Chapter 21
Bill arrived at Jason's doorstep at nine o'clock in the evening. He stepped out of his car and walked to the front door. He rang the bell as Jason opened it.
"Bill, come on in. Sookie's still in the shower. She should be finished soon." Jason stepped aside to make way for Bill. The two men made their way to the living room.
"Jason, there is something important that I need to ask you." Bill told Jason. Jason looked at Bill questioningly.
"When Sookie disappeared, did you ever have her declared legally dead?" Bill asked Jason seriously. Jason looked slightly taken aback with Bill's question.
"Well no, why would I? I'm a Stackhouse." Jason didn't understand why Bill asked him such a strange question.
"That's good to know. It makes it much easier for us to get her house back." Bill said.
"Jason, have you seen my hairbrush? I remember putting it…" Sookie stepped into the living room and her face broke into a smile upon seeing Bill. "Oh, hi Bill!" She reached out to hug him, which he returned.
"Hello, Sookie. Good to see you." Bill planted a quick kiss on her hair, which was still damp from shower. Bill breathed in her scent appreciatively.
"Sook, I don't know where your hairbrush is. But I need to go now. Jess is waiting for me at the movies. You two have fun!" Jason said not giving Bill's comment another thought as he walked out of the house. A couple of minutes later, they heard his truck pull out of the driveway.
"Come, I have something to tell you." Bill led Sookie to the sofa and she sat down. Bill sat down beside her and took her hand in his. Sookie looked at him curiously.
"Sookie, my lawyers have found a way to revert the ownership of the house back to you. You will get it back in a few days, at most." Bill informed her. He could barely contain his excitement, but he managed to keep a straight face. He watched her face to see her reaction.
He wasn't disappointed.
For a second, Sookie just sat there, stunned. Then, she leapt up from her seat and threw herself on Bill. Sookie pressed her lips on Bill's and kissed him thoroughly. Bill wrapped his arms around Sookie's waist and pulled her closer onto his lap. Sookie's tongue probed his lips gently, asking for entrance, which he gladly granted. He let her take the lead and as their kiss deepened, Sookie ran her fingers through his hair. With a soft snick, Bill's fangs dropped. Sookie pulled back and cradled the side of his face in her hand and her finger gently traced his fang. Bill stayed still and looked at her tenderly.
"Thank you, Bill." Sookie whispered softly.
"You do not have to thank me, Sookie. All I want is for you to be happy." Bill whispered. Sookie leaned down to recapture his mouth. But this time, their kiss was less intense. After a few seconds, Sookie pulled away and just sat there, straddling him on the sofa.
"Bill, should we…?" Sookie asked shyly, while every nerve was screaming at her to continue, it just didn't feel right.
Bill took hold of her and carefully eased her off his lap, but not before giving her a sweet gentle kiss. "Sookie, please don't misunderstand, I do want us to make love soon, but no… this isn't how or where it should happen." Bill retracted his fangs and concentrated on explaining things to Sookie instead.
Sookie nodded then sat comfortably beside him, happy that he felt the way he did. Then she spied her hairbrush on the coffee table and began brushing out her hair. "So, what should I do now, legally I mean?" Sookie asked him excitedly. If there was anything that she could do to get the house back sooner, she'd gladly do it.
"All you need to do is sign a few papers and let George do the rest." Bill said.
"George? Oh, so you did hire him, that's great! I talked to him yesterday. He was quite worried that you wouldn't use his firm because of Portia, which reminds me, why exactly it is that Portia Belllefluer runs away screaming when she sees you?" Sookie asked Bill with curiosity.
Upon the mention of Portia, Bill's expression changed. Sookie thought he looked very uncomfortable. "Bill? Is something wrong?" Sookie asked worriedly.
"No, nothing is wrong." Bill tried to assure her, but Sookie saw through it.
"We promised no more secrets, remember?" Sookie raised her eyebrows challengingly and Bill looked even more uncomfortable. It made Sookie curious and worried at the same time. "C'mon, Bill. This isn't work related, is it?" Sookie tried to coax him into talking.
"No, it's… well it was personal. A few months ago, something happened between me and… ah, Miss Bellefluer." Bill said, avoiding her eyes. "But it only happened once." He hastily added. He didn't know how she would react. Bill prepared himself for an outburst. But it never came, much to his relief.
