Chapter three

Bill felt the sun go down as he opened his eyes. He sighed in relief. He was home. It was a nice feeling waking in the house that meant so much to him, even if he had to scramble out of the travel coffin. However, the feeling of relief lasted only a fraction of a second as the knowledge he was not alone seeped into his mind. He would recognise that scent anywhere, even if he couldn't feel the connection. Lorena was in his house.

"Good evening, my darling," she crooned with a brilliant smile that showed off her fully extended fangs. She was sat leisurely on the sofa by the fire. Her long legs were showed off to their full effect in the short, tight black cocktail dress. Her hair was loose down her back and she wore a simple diamond necklace that accentuated her cleavage. She looked divine and Bill couldn't stop his fangs from slipping out at the sight of her. It brought back so many memories.

"What are you doing here, Lorena?" he asked her with a firm and angry voice. He would not let her ruin everything for him.

"Aw, don't be like that. I know you missed me," she laughed to herself. "I came to fix the mess you got yourself in. I know about the queen, Bill." Bill stiffened with fear and dread. That meant she could destroy his relationship with Sookie. He knew she wouldn't even think twice about it. Sookie was just a human to her. He had seen her that way too, at first, but now he truly loved her and the thought of what was to come tormented him. He should never have hidden the truth from her.

"Please," he begged, "she doesn't deserve to be hurt. Don't interfere here." He knew that Lorena wouldn't listen. He could see the wicked glint in her eye that told him she was enjoying having this power over him.

"Aw, sweet Bill. You were once such a gentleman but I must let her see what you are now. I owe it to her one woman to the other." He wasn't fooled by the sweet innocence of her voice. He knew she was doing this out of spite and jealousy.

"Don't," he pleaded knowing it was futile. She laughed evilly as she rose to her feet and stalked towards him.

She leaned over to whisper in his ear, "As your maker I command you to tell her the truth of why you are really in Bon Temps and how you felt when you took her virginity."

The howl of grief and anger was animalistic and could be heard for a mile in any direction, along with the accompanying cackles of maniacal laughter.

Sookie was surprised when she got home that Tara had moved in with Lafayette. She was alone again. Tara had assured her that the move was nothing to do with her but rather the personal need to be near her cousin. Sookie read from her mind that something had happened to her friend and Lafayette was helping her deal with it. She couldn't deny that she was sorry to see her go but she was pleased she was finding the support she wanted.

Sookie spent what was left of her day cleaning- trying without success to get rid of her angst- and doing laundry as she would be working a double shift the following day. She had just finished getting changed when Bill rang.

"Sookie, I need you to come over," he sounded strained and cold.

"Sure Bill. I will be right over," Sookie cringed as she hung up the phone. She just knew this was what she had been dreading all day.

Sighing to herself with determination, Sookie collected her things and headed over the graveyard to Bill's house. She could see the lights on inside and she quickly ran up the stairs and knocked. Her whole body was on full alert and she wished she could have just stayed home tonight.

"Good evening," she greeted Bill with a wide smile and a light kiss. She could see the grim tension in his stance and feel his detachment.

"We need to talk," his voice was cold and hard and it sent a chill of fear down her spine. She didn't get a chance to respond before he was pulling her into the house and pushing her down on the couch. It was then that she saw who was with them. Her heart sank.

"What's going on?" She asked scowling at Lorena who was smiling smugly from the other side of the room.

"I have been commanded by my maker to tell you the truth," Bill spoke with no sign of emotion. He was giving off total apathy. Sookie listened knowing that it was going to hurt but that there was nothing she could do. At the end of the day, she was in a room with two vampires. She was helpless. "I came to Bon Temps on orders from my queen to seduce you and bring you to her. She wants your telepathy and will do anything to get it. When I first fucked you I felt nothing but obligation. If anything, I despised you for forcing me to bend to the will of a mere human. I have used you and lied to you and I am sorry. I do love you, Sookie but that came later."

There was a moment of absolute silence as the tears ran down her face and she tried to wrap her head around what she was being told. He had used her. He had despised her. He hadn't loved her. She could actually feel her heart shattering into a million pieces. It was excruciating but she made no sound. She had trusted him and had been fooled in epic proportions. She would not let him have any reason to laugh at her further.

"Thank you for telling me. I want nothing more to do with you," she kept her voice calm and steady. Looking up at Lorena (who was absolutely gloating by this point) she spoke with vehemence. "You can have him, he means nothing to me." With that she got up and walked out of the room. She was surprised that no one tried to stop her but she didn't think on it. She just kept walking until she reached her own home. Once there, she collapsed on her bed and let the agony have her.

She curled up in a ball and sobbed until her side ached and her eyes stung. She cried for the love she had lost. She cried for believing in him and being made a fool. She cried because for once in her life she had thought someone had wanted her and it had all been a lie. She cried because she wanted to hate him but she couldn't. She cried until her aching body and broken heart could take no more and then she drifted off to sleep still wrapped in the fog of her despair.

She woke far too early. The sun was shining down on her, warming her cold flesh but she couldn't enjoy its rays as she usually would. She felt like her world had crashed down around her. She had lost so much but she knew she had to pick herself up and keep going. The only comfort she took was in the knowledge that this would be easier than after her gran had died. People broke up all the time and they always survived it. She would too. She was already feeling a shift in her emotions. She no longer loved him as she had. She didn't hate him but she didn't really care either. A strange numbness had taken hold of her heart for which she was actually grateful.

Deciding that she had better get a hold of herself, she got up and headed for the shower. The hot water was just what her tired body needed and she thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of renewal that she gained.

Stepping out of the water she relaxed into the feeling of inner strength. She had a life to live and she was done letting others dictate it to her. She knew that this wasn't over. People didn't just get over things like this that quickly but then again, she was no ordinary person and she had never reacted the same way as everyone else. She was ready to let go of the pain. A pain that she had been feeling for a lot longer than she cared to admit. For some unknown reason she had been hurting over Bill ever since her gran died. It was time to get on with life. With those thoughts in mind, she dressed in her Merlotte's uniform and headed out to work.

The double shift went fast. People could plainly see that there was something different about her but they kept their noses out of her business for once. She told Sam that she was no longer seeing Bill because he was her friend and she felt she owed him that much but even he could sense she would not talk about it. With people staying out of her way the work was easy and time slipped away.

It wasn't until the end of her shift that she let her mind wander. It was then that the rage really kicked in. Had Eric known why Bill had been with her? The thought that he could have hidden this from her made her so mad she couldn't see straight. She could accept the lie from Bill but for some reason the thought of Eric fooling her like this was unbearable. She supposed it was because Bill had always kept things from her while Eric had almost always been straight with her. Regardless, she knew she wouldn't be able to rest until she saw him and got some answers.