Chapter 20

After a shower, Sookie entered the kitchen and found Jessica sitting at the dinner table, drinking a glass of blood.

"Hi Jess! Sleep well?" Sookie gave Jessica a tentative smile. She didn't know if Jessica had really forgiven her, so Sookie decided to follow Jessica's cues.

"Yeah. How's your day?" Jessica greeted Sookie with a small smile.

"It was ok." Sookie grabbed the sweet tea from the fridge and poured herself a glass.

"So, what made you choose Bill?" Jessica asked nonchalantly, but Sookie saw right through it. Apparently, there's still some unfinished business between them.

"Because I love him." Sookie said simply as she sat down in front of Jessica.

"Do you?" Jessica gave Sookie a doubtful look.

"I do. Jess, you're probably still angry with me and that's ok. I understand. I know you did what you did because care a great deal for Bill. After you guys left that night, I really thought about what you said and I realized how stubborn I was being." Sookie took a deep breath. If she ever hoped to befriend Jessica, she might as well tell her everything.

"Bill is my first in so many ways. He's my first love, my first real boyfriend. I trusted him, but then I found out about his real reason for coming to Bon Temps and worse, he wasn't the one who told me. I was crushed. The only person that I thought I could depend on was actually lying to me the whole time. I was so angry. I wanted to hate Bill because of what he did, but I can't. I can't bring myself to hate him. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I always know that I've never stopped loving him." Sookie paused.

"I can't tell you where I'd gone to, but for me, it wasn't a year. It was only a few hours, at most. When I came back, Bill has become a King and Eric owns my house. My life, the life that I knew, was turned completely upside down. To make matters worse, there's the whole mess with Eric, the witches, and the blood bond." Sookie looked at Jessica intently.

"I made mistakes, Jess. One of the biggest mistakes of my life was to let myself being influenced by the blood bond and hooking up with Eric. The blood bond played a part in it, but I was a willing participant. At that time, I was so angry and so heartbroken, I wanted to hurt Bill. After the bonds were broken, I kept telling myself that I was confused, but in reality, I was just scared of being hurt." Sookie admitted.

"But he never meant to hurt you." Jessica said.

"I know. You were right, Jess. I was blinded by anger. I refused to see what's really there, until I faced the possibility of losing him. At which point, I looked, really looked, into my heart and realized that I love Bill. But at that time, I thought it was already too late." Sookie took a sip of her tea.

"Why? Bill's never stopped loving you." Jessica asked Sookie.

"Believe it or not, Eric actually helped me to see my real feelings." Sookie said. If she thought about it, it was pretty ironic. Eric was trying to win her back, but instead, he pushed her toward Bill.

"Really? How so?" Jessica asked Sookie curiously.

"I bumped into him and he told me that Bill had found a new girlfriend and then you came and you told me off. Between the two of you, I was forced to face reality. I was jealous because I thought Bill had moved on. I thought I'd lost him forever..." Sookie's sentence was cut by Jessica.

"Hold on, what girlfriend?" Jessica stared at Sookie in bewilderment.

"Rachel. I thought Rachel was Bill's girlfriend." Sookie explained.

"Who is Rachel?" Jessica was getting more and more confused.

"Wait, you've never heard of her? She's been staying at Bill's place for a couple of weeks now. She's an old friend of his and a journalist." Sookie told Jessica.

"I haven't been to Bill's for the past few weeks. Last night was the first time I saw him in weeks." Jessica explained. Sookie nodded with understanding.

"Anyway, like I said, I thought I'd lost him and it made me realize that I loved him. I was so relieved when I found out the truth about Rachel. I told myself that I was done messing around. Jessica, I know it's hard for you to understand, but please believe me. I really love Bill." Sookie hoped that Jessica would understand. Jessica kept quiet and thought about what Sookie just told her.

"I believe you." Jessica finally said after a few moments of silence. Jessica could see that Sookie was being sincere in her feelings towards Bill.

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me. I promise you, I won't hurt him again. I'll try my best to make him happy." Sookie smiled at Jessica.

"I know. I saw it last night. It's been a long time since I last saw him that happy." Jessica said. The two women smiled at each other with a new understanding between them. Sookie was relieved that Jessica was willing to understand and Jessica was glad to see that Bill was finally happy. They could feel that the tension between them had disappeared.

They heard the front door opened and a few seconds later, Jason stepped into the dining room.

"Hello, ladies! Oh, I'm so glad to see you both!" Jason grinned at them.

"Hey, Jason! How's work?" Sookie asked him.

"We caught a robbery suspect and got the money back to the store owner. All in all, it was a good day." Jason sat down beside Jessica.

