A Perfectly Normal Human Night

[Season Three. This story is told in Bill's point of view. It opens as he is being tortured at the hands of Lorena Krasiki in Russell's house. Bill thinks back to a special summer night when he knew being with Sookie would change his immortal life …forever. 'Channeling' vampire Bill was a very challenging task, but one I found very satisfying. I hope you will be thoroughly entertained by the romantic and dramatic events that happen. Four Chapters. Disclaimer: Parts of this story contain mature themes/language. As always no copyright infringement intended. These characters belong to Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball and HBO. I am only borrowing them to tell a little story….. Enjoy! J ]

Chapter One

I knew I was drifting in and out of consciousness. My tenuous grasp on the physical world seemed to be floating away from me at last. All the cares and superficial worries with it. My body strangely floating above me…..to the rafters. And away beyond the rafters. I could feel the pull of the moon. My earthly body needed to rise up and away. Up, up from the earth, to join with some further immortal, everlasting existence.

My blood was seeping from every cut and open orifice. I could no longer feel any physical pain from the chaffing and the burning brought on by the silver chains that bound my wrists to the slaves' quarters floor. The unimaginable pain of Lorena's torturous instruments, had thoroughly completed their work, numbing my body into submission, over and over again. I had drifted to the point where I believed that absolution had finally come. I no longer wanted to open my eyes.

I did not want to see Lorena's black, lifeless eyes as she returned over me to exact every fresh incision, to keep away any healing of her handy work. Her ashen, tear-stained face looming over me, again and again.

I knew I was beyond hope. Beyond caring about myself. And I looked forward only to the Great Dawning when I would finally meet my Ultimate Maker.

There was only one distinct earthly pain left for me. A pain of the mind, not the body. A pain still ringing in my vampire consciousness. And in the middle of my very human soul. I knew that my very last thought, this side of the grave, would be of Sookie.

I prayed to God that someone would help her….. I prayed that somehow Sookie would live. That she would make it out of Russell's house alive!

Even after all of Lorena's torture, I could still feel Sookie's fear flowing through my body like a faint alarm. Russell must have had her locked away into a room somewhere…. I could still sense how frightened and desperate she felt. I had even imagined that I heard her voice as she cried out my name. And it was killing me not to be free to go to her.

With my very last clear thought, I prayed a silent prayer for my beloved. A prayer to God for Sookie's sake.

Against the knowledge and the frustration that Sookie was in certain peril and I could do nothing about it, I could not defend her. Against my certainty that Lorena would most likely return a final time with a sharpened stake and end my misery once and for all, I decided to give myself some comfort.

The abject hopelessness of my circumstance was so great, knowing my body was stationary, my mind wanted to 'go' somewhere else.

Yes, my mind began to play a merciful and miraculous trick on me. In my mind, I started drifting back…..

Traveling back….in my mind…to a warm and special summer night in Bon Temps. Before Russell. Before Jessica. Before Gran was so cruelly and brutally taken from us. Before I ever thought it was possible that God would smile upon a vampire and deliver His most precious, most wonder gift to one such as me.

The gift of love.

There had not been any rain for quite a long while. The dusty, moisture-less state of our particular region had been the singularly first topic of conversation in Bon Temps. The leaves hung oppressively from their tree limbs. There was talk of water-rationing in the town. And no sign of rain expected in the foreseeable forecasts that we had been given.

A breeze at night was a rare thing. And on occasion when there was a breeze, it was not cool enough. Only blowing around the warmth of the air. We had had no relief from the stifling heat.

I remember I had wanted to wear a jacket again because it was only my second time calling on Sookie at her house. I did not want to look over-dressed. But I wanted to make the correct second impression, as well as the first. The first time had been fine. But it was important to me that Sookie and her grandmother saw me exhibiting all graciousness and the proper manners. I found the most lightweight jacket I owned to pull over my cotton shirt.

I arrived at Sookie's house just after sunset. I don't think I could have stayed away from her if I had tried to. And I did not want to try. If Sophie-Anne had said to me, 'your current assignment is scratched,' I would have thought of an excuse to remain in Bon Temps. In spite of everything, in spite of the real reason I had come back to my ancestral home, I knew I had to near her. No matter for how short the time.

I remember Gran's kind eyes and her welcoming smile at the screen door that night. Gran had waved and greeted me even before I had turned off the engine and stepped out of my car. I smiled at her as I ascended each porch step. Gran turned slightly and called over her shoulder back into the house.

"Sookie? Sookie? Bill is here!" Gran said, smiling at me.

"Good evening, Mrs. Stackhouse," I said, joining her on the porch.

"OH good evening, Bill," Gran said, clutching her cotton kerchief to her chest;"Bill, it is just so good to see you again! My goodness! Are those for Sookie? They are gorgeous!"

