Ahhhhh, I'm loving that people are into this story. I know there are still a lot of unanswered questions but stay with me and you'll be pleasantly surprised in the end. As promised (and because I got a crappy grade on a test), here's chapter 4.

Two days had passed since Sookie's visit to the graveyard. Without fail, on the week-long anniversary of the year everything changed, she visited the graves of the ones that she had lost and tried to relive the good times. She basked in this denial for a few minutes, no longer, got up and returned to her normal, everyday life. She never talked about her thoughts or what she did during her trips and her friends were kind enough not to pry. She buried herself in her work; that was how she managed to survive these past five years with her sanity intact. That and the company of a special someone…

It was Sunday and Sookie, for once, did not have to be at work. Sam decided to close the bar this weekend so that everyone could enjoy a break. They all had been working too hard and he decided they needed it. So here she was, with time to kill and nothing to fill it with. She tried watching TV, but nothing caught her attention; she cleaned, but that only lasted for so long. No matter how busy she was, Gran raised her to keep the house tidy, so there really was nothing to really clean. By the time she finished, the sun had just set and the stifling Louisiana heat had cooled enough to be bearable. Picking her sweaty shirt from her back, Sookie decided that a brisk walk through the woods would do her good. She shut the door behind her and took off down the darkening path.

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Sookie walked through the cemetery, not stopping at the graves of her family. "I had my "woe-is-me" cry already; not due for another one till next year," she thought and continued on her way to the field that lay beyond. She smiled a bittersweet smile as she opened the wrought-iron gate and stepped onto the land beyond; the land where one night, a vampire took her and there she had let herself believe that love was possible, even for Crazy Sookie. A mirthless laugh escaped her, "So much for that…"

She walked farther through the field until she came upon a ruin of a once beautiful house. Sookie stopped and took in the old Compton place as memories of the time she spent there washed over her. It left a bad taste in her mouth and an aching in her heart. No matter the circumstances of his departure, whether he lied to her or not, a part of her still loved Bill Compton and always would. He was her first for so many things and was as much a part of her as she was of Gran. Sookie suddenly shivered and as she turned to face the living room windows, she thought she caught the flicker of candlelight through the moth-eaten curtains. She shook her head, disbelieving, and looked again; nothing. Figuring her mind was playing tricks, she turned and strode back to her property, ready for a shower and early bedtime.

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Despite the soothing shower, a glass of warm milk and a good book, Sookie could not fall asleep. A gnawing feeling came over her and ate away at her insides all night, continuing until sunrise was just beginning to peak over the clouds. She stood at her window, looking over her yard that eventually met the woods connecting to the cemetery. Her thoughts kept straying to her visit to the Compton place and the illusion of candlelight that she swore was real. "Why did I walk to Bill's?" she thought to herself. "I haven't been there in years, let alone thought about it. What compelled me?" She poured over these thoughts as she looked out the window and out of the corner of her eye, she detected movement in the deep shadows. At first she thought it would be Sam; he prowled her woods frequently to make sure she was safe. But as she concentrated more, she could tell that this was much bigger than the collie Sam shifted into. Just as she was going to try and pick up on any stray thoughts, she heard the creak of the wooden floorboards behind her. She turned, recognized the figure and said aloud, "Hey babe, did I wake you?"

She got a incoherent grunt in return. "Well, go lay back down in bed and I'll be there in second," she said with a smile at the person she lived for. "I love you, T.S."

That got her a sleepy peck on the cheek and she followed T.S. back to her bed, finally succumbing to the sleep that had evaded her all night.

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Ever since his return to his home, Bill debated whether or not to just run to Sookie's house and sweep her off her feet again. However, seeing as that Eric neglected to divulge the full details of his predicament five years ago, Bill was unsure of Sookie's attitude towards him. As he sat by candlelight in his living room, he shot down idea after idea on how to go about making a return into her life. Nothing seemed right, so he decided to get ready and scope out her house to gather information about her feelings towards him. Bill blew out the candle and quickly made his way upstairs, not noticing the dim figure standing in his front yard. After showering and dressing, Bill exited his house and strolled out his front door, cutting through the cemetery on his way to Sookie's. He noted the new graves that had been dug since his last time here and scanned the names of them to see if he knew anyone. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. The grave of Sookie's grandmother was not new to him, but the grave nearby of her brother was. "I wonder what happened to Jason," Bill thought. "I should have been there to comfort her. She's lost too much in her short life to have to bear the burden alone." He decided that he would ask that question at a later date and, after saying a brief prayer for both Gran and Jason, continued his way to Sookie's property.

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Minutes later, he was in a familiar spot, one where he had spent countless nights watching over his beloved, making sure no harm came to her. He was in enough cover not to be harmed by the sun's budding rays but close enough to see clearly that the figure in Sookie's bedroom window was indeed Sookie herself. Bill's undead heart seemed to soar. She looked no different than she did the last time he saw her, except she looked sad and troubled by something. He moved, intending to catch her attention, which worked. He saw her eyes follow his movement and just as he was going to bite the bullet and show himself, she turned around in the window and said, "Hey babe, did I wake you?"

Bill froze. He didn't hear a reply and the next words his keen hearing picked up were, "I love you T.S." In that moment, his soul felt shattered. While he had held tightly to every memory, every word, every touch they shared to keep his sanity, she had moved on and now seemingly loved another. He wanted to rage, to destroy something, to embrace his vampirism that he buried for so long. But despite these feelings, he still loved her. She could never look at him again and he would still protect her no matter what. Just then he felt the heaviness in his body that signaled the rising sun and as he ran back to his land with vampire speed, he decided that tomorrow, he would once again get ready and head to Merlotte's. If there was one place he was sure to catch Sookie, that was it. He would explain what happened, accept whatever decision she made and move on with a dead, nonetheless broken, heart.

Soooooo close to catching each other, but circumstances keep them apart. Fret not, Bill and Sookie will soon be reaquainted! Next chapter: someone comes back and things go down at Merlotte's. R&R!!!!