A/N: I know Bill/Sookie has far fewer fans than Eric/Sookie but I couldn't help myself, sorry. This is set right after the season six finale so beware there are spoilers! Also the section that's marked with o0o is a flashback just to be clear.

Puppet on a String

He's just feeding from you, you're no better than the girl at the McDonald's drive thru window. The thought should put her mind at ease, but it doesn't because she knows better. She knows that although this is simply being labeled as a 'business arrangement' the way one of his hands is buried in her hair while the other is stroking her collarbone as his fangs are buried deep within her, lets her know it's anything but a simple business arrangement.

As quickly as it starts it's over and she feels him heal her wounds and sees his fangs disappear. It's over. For tonight.

"Thank you." The always present murmured 'thanks' that always follows their now nightly ritual always falls from his lips as he releases his hold on her. Why does it always sound more like an apology?

" You're welcome Bill." It's always like this, formal and proper before and after the deed is done. Ever since this twisted façade of an a agreement began three weeks ago, although Alcide had been adamant that Sookie would have nothing to do with any vampire as long as he was in the picture one almost bite from a Hep V vampire had quickly changed his mind.

She had tried to fight it, claimed she didn't want any vampire protection especially not Bill's. But it had been hard to fight against Alcide's logic once he had come around to the idea.

o0o

"I thought you said you wouldn't allow this." She urged him once they had arrived bedraggled back to her house after the attack on the vampire/human mixer. Her sundress would never be wearable again and he had lost his favorite jacket at some point. She sighed, I thought this part of my life was over. It had been a relatively quiet six months for her, sure the Hep V virus had spread into the vampire community but her and Alcide had managed to maintain a distance from the supernatural world. Well as much of distance as a half-fae and werewolf could. Still it had been a peaceful six months getting into the routine of being a normal happy couple. And now he just wants to throw that all away?

"He's right." She had finally pulled on some of her most comfortable pajamas and was waiting as he began to undress near her dresser. His back was turned to her but still his deep voice resounded in her room.

"What are you talking about?" Alcide had been right in the thick of it and she had proved to be more of a liability than she liked, while he had protected her the best he could there was just too many of them and she, like always, was being sought after thanks to her lineage. Sure if Bill hadn't managed to grab her and run her off into the Bellefleur's nee Merlotte's bathroom while Alcide kept the vampires busy she was sure the vampire that had nearly taken a bite would have done more than just scare her. Still she wasn't going to mention that anytime soon.

"I can't protect you all the time, not by myself." The Shreveport pack was still a lingering danger in their lives and though nothing had come about from them, Alcide had urged her to remain cautious. Though Alcide was with her most of the time they weren't stuck together twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, he kept a job at Monroe which kept him there sometimes for days at a time due to his long hours.

"Don't say that, you're all I need." She walked over to him to wrap her arms across his broad chest too short to nuzzle his neck she settled for peppering kisses on his back. She felt him melt into her touch and gently took hold of her hands on his chest.

"I love you Sookie and I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you… especially if it was because I was too stubborn to take help… even if it is from him." She didn't have to look into his eyes to know how true it was, he loved her, more than she deserved but still she couldn't help wanting it all the same. What could she say to that? Nothing really, at least nothing that would bring about any accusations of lingering feelings.

"Okay." She agreed simply. It was always simple with Alcide, she never felt like his motivations were anything but pure and he never asked too much from her, so she really couldn't deny him anything.

o0o

The first week had been all business. She was determined to keep a cool demeanor and not show any feelings. She loved Alcide now and this was just akin to being a bottle of Tru Blood. After a short discussion it had been set that nightly short feedings would be better overall for both their health's and that doing it at his house was a far better option as well. Before sun set she would make the trek across the cemetery and wait for him in his house, once he was awake he would feed and then walk her back to her house, where more often than not Alcide would be waiting for her on her porch. Simple.

Who was she kidding nothing was ever simple when it came to her and Bill. The first week had been full of tentative touches both unsure how far was too intimate. They had attempted simply using her wrist but since she wasn't taking any of his blood, definitely not an option, she found that it left her hands feeling too sore for continuous feedings. She had also found that seeing him actually bit into her was too much for her. So that was how she ended up here, baring her neck for him nightly while going home to a werewolf.

"Ready to go home?" He asks her after she zones back to reality.

"Um.. Yes can I just freshen up a bit?" It's not really a question since it's what she does nightly. She heads off to the downstairs bathroom turning on the faucet to let the cool water run. She stares herself in the mirror and though she looks normal she feels like anything but that.

Whore! Slutty whore! She closes her eyes willing for her conscious to back down before opening them again. The taunts are still there if only quieter. She couldn't help it, she felt like a whore, even if everyone was in agreement it was just blood. But Bill feeding from her could never feel like anything else but an intimate caress. She uses the bar of soap and rubs at her smooth neck, the mark is gone and healed but she can feel it. Can feel his fangs still in her, can feel him pulling her life source out for him to survive, can feel his tongue laving at her skin. She feels all this, but she can't show it. So instead she makes quick work of drying herself off before heading back into the living room.

"Ready." She attempts something like a smile but knows it comes out a grimace. The walk across the cemetery is silent as always. They never say anything, never talk aside from the pleasantries. So she wonders sometimes if this struggle is all in her mind. Perhaps he simply does just like my blood, maybe I'm just a juice box to him. She steps on a twig and it crunches under her heel he turns quickly to see her and the deep concerned look he always gives her is on his face but there's also something more. Something that resembles what she had seen in his eyes when he proposed. Hope. Crushing hope. Disastrous hope.

She wants to yell at him that he has no right to even look at her like that, yet at the same time she's elated because it gives her hope that she's not mad. As quick as it appears it's gone and he's back to facing forward, leading the way back to her house. Back to Alcide.

"Until tomorrow." He adds gently giving her a nod as they reach the edge of her property.

"Goodbye." She murmurs sparing him one last glance before making her way home.

"Cold?" Alcide asks greeting her on the porch with a mug that smells suspiciously like hot chocolate.

"Kind of." He wraps his big arm around her, his body instantly heating hers up. "I'm going to take a shower but thanks." She indicates to the cup before heading up the stairs alone. Alcide's never mentioned it but she knows how she smells. She smells of him, of death, his scent is covering her and she can't wait to get it off of her.

Sitting in the shower letting the hot water beat against her skin she wonders how her world became so muddy once more. She would like to say she doesn't like it, doesn't want it, but she hates herself because she knows a small part of her finds comfort in it. Bill needs her. Needs her blood to survive, needs her to keep him healthy. She's sick.

Alcide is a good man, the kind that doesn't lead to town gossip about being a 'danger whore'. She doesn't want to go back tomorrow night. Wants to stay in and watch movies on the couch before heading to bed early with her man. At the same time she wants to get lost in his bite like before. Wants to feel the freedom and sin that course through her body as he claims her without feeling guilt. She's being pulled in too many directions what she wants/needs/has/dreams of never seems to align perfectly in her mind and she's sick of it.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think!