Before I had left my house, I had picked an armful of blue delphiniums that were still growing profusely on the side of my property since early spring. There were huge clumps of them together, spreading out all along the tree line and into the woods. I had picked a huge bunch of them and since I had no fancy tissue on hand, I had just wrapped them into some newspapers I had.

"They are beautiful," I said:"but they are not for your granddaughter…they are for you."

I held out the fragrant bunch of flowers to Gran. She looked up at me, her mouth open, her face beaming, cheeks turning a dark rosey red. She blushed like a school girl.

"Oh, Bill!" Gran was grinning:"they are….just intoxicating! They smell so good. Oh, thank you so much, Bill. Thank you!"

"You are very welcome," I said.

Silently, Sookie had appeared at the screen door. She had stood there listening and watching my exchange with her grandmother. Had she thought for one moment that I did not know she was standing there? Not could I see her from the corner of my eye, I could smell Sookie before I evn arrived at the front door. The delicate scent of lavender and lilac. And the very sweetness of her blood.

I had smelled the mingling of all those scents in Merlotte's on the very first night I met her. Before she had walked over to me and asked 'what can I get for you tonight?' She did not want to know the true answer to that question.

It was a heady combination for me. All of those delicate scents mingling together to form one intoxicating aroma of its own. Her soap. Her hair wash. Her perfume. And the distinct smell of her sweet blood. All stirring together in my awareness.

Even in another hundred years, I would never forget it. The scent of her was particularly driving me crazy that evening. It must have been my anxious desire to finally be alone with Sookie. Or maybe it was just the heat permeating the heavy night air, filling my vampire senses with her human loveliness.

I remember Sookie stared at me with a wistful little smile on her lips. She slowly opened the screen door, our eyes locked to one another. She came out onto the porch, rather slowly and shyly, and stood next to her grandmother.

"Hey Bill," she greeted me demurely; "how are you?"

"Hey," I said; "I'm doin' fine. How are you, Sookie? You look very well this evening."

Sookie nodded her head slowly.

"Thank you. I feel good," she said; "These flowers are so pretty, Bill. Gran loves blue delphiniums."

"I certainly do!" said Gran; "Are you two still goin' to that drive-in movie tonight?"

Sookie and I were just standing there staring at one another for the longest moment. Now that we were in close proximity again to each other, the effect was just as it had always been when we were together. Magnetic. Powerful. In those first few days….it was almost impossible for us to see anything or anyone except each other. And standing there on the porch just inches from her, with the moonlight beaming down across her beautiful face, I was almost at a lose for words.

When neither one of us answered for a moment, Gran looked from one of us to the other. I did not feel the need to go anywhere really. I could have sat on the porch swing with Sookie until dawn.

"Yeah, we're still goin', Gran," Sookie finally said. She tore her eyes away from me and gave her grandmother a little peck on the cheek. "And we had better get movin' 'cause the main feature starts in just a little while."

I looked at Gran. "I promise we will not be out too late," I told her.

Gran smiled at me and inhaled another breath of the flowers in her arms. I do not think she minded the time that Sookie and I spent together.

I could not help admiring how Sookie was dressed. She wore a short, light purple sundress that was showing just a hint of her cleavage. The little dress had fabric bow~ties atop her shoulders. Tiny gold studs in each of her earlobes. Her hair was smoothed up into that ponytail that she loved so much. And her iridescent, golden skin, from tanning herself during the daylight hours, was glowing in in the porch light. I wanted so much to feel what I knew was the softness of her skin. I resisted the urge I had to just reach over and trace my fingers down her arm. That was only one of many temptations I experienced while being close to Sookie.

We had made plans to go to the local drive-in movie that evening. Of course, it had been at Sookie's suggestion. If she had told me she wanted to drive to New Orleans, over 200 miles away, I would have agreed. It did not matter. As long as I was able to spend some time with her.

The drive-in was just off Highway 9, a short detour on the road to the nearby town of Shreveport. It was a bit warm for the drive-in, but neither one of us wanted to change our plans. I wanted so much to be alone with Sookie. I already felt from the first time we met, I was now struggling to separate this feeling from any of my other motives. I was at the point already where I did not even want to think about the 'mission' when I was with her. Which was totally absurd in itself. Because meeting Sookie was supposed to be the first part of the mission.

Sookie and I left Gran standing on the porch smiling at us. She hugged the big bouquet, quite satisfied as she watched us getting into my car. I had opened the passenger side door and Sookie slid inside. I waved at Gran as I rounded my car and got into the driver's seat.

"Have a wonderful evening!" Gran smiled, still waving, as we drove away.