"Great!" Sookie stood up and took her glass, and Jessica's now empty glass, to the sink. Jessica smiled her thanks to Sookie, which she returned. Jason didn't miss that.

"I see you two have made up." Jason commented lightly.

"Yeah, we've talked and we realize that we've no reason to fight." Jessica said. Jason beamed at her and leaned forward to kiss her.

"Good to hear that. Look, I've been thinking about it and I think it'll be great if we all can go out together, all four of us. Hey Sook, you think you can ask Bill?" Jason said, much to the girls' amusement.

"You're still at that double date idea?" Sookie laughed lightly.

"What can I say, a man can hope…" Jason said with a smirk, earning himself a swat on his arm from Jessica.

"What do you want to eat for dinner? I'll cook for both of us." Sookie asked Jason, peering into the fridge.

"Anything will do. Thanks, Sook. I'll go and take a shower first." Jason said and with another quick kiss on Jess' cheek, he left. Sookie started making dinner and Jessica offered to help. Soon, the two of them were busy cooking and chatting.

Eric looked up when he heard a knock on his office door.

"Enter." He said.

The door opened and a man stepped into the office.

"Take a seat." Eric gestured toward the chairs in front of his desk.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Northman?" The man asked.

"I want you to investigate something." Eric laid a photograph on the table. "This is Sookie Stackhouse. I want you to watch her, especially her contact with this man." Eric presented Bill's picture. The man nodded his understanding and took the pictures before he left the office.

Sookie, Jason, and Jess were all sitting in front of the TV when the doorbell rang.

"It's probably Bill. I'll get it." Sookie got up from her seat and headed towards the front door. She opened the door and found Bill standing at the front porch with Rachel.

"Sookie! Good to see you!" Rachel reached out to hug Sookie. Bill stood patiently beside Rachel, watching the exchange with amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Hi Rachel! What are you doing here?" Sookie asked her curiously after they pulled apart from each other.

"I'm on my way to Shreveport and Bill needed a ride here. Since I was going to pass this place anyway, so..." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. At this point, Jessica poked her head out from the living room.

"Hi Bill! Oh, who's this?" Jess observed Rachel curiously. Jason stood behind Jess. Rachel smiled a little at them.

"This is Rachel. She is an old friend of mine. Rachel, this is my child, Jessica and her boyfriend, who is also Sookie's brother, Jason." Bill said as a way of introduction.

"Pleased to meet you guys!" Rachel smiled pleasantly at them.

"Hi Rachel! Nice to meet you!" Jessica said cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you too!" Jason smiled and gave a small wave. They then disappeared back into the living room.

"Would you like to come in?" Sookie asked Rachel.

"No, thanks. I'm just dropping Bill off. I need to get to Shreveport before eleven. It's already ten now." Rachel said, checking her watch.

"I see. Alright then, you better hurry. I'll see you around." Sookie said cheerfully.

"Sure. We must have lunch together one of these days." Rachel nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Of course. Just call me and we can set up a day." Sookie said with a laugh.

"It's settled then." Rachel grinned at Sookie. "I have to go now. Bye, guys… Have fun!" Rachel walked back to the car and left. Bill and Sookie both waved at her.

"She looks very excited." Sookie said to Bill as they watched Rachel's car speed away.

"I heard that her article got a lot of positive reviews. She is going to Shreveport for an interview, I think." Bill explained rather absentmindedly. "You looked happy to see her." He looked down at her face.

"Of course. She's my friend." Sookie looked at Bill incredulously.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" Bill asked her with a bright smile.

"Not really..." Sookie said with a straight face, shrugging her shoulders. Bill's smile faltered. "I'm just kidding. Of course I'm happy to see you. I've missed you." Sookie smiled up sweetly at Bill. His smile returned and Sookie's smile got even bigger. Bill leaned forward to kiss her, but suddenly a throat cleared loudly from the inside of the house.

"Are you two gonna come in or are you gonna stand there all night?" Jason asked them with a smirk. Sookie laughed, grabbed Bill's hand and pulled him inside. Bill closed the door behind him.

They walked to the living room.

"I'll get you some TruBlood." Sookie told Bill. He just nodded. "Jess, you want some?" Sookie turned toward the younger vampire.

"Sure, Sook. Thanks." Jess said with a smile. "Take a seat, Bill." Jessica gestured toward the empty armchair. Bill walked to the armchair and sat down. He looked at the TV and saw that Jess was watching a soap opera-like show. He remembered Jessica had told him about the show before, but he couldn't remember the name of it.

