I don't own anything.

"Where's your fucking chain now?" Mack yelled over top of me with a crazed voice before kicking me hard in the side.

They continue to kick me until I Denise bends down and pulls me up by my hair."Dumb-ass ponytail." She says to me as she slams my head into the ground.

"I love you." Mack stated.

'Really at a time like this?'

"I love you too, baby." She answered with a sick smile on her face before I grab Mack's leg as he tried to shoot a poor animal before he is sent flying though the air hitting a tree falling at the base of a tree.

"What the fuck...?" Mack asked before he was brutally killed.

"Show your fucking face, freak!" Denise yelled as she panicked.

The pain was something I didn't know I could handle. I was getting my ass kicked at it hurt like hell, why was I going through all of this? Oh yeah because I decided to do the right thing and save Bill. It felt like I was on the edge of death when I heard the deep voice of the very person that could help me in my deathly situation; Bill Compton the new local vampire.

I was barely aware of the screams as the both of them were pulled into the forest by Bill. Bleeding I didn't even care but I needed him to hurry up and finish killing them or whatever he was doing with them because I still hurt like hell. A morbid thought but they deserved it. Before I get the chance to see if he is finished I pass out cold seeing nothing but darkness. It feels like seconds pass by until my eyes crack open ripping off the caked on blood, revealing Bill hovering over top of me addressing my wounds.

"Sookie…Sookie." He said my name caring as he placed me on the ground right beside the river.

Oddly out of place I coughed up blood as I tried to speak. "I can't feel my legs."

Having an automatic response he lifted my upper body up effortlessly and placed my torso on his knee opening the button on his shirt the hid his wrist. 'Oh dear lord he is going to try and get me to drink his blood.' Without a second thought he bit into his smooth flesh without even a wince before thrusting his freshly made wound in my face. "Quick drink before the wound closes." He demanded.

I couldn't just drink his blood without asking a quick question. Something I know someone else might not even think about. "I don't want to be a vampire?"

His face didn't even change into an odd look as he answered quickly. "You won't be, god damn it Sookie do you want to live or not?" He placed the wound over my mouth as I whimpered out a 'no' but it was no good this wrist was placed over my mouth leaving with me with the option to drink or not breath. Wanting to live I sucked the blood feeling the taste of it run down my throat as I grabbed onto his arm practically begging for more. I must have looked wild and crazy to him but I couldn't help it. It felt like once I started I couldn't stop. Either his blood was like alcohol or it was really just what I needed right now.

I don't what happened next but I seemed to like having Bill lick the dried blood from my injures off of my blood. As his tongue grazed over my head I thought of a question I had to ask. "Do I taste different from other people?"

His answer was almost immediate. "Yes." But it wasn't the fact the he said yes that made me feel different it was his next choice of words or shall I say question that did. "What are you?"

"Well apparently I'm not dead." I decided to joke while stating the truth before going on with whatever spilled out of my head. "What I am is telepathic, I can hear people's thoughts.

His eyes searched mine as he leaned a little away from me. "Even mine?"

"No." It felt happy that I could answer his question with a no. "That's why I like you so much. I can't hear you at all. You have no idea how peaceful it is after a lifetime of blah blah blah." I smiled up at him as he helped me get up to a sitting position in the tree.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" He asked after he made sure I wouldn't fall.

I almost wanted to laugh. "Bill you were just licking blood out of my head, I don't it gets much more personal than that."

He let out a small laugh. "How do you manage a social life with men your own age the thought must be…"

I cut it knowing what he was asking about. "I don't date."

"Ever?" His voice came off slightly surprised.

"Oh, I've been on a few dates. Not every guy was a pig. But it always ends up the same." Flashbacks of my previous dates moved through my head like a bad movie I kept seeing over and over again. If I could just tune people out all the time I wouldn't have to worry about never dating.

"There must be some people that know about your talent?" He asked seeming curios.

"The people closet to me. But we never talk about it. And I do my best to stay out of their heads, over the years I've learned how. I figure it's kind of unethical to listen in on my family, friends, my boss but they know. Other people suspect it but mostly people just think I'm weird."

"What does it sound like?" His dark eyes looked right into mine like they were trying to get answer from inside my head.

"It's sort of like a string of conscience. Get's weirder if they are mad or sad. Sometimes it's just images." He moved closer as my words ended forcing me even closer onto the tree. "I should be getting home." I stated even though I wasn't even sure if I wanted to go home anymore but I moves so he would get my point as he continued to stare at me. "Wow I feel completely healed."

"You are."

I looked at him astonished. "Do doctors know that V juice can do this?"

"No." He said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "We want to keep it that way. I should show you to your car." Getting up he extended me his hand helping me pull myself up. Leading me out of the forest we started walking towards my car.

"How old are you?" I asked really wanting to know. "Am I allowed to ask that?"

He seemed to have no problem answering. "I was made a vampire in 1865 when I was 30 human years old."