I glanced over at Sookie, probably every ten seconds. She would meet my eyes and smile back at me. We were alone in each other's company, at last. And I actually was feeling very good and pleased with myself. I think in part it was because Sookie knows what I am. A vampire. And even in those early days, she as a mortal, was never afraid to be alone with me. That, in and of itself, I still found was extraordinary. For many reasons~ and probably at foremost because Sookie has always felt so outcast, so different from other people because of her special gift of telepathy ~ Sookie does not mind taking chances. And from the very beginning, I always liked that about her. She is different from everyone I have ever known. And as she had told me, the night we first met, the abstract or bizarre is not so unthinkable for her.

"Bill, I hope you don't mind," Sookie suddenly turned to me and said;" this is not a new picture. It's an 'oldie,' you know. But I like it. I hope you will, too. It's 'Sampson and Delilah.' Do you know it?"

"I think so," I said as I was driving. I could not help glancing downward at her creamy, exposed thighs, her shapely calves and her pretty feet clad in the strappy sandals;" Some Biblical piece, isn't it? Like Ben Hur?"

"Yeah…like 'The Ten Commandments,'" she nodded; "yeah, like one of those movies."

I truly did not care in the least what movie was playing at the drive~in. We could have drove around in circles all night. It did not matter to me. I just wanted to look into those kind, chestnut brown eyes of hers.

But I could not look into her lovely eyes for any prolonged length of time because I was still driving. Sookie nodded when she realized that I knew what kind of movie we were apparently destined to watch. She then leaned back against the seat. She seemed to be enjoying the silence that we shared. We did not speak to each other for several minutes and that was just fine. There was no awkwardness in our silence. I was sure that Sookie welcomed the silence at not having to always filter out other people's thoughts due to her unique telepathy. She had told me several times that it was a challenge to constantly try to find some peace. So I could give Sookie that. She could not read my vampire thoughts. And I could also give her some further silence by not speaking.

We each listened to the sound of the car engine and the swooshing, crackling gravel rolling underneath the car tires, as I navigated the dark country road.

I thought about the incredible circumstances of me, ensconced in this funny, little fragment of time. And what had lead to this unlikely scenario: driving along on a desolate road in my old hometown, along side a naïve and innocent young mortal woman, on our way to a place that is little more than a dating ritual. After all was said and done, I could thoroughly appreciate why the universe would have brought Sookie into my immortal existence, such as it was. I had felt, after meeting her, that God had been somehow mocking me. Or maybe it was a cruel joke being played on me by the Devil. Showing me this twist of fate. And not only delivering me into the middle of quite an ordinary evening ~ as the first time I had sat in Gran's parlor and was offered food that I could not eat ~ but pummeling me further still into feeling the emotions that were the unwisest for me to begin feeling about any mortal person. Yes, I found it absurd after giving me the unlucky part of a vampire for all eternity.

I was being given a glimpse, a sampling, into the bittersweet world that I truly wanted to return to so desperately. But I knew I would never truly possess any part of this intermezzo….. Never truly become a real participant in this. Not ever again. I realized the full spectrum of life was closed to me for all time. Because of what I am. Vampire.

I have lived beyond the normal span of my own mortal years.

My time ~ the 1860s ~ was surely gone. And my human existence with it. The age of the 'horse and buggy' had slipped into a by~gone dimension. I had passed through so many eras all ready. And now here I was, passing through yet another era. Another funny and fascinating, distinctive portal of time, with its own strange customs, clothing and music. Its own mortal concerns that sometimes repeated themselves throughout history and hold nothing tangible for me. Or so I thought before this current assignment.

But it was clear to me, as every day passed that I remained in Bon Temps and spent time with Sookie, the very last thing I expected to happen….was happening.

Randy's Tru~Light Drive~In. Quite the establishment really. Of course, it was old~fashioned by today's standards. A relic of the 1960s. I had to roll down my window part way to insert the gigantic nickel~plated speaker box on my driver's side window. The sounds coming from it was laced with static.

"Well, there goes the air~conditioning," I said to Sookie. She laughed.

"Oh Bill, I guess you had to cut off the engine anyway, silly," she continued smiling at me, then she turned and rolled her window down all the way.

It was a rare Friday night for Sookie. She was usually working at Merlotte's. But somehow, she convinced her boss, Sam, to allow her to switch night shifts with one of the other girls who worked there. I am sure that Sam was not thrilled about changing Sookie's schedule just so she and I could have an evening together. But I know Sam has a certain soft spot in his heart for Sookie. So he never wanted to see her unhappy. And I, too, knew exactly how he felt about not wanting that.