Sookie came back a couple of minutes later. Two bottles of TruBlood and two glasses of sweet tea were sitting on the tray that she held. Bill immediately stood up and helped her with the tray. Sookie passed everyone their drinks and Bill put the now empty tray on the coffee table before grabbing his own TruBlood. Sookie sat down beside Jessica because she too, wanted to watch the TV. Bill chose to sit on the dining chair from the previous evening because it was closer to Sookie. Jason plopped down on the armchair that was previously occupied by Bill.

After the show, Sookie and Jess were busy discussing about what happened on the show. The newfound ease between the two wasn't lost on Bill. He was glad that Sookie and Jessica had managed to work on their relationship. Both ladies were the most important people in his life and he was happy that they could get along well.

"I can't believe that he broke up with her!" Jessica exclaimed.

"Yeah, me either. I mean, c'mon… He broke up with her because he's going away and he doesn't want her to wait for him? That's bullshit! If he really loved her, he will find a way to make their relationship work despite the distance." Sookie commented.

"Hey, you know what, you never told me about what actually happened between you two. I mean, one moment you were together, and the next moment, you broke up." Jason suddenly asked. He tried to make his tone as light as possible, but he couldn't hide the curiosity underneath. They didn't miss it either. They all just stared at him for a few seconds.

"What? Sookie is my sister. I think I have the right to know. Besides, Jess knows about it." Jason said defensively.

Bill and Sookie looked at each other. They seemed to think about it for a moment, before Sookie turned to Jason.

"Jason, before we tell you, can you promise that you will listen to Bill until he's finished his story without interrupting him? And please remember, this happened in the past and Bill and I are okay now." Sookie asked Jason seriously.

"Sure, I can do that." Jason easily agreed to their terms. Sookie looked at Bill and he nodded. Bill then proceeded to tell Jason about Sophie Anne and his true motive for coming to Bon Temps. Sookie and Jess listened attentively. Sookie was actually surprised that while Bill talked about this, she didn't feel upset. She realized that she truly had forgiven Bill and this was just a part of their past.

"You lied to her big time, man! And then you let the Ratts beat her up?" Jason asked in disbelief. He automatically went into his big brother mode.

"Yes, I did. But I never meant to hurt her, Jason." Bill told Jason calmly.

"Jason, Bill lied to me, but in the end, he did it to protect me from Sophie Anne. Besides, it's over. Now, we're happy, together." Sookie reached out to squeeze Bill's hand. Jessica looked at Sookie quietly. Throughout the narration, Jess had been watching Sookie's reaction and she was satisfied with what she witnessed. Any doubt she had about Sookie disappeared when she saw that Sookie sincerely loved Bill. Jason looked thoughtful for a moment and then he seemed to come to a decision.

"Yeah, I can see that. And I'm happy for you too, both of you. You're right, Sook, it's over now." Jason smiled at Bill and Bill returned the smile. "So, what happened to that Queen?" Jason asked curiously. Sookie suddenly realized that she didn't know what had happened to the queen either. She turned to look at Bill expectantly.

"I killed her." Bill stated simply. "That's how I became the King of Louisiana." He added. Sookie and Jason looked at Bill in surprise.

"How?" Sookie asked before she could stop herself.

"With some help. I am sorry. I cannot tell you more about it." Bill said.

"Wow! So you killed a Queen and then you became King?" Jason clarified. Bill nodded.

All of a sudden, Sookie's expression changed and Bill noticed it.

"Sookie, are you alright?" Bill reached out to take her hand in his. His eyes were filled with concern. Jason and Jessica also looked at Sookie curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sookie assured them. "Bill, can I talk to you for a second?" Sookie nervously asked Bill.

"Of course." He readily agreed. Sookie stood up and left the room. Bill followed her. He wasn't sure what happened, but Sookie's sudden change of mood made him worried.

"Sweetheart, what is it? Is something wrong?" Bill immediately asked when they were alone in the room she was using.

Sookie bit her lip uncertainly. She seemed to think hard about what she's going to say.

"I… I never knew how you became a King." Sookie began.

"Sookie…" Bill started, but Sookie held out her hand, "Please, let me say this."

Bill closed his mouth and waited for her to continue.