"Wow you look older than that."

He turned towards me before giving me a reason. "Life was harder then."

"Were you in a Civil War?" I asked remembering why I asked him to meet me out here.

"I was."

Yes! This is just the thing my grandmother would get excited over. "Would you be willing to come and talk to my grandmother's club, it's mostly a bunch of old people who had family in the war. They call themselves the Descendants of the Glorious Dead."

"The Glorious Dead?" "There is nothing glorious about dying in a war, bunch of starving freezing boys killing each other so that rich people can stay rich. Madness."

His small outrage speech set me off a bit as I searched for the right words to say. "I'm sure it was awful."

He calmed down remembering what I asked him. "Would it make you happy if I did this?"

"Oh it would make my grandmother ecstatic."

Obviously I was getting his point because he asked me the question again. "Would it make you happy?"

"Well…yes." I said before walking over to my car facing away from Bill trying to hold back a smile.

I felt him walk up behind me. "I'll do it then." I turned back around to face him this time not hiding a smile. "I look forward to meeting your grandmother. When may I call on you?"

'When may I call on you? Is he serious? Haha, I must be losing my mind but hearing him asking me when he could ask me out wording it like that made me want to melt.' "I'm off work tomorrow."

"Just after dark then." He said in an upbeat tone I had never heard him use before.

Shyly turning towards my car I noticed the lights to Sam's house still on. "Huh, Sams still up." Hearing the lack of sound behind me I turned to see Bill gone. "That's creepy."

NEXT DAY

The next day I tell my grandmother the good news that Bill has agreed to come and talk but it was the weird fact that my sense of smell and taste had dramatically improved. My only guess could be from Bill's blood as the main reason. But besides my new senses I couldn't wait for nightfall to see Bill again.

Trying to waste time since it had been long after night fall now I swept the front porch forcing myself to think about something else. A small creak on the porch turned me around to come face to face with Bill. "Bill I don't like it when you do that." I stated.

"I've upset you."

I let out a small laugh as I placed the broom on the side of the house. "No. Well since you're here…" Opening the door I started to walk in only to see Bill with an odd look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"You have to invite me in. Otherwise it's physically impossible for me to enter a mortals home."

"Seriously?" I couldn't believe it, I thought that was an urban myth to. "Well come on try it."

"I… I can't. I can't even try."

"That is so weird."I thought out loud as I put on my best fake hostess face and moved my voice up an octave. "Oh Bill won't you please come in?"

"Thank you."

He proceeded to walk in before I stepped in front of him fully wanting to milk this time. "So if I were to withdraw my invitation would you have to leave?"

He shook his head yes.

"I'll have to remember that." I said moving so he could enter the house.

Sitting down on the couch I watched as my grandmother passed out tiny sandwiches until she got to Bill who nicely said no. "Oh my stars, of course. You…you don't… I…I'm sorry." Placing the plate on a table she sat down right next to him and began to talk. "Your people Mr. Compton they were from this area… I believe?"

"My father's people were Comptons and my mother's people were Loudermilks."

"Oh there are a lot of Loudermilks left, but I'm afraid old Mr. Jesse Compton died last year."

"Yes ma'am. That's why I came back to Bon Temps. There were no living Comptons so I've set up home in the old Compton place and as I expect the VRA to pass…"

Bill was rudely interrupted by my brother Jason. "Yeah I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you. A lot of Americans don't think you people deserve special rights."

"They're the same rights you have."

"No I'm just saying there's a reason things are the way they are!"

'Great now he is trying to get on my nerves.' I thought but I allowed them to continue to talk thinking it wouldn't go too far.

"Yeah…" Bill started. "It's called injustice."

I could feel Jason's anger start to rise as he started to lean forward in his chair. "Listen, it's called "this is how we do it!"

I opened my mouth to shut Jason up but it was my grandmother that took care of it for me. "Jason! This is my house. I will not tolerate rudeness." She waited until Jason was quiet and was fully back to his previous position in his chair before smiling and turning back to Bill. "Did you know the Stackhouses, Mr. Compton?"

"Yes, uh ... I remember Jonas Stackhouse. He and his wife moved here when Bon Temps was just a hole in the road. I was a young man of 16. Isn't this the house he built? I mean, at least in part?" Bill was very elegant with his words I took of notice but decided not to say anything.

"Yes it was." My grandmother sounded excited as she had a twinkle in her eyes.

Tara was the next one to interrupt with a question that if I had been drinking something I would've spit it out all of over Bill. "Did you own slaves?"

"Tara!" I called out shocked.

"I did not, but my father did. A house slave, a middle-aged woman whose name I cannot recall, and... and a yard slave ... a young, strong man named Minus." He answered unbothered by the question.

"Oh, this is just the sort of the thing my club will be so interested in hearing about." My grandmother said as she brought her hands together causing Tara to almost jump out of her chair.

"About slaves?"

