: happy and hyper.

Bill let out something along the lines of a sigh whilst Sookie just looked at me, concerned.

"Sookie, I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. Besides, Jessica's going with me. Right?" I looked to Jessica who was nodding her head fervently in Sookie's direction.

It felt like we were asking our parents permission.

"Anyway, I don't really need permission to go. If I want to, I'll just go," I said, trying to make my voice sound mature and responsible. Maybe I tried a little too much, because both Bill and Sookie looked funnily at me.

I opened my mouth to redeem myself somehow, but decided against it and excused myself to go to bed.

All in all, it had been a successful day: come back to my hometown, gotten a job, met two vampires, promised to go to a vampire club - Fangtasia. Fangtastic.

Updated very irregularly!!! Sorry, but my other stories come before this one. I need to finish them off. :/

Review if you feel compelled to. ;)