I don't know what I expected, but the drive-in was packed mostly with teenagers. There were a few families and couples there. But for the most part the young people ruled Randy's on Friday night. They were circling around the property in their cars, all along the dimly lit side entrances of the drive~park, beeping their car horns while calling to each other. I hoped that when the feature presentation began, they would quiet down.

People were walking up along the side of the brightly-lit 'Randy's Snack Shack,' only thirty feet away from where I had parked. The wafting aroma of hot-buttered popcorn was floating towards us in the warm air. We had arrived just in time to see ten movie trailers before the actual movie we had come to entertained by. Sookie and I noticed as people kept walking in front of the wind screen, to and from the snack place, with popcorn, boxes of pizza, soft drinks and fried donuts. I finally glanced over at Sookie.

"Do you want something to eat? I asked her;"Let me get something for you."

Sookie turned to me with a little unsure smile. "Well…I guess I could eat something," she said hesitantly;"If it's okay with you, Bill."

Then I understood .

"Sookie, it's not goin' to bother me if you eat," I said leaning towards her to reassure her; "you are human. I know you have to do that."

She flashed me a brilliant smile. "O.k. I didn't have any supper. I'm really starving, Bill. I could handle a big ol' tub of buttered popcorn. An Orange Crush. And could you get me a Moon Pie?"

I was opening my door. "Of course," I said; "I'll be back in a minute."

I was already keenly aware that there was not anything I would not do to

See her smile at me like that.

When I had first arrived in Bon Temps, I had struggled with incorporating myself back into this type of atmosphere. The normalcy of it all. Because it had always been easier to duck into the midst of human behavior, feed on humans, glamour them to forget, then get out quickly. Even on the past missions for Queen Sophie~Anne, I made a conscious point of distancing myself very quickly for most human activity. It was so ironic. Wanting a thing so badly ~ my humanity~ but knowing I could not possess it, making sure that I limited the time I spent interacting with the thing I wanted most. Because it hurt too bad to stay around it.

If I lingered too long around mortals, I had always felt completely out of step with them. And yet pining for the remnants of my former life. It had always been an impossible task. To remain in the discipline, acting as the Queen's agent, and longing to find some way to engulf, lose myself in the forbidden but enticing world of the ordinary. The so-called 'normal' world.

I knew when I had been moving from pillar to post with my maker, Lorena, I had for a time lost the ability to reason right from wrong, good from bad. And many, many times I had failed myself miserably in capturing the slimmest essence of my lost self. I had wanted to 'please' Lorena for so many years. She was all I had. All I ever thought I would have in this immortal life I was trying to become comfortable with.

But then somehow, unexpectedly, my former integrity came surging back to me. It was as if a small wedge of light had evaded the darkness and at long last, I was seeing clearly for the first time in decades. But even with finally separating myself from Lorena and having that lucid moment of clarity, I was still always trying to recoup the unrecoverable. Always trying to attain the unattainable.

Then, all those years of trying to do the 'right' thing and with the certainty of destiny, I find myself again in my old ancestral home, Bon Temps…..and with Sookie. Now when I am in her presence, somehow, everything I had been trying to touch, everything I had ever wanted to capture or feel close or attain…with her, it all seems so easy to do. Effortless. Natural.

I went to retrieve those snacks treats for her and the look on Sookie's face when I returned was as if I had brought back little treasures and placed them into her lap. I watched as she thankfully gobbled handfuls of popcorn into her mouth. I popped the top on the 12 ounce, ice cold Orange Crush can, handed it to her and watched as her cheeks deflated as she pulled on the straw, quenching her mighty thirst with the orange drink. Yes, indeed, she had been famished.

I was more than happy to be the person instrumental in the process of satisfying her hunger and her thirst. We gave each other that 'look' again, which did not need any words spoken between us. Suddenly, I wished we had been in the comfy back seat of my car, rather than the front seats with the blasted gear shift and storage compartments thoroughly separating us from one another.

"I really hate you can't eat anything," Sookie said, placing the frosty soda can against her right cheek;"I would share my popcorn and drink with you, Bill. Honestly, I would." The brown eyes blinked at me.

"But not that big ol' Moon Pie, huh?" I teased her. She threw her head back and started laughing. I wanted to keep hearing the sound of her laughter. I went on.

"I don't hear you offerin' to share that precious Moon Pie, Sookie," I said.

She shook her head giggling now. I regarded it as a feather in my cap that I could make her laugh so delightfully.

"Nope," she laughed shaking her head and the ponytail waved from side to side;"Nobody touched my Moon Pie, Bill Compton!"