My grandmother looked at her uncomfortably. "Well ... about ... anything having to do with that time."

"I look forward to speaking to your club, Mrs. Stackhouse. Now, if it's all right with you, I thought that Sookie and I might take a walk. It's such a lovely night." Bill said in such a calm well mannered voice.

"Well ... it's all right with me if it's all right with Sookie." My grandmother said looking past Bill towards me.

I was going to give my answer when Jason placed his beer on the table to stand up facing Bill. "I don't think that's a good idea."

I stood up in front of him not wanting to deal with his childish ways tonight. "I don't think it's any of your business!"

"She's right, Jason." My grandmother chimed in.

"Look, Gran, I am the man in this family." Jason used being the only man in the house to gain some power in this choice but was quickly shut down.

"You are a man in this family, but I am the oldest person here and this is my house. You better respect me, boy!" 'That a girl grandma.'

Trying to lighten the mood Bill actually cracked a small joke. "Actually ... I'm the oldest person here." Allowing everyone who thought it was funny to laugh he turned to me. "Shall we?" He asked extending his arm.

"We shall." Taking his arm I left with Bill to go outside. Once we were outside I asked him some questions that were on my mind. "I went to the Rattray's trailer."

"I told you I was strong." He said with a small movement of his shoulders.

I wonder just how strong he is. "I don't believe I fully gauged the extent of your strength."

"Over the years we become stronger and more skillful of hiding what we've done."

"You might want to remember for next time, tornadoes hop they don't just land in one place." I paused trying to think if I should ask the next question but as usual curiosity got the best of me. "So… I guess you've killed a lot of people?"

He looked at me with a face that didn't really want to answer the question but continued. "I killed a few by accident at first. I was never sure when I was gonna get my next feed. But it's different now. There's Tru Blood. I can get donor blood from a clinic in Monroe, or I can glamour someone into letting me feed on them for love, and then they'll forget all about it."

"Did you feed on the Rattrays?" The mere remembrance of the couple brought a shiver down my spine.

"Yes after I'd given you my blood while you were healing. You drank a lot of my blood." He touched the spot on his wrist where my lips had once touched quickly before placing his arms back by his side.

I looked down embarrassed remembering my reaction the previous night. 'What will that do to me?"

"Well you'll…have keener senses."

Well that was something I figured out on my own. "What else?" I asked feeling like he was holding something back.

"Your libido will be more active."

Those two things barely seemed like anything. "Is… is that it?"

He opened and closed his mouth twice before answering me. I guess whatever he had to say wasn't something people heard on a daily basis. "I'll always be able to feel you. I'll be able to find you fast, if you're ever in trouble that could come in quite handy."

Whoa, no wonder it took him a while to tell me that. That was a lot to take in at one time. "You're gonna have to give me a minute here Bill. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed."

"Of course."

After my time to wrap my head around what Bill said we continued our journey venturing into the cemetery talking about my past.

Bill had just told me about losing his wife and children when I asked him if he considered himself human.

"I'm not human."

Ok so he doesn't feel human let's see what else I can ask. "Can you turn into a bat?"

"No. There are those who can change form, but I'm not one of them." He said as serious as day even though I expected him to be joking.

Hmm, what other urban myth can I test out? "Can you levitate?"

"No."

"Turn invisible?"

He almost laughed. "Sorry."

"Well Bill, you don't seem like a very good vampire." I say jokingly. "What can you do?" I ask suddenly curious about which parts of the urban myths were true or false.

"I can bring you back to life."

I took in his answer with a calm peace thinking it was exactly what I wanted to hear without him even knowing it. A few minutes later after following Bill form I see a large dark house in front of me. "This is where you live?"

He balanced on the back of heels looking back at me to the house. "Since old Jesse Compton had no living heirs when he died ownership reverts back to me." He said with a sense of pride.

"I thought that wasn't for sure unless the VRA passes?"

Moving slightly closer to the house he looked like he was taking in the sight of his own house. "Well I haven't been getting in any trouble with the renovations I've been doing. Although of course I've been doing it myself in the night. I need an electrician, but I can't get anyone to return my calls."

I perked up at the thought of helping him out. "Maybe if I made a few calls tomorrow I could come by after work and tell you who to contact?"

"Thank you." Finally looking away from his house Bill stares at me attentively as I was seemingly placed in the midnight. "Take your clip out." He demanded in a calm yet very sexy voice. Following his instructions I take the clip out allowing my hair to fall onto my shoulders. "May I?" He asks reaching his hands out to my hair. Nodding he slowly takes my hair into his hands leaning forwards bringing my hair to his nose breathing my scent in. "I can smell the sunlight on your skin."

What happened next was something I had been wishing for the longest time. Leaning down to my mouth our lips meet causing a sensation that drives both of us wild. Apparently to wild because the next thing I knew Bill was turned away from me with his fangs fully out.

"I should see you home." His breathing came out ragged.

"All right." I said my breathing also ragged.

END