"Bill, I owe you an apology, and I've owed it to you for a while now…" Sookie took a deep breath and brought her eyes to meet his and they didn't look away. "Bill, I'm sorry about that night when I returned home… I practically threw you off my porch because I was so angry about what I'd just learned. When I found out about Eric owning my house, I come to you expecting you… no… demanding that you do something about it. I stormed into your house…"

Sookie paused and as much as Bill wanted to tell her it was over, he knew she needed to explain and he needed to listen. She continued in almost a whisper, "I was so mad about Eric, and I forgot that I thought I hated you and I charged up the stairs and walked into your room without even thinking about it." She drew in and breathed out a deep breath, "When I knew what I had interrupted, I felt jealous and…"

A lone tear fell down her cheek, "I felt so sad and I didn't want to be sad so I got mad and acted terribly. If there was one thing I could take back? It would be telling you I didn't want to know about how you became a King. It was nasty and mean of me and I am very sorry." By now, tears were flowing down Sookie's cheeks freely. She was so ashamed of herself. Bill was taken aback. He didn't expect this. For a while, they just stood there, the only noise that could be heard was Sookie's occasional sniffs.

Bill reached over and carefully wiped away her tears and said, "Thank you Sookie, I accept your apology." He cupped the side of her face with his hand and said, "It's in the past now, therefore, it no longer matters."

"But I…" Sookie tried to say something else but Bill placed a finger on her lips.

"Hush, sweetheart. It does not matter. Whatever happened between us, it's in the past. Did you not say it yourself, we are happy together now? Isn't that what matter the most?" Bill looked at her tenderly.

"Yes, it is." Sookie nodded and wiped the remaining of her tears. "Thank you." She softly whispered. Bill smiled gently down at her. Sookie gave him a teary smile. She was so grateful that Bill was willing to forgive her in this.

Bill leaned down and kissed her gently. After a few seconds, they pulled apart.

"Let's get back to the living room before they think that we've left them alone on our double date." Bill beamed at her. Sookie couldn't help but giggle. Hand in hand, they walked back into the living room. They spent the rest of the evening chatting and watching a movie. At around 3.30 AM, Sookie was yawning constantly.

"You better go to bed, sis. You look like you're gonna pass out pretty soon." Jason commented lightly.

"Jason is right. You need to go to bed. I should be going too. It's almost dawn." Bill said.

"How are you going to get back?" Sookie asked Bill.

"I will call someone to pick me up." Bill took his cell phone from his pocket and sent a quick message. "They'll be here in 10 minutes." He informed them.

"That's cool!" Jason said with a hint of awe in his voice.

Around 10 minutes later, they could hear a car pulling up in the driveway.

"Looks like my ride is here. Good night." Bill stood up and said to Jason and Jessica.

"Good night, Bill." Both Jason and Jessica said simultaneously.

"Come on, I'll walk you out." Sookie told her boyfriend. They headed to the front door.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Sookie asked hopefully as they stood by the door.

"Of course. I will call on you tomorrow. Please get a good rest." Bill leaned down and kissed her good night.

"Good night, Bill. I love you." Sookie smiled up at him sleepily.

"Good night, Sookie. I love you too, my dearest." Bill smiled lovingly at her. He waited until Sookie closed the door before walking toward the car.

None of them noticed an owl perched on a branch tree, watching the whole event carefully. After Bill's car drove off, the owl took its leave as well.

When Bill got home, George was waiting for him. He led him to the office and went around his desk to sit in his chair.

"Your Highness, we've discovered a way for Miss Stackhouse to get her home back in a matter days!" George told him proudly. After the incident with Portia the previous night, George was glad that he still got the job.

"Tell me." Bill said, as he leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers under his chin, his eyes intense.

"We'll have to speak to Mr. Stackhouse to be certain, but as it stands… he had no legal right to sell the home for two reasons, first, it appears that Mr. Stackhouse never had Miss Stackhouse declared legally dead, and secondly, his name has never been on the deed. As such, being a lifelong resident of Bon Temps and the Parrish and, please forgive me sir, the legal possibilities and uncertainties of disappearances that are vampire related, Mr. Stackhouse had no legal right to sell the home. Therefore, the courts erred by allowing him to sell the house. It still belongs to Miss Stackhouse."

"Excellent work. What do we do next?" Bill now sat forward, while outwardly calm, inside he was ecstatic.

"Unfortunately, we must wait until Monday morning to have access to the actual court papers, but if we could talk to Mr. Stackhouse and determine absolutely that we've discovered is in fact, the truth, we can petition the court immediately to void the sale and return ownership to Miss Stackhouse."

Bill glanced at the clock on his desk and saw that dawn was very near, "This is wonderful news, George, but my time is limited at the moment, let's revisit this later tonight shall we?"

"Certainly your Highness, have a pleasant rest." George stood and gave Bill a slight bow of his head, then turned and walked from the office.

Bill debated for a moment as to whether or not he should call Sookie, but he decided against it. While he knew she'd be thrilled, he didn't want to disturb her rest. He turned off his computer and made his way upstairs, happy that he would be able to give Sookie what she wanted most in the world… her ancestral home.