Her giggling was like music to my ears. And she was completely unaware of the double entendre she had uttered. I believe she did not realize it. That she had said those words so innocently. I wanted to put my arms around her and squeeze her. But there was no way to accomplish this, even if she had allowed me to do so. Sadly, we were not in close even proximity to each other seating in my car. I flashed a mental note that next time we decided to take in a move, it would be the Hippodrome Theatre in Shreveport that we would visit, where we could cuddle together in the soft leather bay seats in the balcony section. The next time.

Presently, the feature presentation started to roll in front of us. For the most part, everyone in cars or out, had finally settled down. The walking traffic to the snack shack had subsided considerably. Sookie and I began watching the movie without speaking to one another for several minutes.

Then Sookie turned to me.

"Bill? Have you ever been to a drive-in before?" she asked very quietly.

"Yes," I said looking over at her,"but it was a very long time ago."

"When was it?"

"Back in the 70s, I believe."

"Where were you?"

"Let me see…in California."

"California? Hollywood?"

"San Diego, actually."

"What movie was it?"

"I really don't remember."

I was still looking into her big brown eyes. I knew what her next question was, so I answered it for her.

"No, I was not at the drive-in with a girl," I said.

The chestnut brown eyes narrowed at me. "Then what were you doin' in a drive-in, Bill?"

I hesitated about telling her the truth. I could have made up something. But I decided not to just to see her reaction. I looked her squarely in the eyes.

"Well Sookie, it came about as a suggestion from a vampire friend of mine. Several of us decided to go and we were looking for people to feed on," I told her honestly. I looked back at the movie screen.

For almost a full minute, Sookie did not move. She just stared at me, the side of my face, and blinked. She was just thinking about what I had just said. Then to my surprise, she leaned over a little closer to me.

"I see. Well. Did ya'll find some willing participants?" she asked.

I almost laughed, but I managed to keep from doing it. She sounded so much like dear Gran when she said that.

I nodded my head. "We did, yes," I said with a straight face.

Sookie nodded too. Very slowly. Very civilized. "Good."

She nonchalantly turned back to the screen and continued eating her popcorn. She did not say another word about it.

It was simple as that. Just as it had been so simple on that first walk we had taken together in the cemetery. And the handful of walks we had taken since then. It was as comfortable as her taking my hand. And as promising as our first kiss. I knew I was enjoying her company…..probably too much.

I remember looking away from the screen, as my concentration on the movie had strayed. I wanted to be in tune with my surrounding. I looked up at the strong moonlight. The moon was bright and round and magnificent on that particular night. Then I looked to my left and studied the people as they sat in their cars. The couples. Young and old. The young families with children. The teenagers. Everyone blissfully unaware that this was actually moments of their mortal lives that were tickling by. A finite life that would never be again.

Everyone was watching the Technicolor movie. Including Sookie. I could tell by the expression of her face, she was momentarily lost in it. I watched as everyone laughed and talked. Critiqued the scenes. Everyone enjoying the atmosphere. Just experiencing, enjoying their lives.

It was just a normal Friday night at Randy's Tru~Light Drive~in. And I, as a vampire, was not hunting. I was not cruising. I was not driven by the singular purpose, the singular hunger to corner and subdue someone. I was sitting in the middle of a normal Friday night drive-in with a prety, little blond named Sookie Stackhouse.

And to my utter surprise I found myself…feeling almost human again.

That feeling came over me so strongly. Without a second thought as to whether or not I should, I reached over and took Sookie's hand in mine. She turned her head sharply, with a start, when I touched her. She looked at me intently for a second. She did not pull away. Her little hand was warm and plump and so luxuriously soft to the touch.

Without a word, Sookie looked down at our hands. Hers in mine. Then she was looking up at me again. She seemed to have a question in her expression. Her lips then parted into a welcoming and kind smile. The smile I had seen many times already. And I was so glad to see again.

She gently laced her fingers through with mine and squeezed my hand in acceptance.

"Bill, your hand is cold…..it's gotta be eighty degrees out her tonight," she said still smiling at me.

"You know I cannot help that, Sookie," I said, almost feeling as though I should let go of her hand. But she tightened her fingers around mine.

"I know," she said shyly;"I was just mentioning it. That's all."

She looked back at the movie. "Oh, here is the really good part," she said with excitement in her voice;"Delilah tells Sampson that even though she betrayed him, she loves him still. It's very sad….listen…" I turned back to look the screen, as Delilah said her words:

"I could have loved you with a fire to make all other loves seem like ice! I would have followed you to Egypt, left everything behind! Lived only for you!"

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We held hands until the movie was over. By then, I think I was actually feeling the warmth of Sookie's hand start to melt into mine. For me, it was an intimate feeling that is very difficult to describe. It was a very intimate feeling, having nothing to do with sex. It was more about the human contact that I had not felt with someone in a very, very long time.

After the movie, I drove back to Bon Temps much more slowly. I did not want the night to end. I could have stayed with Sookie all night. Just talking. Just enjoying her in a way that filled my soul with contentment. I truly wished to never leave her. Like a child who was having too much fun and being pulled away from the charm and fascinations of the State Fair, it was an overwhelming feeling that took me quite by surprise. I did not want the fun to end.

Sookie was talking as I drove. She was recapping scenes from the movie. She asked me a couple of questions about some scenes that I could not answer.

Sookie laughed. "Were you watchin' the movie at all, Bill Compton?"

"No, I was watching you."

I glanced at her. She looked sidelong at me, a tiny blush on her cheeks. Sookie knew it was true. She had a little satisfied grin on her lips. She continued to blush as she turned her face away from me and looked to her right and out of the window. All I could think to myself was, what in God's Heaven could Sophie-Anne possibly want with this little slip of a girl?

"Only ten more miles to Bon Temps," she said suddenly.

"What a pity," I piped in. I reached my arm back across the gear shift and Sookie quickly took my hand again.

When we got back to her house, I turned off the car lights and coasted slowly to the front of the house. All of the lights were off except for one lamp downstairs in the parlor. And one lamp glowing in an upstairs bedroom. When I turned off the engine, we each rolled down a window.

We sat in my car for a minute or so, not saying anything to each other. Then I knew neither one of us wanted the evening to end. Suddenly, Sookie turned to me.

"I had a very nice time tonight, Bill. Thank you," she said.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of your company, Miss Stackhouse," I said, knowing Sookie liked the cliché of my old-fashioned speech and when I purposefully teased her with it. But I was being completely honest. I did enjoy her company. More than she could ever realise.

"Perhaps," I went on;"we can do this again some time… soon."

I could feel Sookie's pulse quicken at my suggestion. I could discern her heart rate, her blood flow increasing as I spoke of this. Seeing her again.

She smelled so good. And she was smiling at me.

"I'd like that, Bill. I'd like that, very much," she said. I was rubbing her fingertips gently across my thumb, just holding on to that perfect moment of contact that we had. Finally, I made the first move and got out of the car. I walked around to open the door for Sookie.

As soon as she stood up, I kissed her mouth.

I could not restrain myself another moment. We had been so restricted from one another all evening sitting in the car. And I could think of nothing else. I tenderly held her close to me, encircling her soft, tanned shoulders and pressing my happy fingers down along her exquisite back.

Her mouth tasted of the orange drink and the sweet cream butter that was in the popcorn. I held her close to me, relishing every human thing about her.

I found in Sookie, not only a need I had so strong to quench my physical desire for her, but in her I found an acceptance and a peace of mind in just being near her. That feeling had happened almost from the first moment she had walked up to the booth where I had been sitting in Merlotte's that fateful night. Everytime I was with her, the uniqueness of her, the affect she was having on me, it kept coming back. It was so surprising, so violent for me.

There was always this immediate and completely enveloping connection between the two of us. And the longer I was close to her…..the longer I wanted to be close to her.

The atmosphere was sweltering as we kissed. It was a combination of our urgent embrace and the heat of the night, the midnight air thick with no breeze in it. We continued kissing as we had the other night. Our fresh discovery of each other's mouths, now, for me, something of a memory replaying again with every pleasurable aspect. I craved the very essence of Sookie. Our tongues in a sensuous wrestle, only wanting more and more of each other.

And there was in my peripheral consciousness the awareness of how we were finally alone again. With my superb vampire hearing, I discerned the insistent mating calls of the crickets in the yard. And off to the east, the lonesome sound of a distant freight-liner leaving the Bon Temps rail yard, humming on its way headed for the City of New Orleans. Sookie and I were blissfully alone for the moment.

I gently leaned in, my eyes still closed, as she braced herself back against the midway point of my car. I embraced her, squeezed her, as I had wanted to do all evening. I could feel the rounded fronts of her thighs. Inevitably, my member was growing stiff against the front of her cotton dress, just above her navel. I knew in only another second or two, just as the other night when we had been deeply French-kissing, my fangs were dangerously close to snapping forward.

I knew Sookie was a virgin. She had told me so. I did not want to frighten her. But, the other night, it had been she who had initially pulled me forward into that first kiss! It felt so good to have her against me again.

I opened my eyes when I suddenly felt her pulling away. But I need not have worried. She was smiling up at me, her cherub face bathed in moonlight.

"You are a very good kisser," she whispered breathlessly. Her breasts were heaving slightly. She brought her arms all the way up round my neck. She seemed to be quite relaxed and happy. And her coyness was driving me wild. With all the other things I suspected I was beginning to feel for about her, the fact that no man had ever had her sexually completely aroused me.

"So are you," I said, flirting back;"Tell me…..where do we go from here?

That was a pretty straight-forward question that I would have never have asked her had she not been kissing me in such a beguiling manner. Her chin tilted upward, her pulsing throat illuminated in the pale moonlight. Her eyes were bright and innocent with wonder, but still with a hint of pure mischief.

"We go…anywhere we can hold on to this feeling," she whispered.

I looked down at her lips, then back into her eyes. The part of me that was still functioning as a level-headed man, was trying to take some pause. I had to collect myself and think… she did not even know what she was doing. I certainly knew what could happen, but was I prepared to handle this? To be responsible... for charging forward through her naivete?

She arched her back at my silence then brought her head forward, standing on her tip-toes for a second, to touch her forehead with mine and rub our noses together. And she gave a low giggle in the back of her throat.

"Mostly, I like it so much that I can't read your thoughts, but right now… I sure wish I could get inside your head, Bill Compton."

I had to wonder was she saying these very sexy things on purpose. I looked down her pulsing throat, then to the tops of her inviting, bulging cleavage. I knew I dare not even think about biting her. But at that moment, that is all I felt like doing. That, and ravishing her in the most ungentlemanly way. Which was a fantasy of mine that could never be revealed to Sookie after only two dates. She wanted to know what I was thinking, but she had my hardness up against her, so she must have surely had a clue. I ached to, at the very least, lick the little droplets of perspiration I saw glistening in the divide between her plump little breasts.

"Sookie, trust me. You do not want to know what I am thinking,"I said shaking my head at her;"but then…I think you already know."

I bent my head and took her irresistible mouth again. This time she pulled me even closer, opening her mouth a little wider. Her fingers went up into the hair at the back of my head, as she braced my head to make our kiss more exacting, more fervent.

"Sookie! It's 'bout time for you to git yo'self inside, ain't it?"

We broke apart instantly. Our heads turning in the direction of the house.

It was Sookie's brother, Jason, standing there eye-balling us.

Jason had not come from the front door, but around the side of the house. He stood there like a disapproving parent, scowling at me and his sister. The same look he had had when I came to the house before. Sookie looked at her brother, her face had changed to crimson. I could see she was absolutely livid at her brother's interruption.

"Jason Stackhouse!" Sookie's voice was almost shrill. She huffed up next to him making a straight line across the flower beds, then she crossed her arms with her mouth open;"what the hell do you think you are doin'?"

The blonde siblings stared at one another. What really concerned me was the fact that I had been so consumed and focused on kissing Sookie, that I had not heard Jason walking around the house, at all. I had been as startled as Sookie had. I had not been aware of Jason's presence. For a vampire, that was not good.

"It's late,"said Jason;"and I'm making sure you get inside that door, missy!"

He pointed to the front door, nodding his head.

Sookie shifted her weight on to one leg and pointed her index finger at her brother. "Have you lost your mind? How long I'm out at night, is none of your business. And stop actin' like it is."

"The hell it ain't my business," said Jason;"you are my sister. And that makes this right here my business!"

"No it ain't! Whay are you standin' there, makin' an idiot out of yourself…again? I am a grown woman, Jason," said Sookie;" Gran already told you last time Bill was here to butt out!"

"I called Gran earlier and she told me that you had gone out to the drive-in…with this vampire!" Jason shook his head in disbelief;"Sookie, you need to let the people who love you, look out for you sometime."

"I am not a minor! And I will go to the drive-in with anyone I damn well please!"

Jason looked over at me."I'm gonna keep an eye on her, get it?"

Sookie turned and looked at me, rolling her eyes. She was mortified. She let out a sigh of frustration.

"Arghhh! Nobody asked you to, Jason!" she said;" Go away! Now!"

"Oh hell no, Sook," Jason was emphatic;"I ain't about to leave you out here in the dark…swappin' spit with no god-damned vampire!"

"Jason! That is awful! How dare you say such a thing! Oh my God!" Sookie was now totally embarrassed for me. She looked at her brother as if she had never seen him before. Then back at me. I was not unaccustomed to this type of open bigotry and ignorance. I kept my eyes pinned to Jason.

"Do you have any idea how completely odious and small-minded that statement is? If I meant your sister any harm at all, I would not have had to wait until the movie had ended," I said, as calmly as I could;"or until our second evening together."

"Jason, Bill has always treated me with the utmost respect," said Sookie, making sure she was still standing squarely between me and her brother. Those horrible ideas you have are just…sick! And Gran raised you with better manners than that! Bill I'm sorry. And Jason, I am totally ashamed of you!"

Jason kept staring me down. It seemed he never blinked.

"Don't change nothing'. You are my little sister. I want you safe inside the house," said Jason. Sookie stared at her brother with an expression mixed with annoyance and anger. I reached out and touched Sookie's right elbow.

"Sookie," she turned to look at me;" believe me, I don't care for the manner in which he expressed himself, but your brother is correct."

"Wha-at?" Sookie said searching my face;"Bill?"

"It is time for us to end our evening together," I said.

"Damn straight," Jason piped in. Sookie looked back at her brother like she wanted to hit him. Then she turned quickly back and stood directly in front of me.

Bill," she said taking in a short breath;"you don't hafta leave. And you don't hafta try and make points with Jason. I am goin' to pick up something in this yeard and hit him wit it! He is bein' a perfect ass, as usual. You know I don't care what he thinks about us."

I looked down into her pretty brown eyes. I gently took both her hands in mine.

"Actually, I am not trying to make points tonight with anyone but you. I think your brother is a bigoted fool," I said, my eyes met Jason's;"but he is right, Sookie. It is late. We should end our time together….now."

Sookie said nothing. She looked up at me and I thought I saw a pronounced pout forming across her bottom lip. I then addressed myself looking at Jason.

"And if you think for one moment, because of what I am, I would take advantage of your sister, then you are wrong. You are as wrong as you can be. I do respect your sister. And I would never harm her. May we have a minute?"

"Sure," said Jason. I guess he was satisfied that I let him play the role of the patriarch that night. "I need to go around back and get something' out of my truck. Hell, take two minutes. Then I'm comin' back and turnin' off the porchlight. It's almost midnight and my grandmother pays the light bill here." Jason said with a huff in his voice.

"Oh fuck! You touch that porchlight, Jason Stackhouse, and I'll chop off your hand with a rusty cleaver!" Sookie glared at him indignantly as he walked away, shaking his head.

"Will you shut up? You're gonna wake up Gran," Jason said, as he disappeared behind the side of the house.

"Gran's not asleep, you moron!" Sookie retorted. She was going to have the last word.

When Jason disappeared, Sookie suddenly came back into my arms. She hugged me round my waist and her cheek resting on my chest. I was rather surprised.

"Bill," she said;"do you really, really want to go? Jason doesn't tell me what to do. Nobody does."

After a moment when I said nothing. She looked up at me.

"Oh, I am beginning to see that is very true," I said, teasing her. She smiled at me. I knew full well, it was best for me to go. And the irony of the situation is I was almost thankful to Jason for his interrupting us. I needed to get some perspective again where Sookie was concerned. And obviously, it was extremely difficult while having her in my arms.

"We have had a lovely evening together,"I said;"in spite of Jason." I cupped her cheek then came to rest my palm on her shoulder, still marveling at the incredible smoothness of her skin.

"Oh Bill, I don't know what's got into Jason. He is not always like this. He can be very sweet most of the time," she said.

"I understand your brother is simply lookin' out for you, Sookie. I cannot fault him for that."

I let go of her hand and brought mine up to each side of her face.

"I had better go… before we get ourselves into some real trouble," I whispered, looking from her eyes to her waiting lips.

She tilted her chin up slightly as she had before, signaling that she wanted me to kiss her. I cherished the moment, looking at her beckoning mouth. But then I decided to quickly kiss her forehead. She was not satisfied with that. And just as before, when I drew away a little, she pressed forward pulling my lips to hers. She opened her mouth and boldly offered me her tongue again.

I understood Sookie wanted to take up right where we had ended when Jason startled us a few short minutes ago. I pulled her close, tasted her hot tongue with mine and deepened the kiss the way she wanted it. The way we both wanted it. I could have gone on kissing her for a considerable amount of time. But I knew it was best to end it. I gave her two short, clingy kisses then with some will power, I pulled away, taking her hands down and holding them again.

"May I see you tomorrow, then….after work?" I asked.

Her face lit up. "Come by Merlotte's. I get off -"

"One-thirty,"I said. She nodded.

"Alright. I'll see you then. Now, Sookie, you had better get inside that door by the time your brother returns."

"Oh shit!" she protested, rolling her eyes again. She let go of my hands and hopped up the steps to the porch. I watched as she pulled open the screen door and then paused to look at me through it.

"Good night, Bill," she called.

"Good night, Sookie…"

She went inside and latched the door behind her. I watched as her shadow faded inside the foyer. I walked the short distance to my car and looked back up at Gran's house. In a moment, another upstairs lamp came on in the bedroom window over to the left side of the house.

That must be Sookie's room, I thought.

As I drove the short distance round to my property, my mind was filled with little scenarios of how Sookie would undress. I thought of her pulling the tiny fabric bows from her soft, tanned shoulders. And the little cotton dress dropping to the floor.

~end of Chapter One~ ….to be continued…..