Sookie felt jealousy rise up in her, but she tamped it down. They weren't together back then and what happened in the past, stayed in the past. After all, he certainly hadn't been giving her any grief about Eric!
"Then why did she act so strangely around you? George said that when she saw you, she ran out, screaming." Sookie recalled.
Bill took an unnecessary deep breath before speaking. "After it happened, I found out that well, she's uh, related to me."
"She's what?" Sookie exclaimed in disbelief.
"The Bellefleurs are my direct descendants." Bill explained. "Anyway, I told her that we could no longer see each other anymore, even though it's many, many generations back, but the fact is, in my eyes she's basically many times over, my um, granddaughter. She was very stubborn. She refused to leave me alone, so I had to glamour her into thinking that she is terrified of me. I'd say it works quite effectively." Bill finished his story a little weakly. Telling Sookie what he'd done to Portia seemed to make it sound a bit cruel.
For a few moments, Sookie just sat there open mouthed, looking at him, her eyes wide. Bill's mind churned trying to figure out a way to placate Sookie and explain it more reasonably when she suddenly burst out laughing!
Sookie laughed so hard her eyes became shiny with tears and she held her sides, and tried to catch her breath. Sookie wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to stop! This was just too funny.
"Sookie…!" Bill protested somewhat huffily, which only served to make Sookie laugh harder. It took her nearly a minute for her laughter to subside. All the while, Bill just glared at her indignantly.
"I'm so sorry, Bill. But you have to admit, it's pretty funny! You slept with your, what? Five or six 'greats' before granddaughter and then, when she refused to leave you alone, you actually glamoured her into believing she's so scared of you, she runs away, screaming, whenever she sees you?" Sookie couldn't help herself she began to laugh even harder.
Taking his cue from Sookie, Bill reluctantly agreed with her. "Well, it is a little funny." Sookie had sobered up to just giggling slightly and Bill chuckled along with her. He was relieved that Sookie wasn't angry.
"So, how are we going to get the house back? Did you manage to convince Eric or something?" Sookie asked Bill once her giggles stopped. She was so excited at the prospect of getting her house back, she could barely sit still.
"Eric does not know about it and we want to keep it that way, until we are ready to proceed." Bill said. "You don't need to worry, sweetheart. Leave all of the legal processes to George. In a few days, the house will be yours again." Bill assured her. Sookie nodded.
Ten minutes later, they were sitting comfortably on the sofa. Bill had his arm around her shoulders and Sookie leaned her head on his shoulder. A half-empty bottle of TruBlood sat on the coffee table in front of them as they watched the news on TV.
"It's nice." Sookie sighed contentedly. There she was, relaxed and happy, watching TV with her boyfriend. In that moment, Sookie never felt more normal.
"What is?" Bill peered down at her.
"This." Sookie emphasized her point by taking Bill's hand and he immediately wrapped his fingers around her hand. "Just the two of us, watching TV together. It feels so… normal." Sookie said. Bill was at loss for words. Being normal was one of the things that he wanted the most for the two of them. But, because of his status, they had to give up what most supposed most people a normal life to be.
"I am so sorry that I cannot give you a normal life, Sookie. How I wish…" Bill said apologetically, but Sookie placed her finger on his lips to silence him.
"I don't need a normal life, Bill. I want a life with you. I don't care if we can't spend the evenings watching TV together, or if we can't plant fruits and flowers in the garden. Just being able to spend the evening with you is enough for me." Sookie wanted him to understand that no matter what kind of life they'd have, as long as she could be with him, she'd be content.
She had finally realized that she'd wasted too much of their time together by fighting and arguing. She decided that from now on, they'd spend more time together, just the two of them. Of course, she knew she couldn't be unrealistic. She knew that with Bill's job, they couldn't afford the luxury of endless time together. But, she was planning to spend every moment possible with him.
"I love you, Sookie." Bill declared as he planted a soft kiss on her temple. He was grateful that Sookie was willing to sacrifice her chance of having a normal life to be with him. He swore to himself that he would do his best to make her happy.
"I love you too, Bill." Sookie told him sincerely and squeezed his hand.
For the next two hours or so, they just sat there, with their arms wrapped around each other, enjoying their rare opportunity of almost being normal. Bill had to leave by midnight because he had a meeting. Before he left, he reminded her again to lock the house and stay inside the house no matter what, especially now that neither Jason nor Jess was at home.
"Honey, I'll be fine. Go… You're gonna be late for your meeting." Sookie gave him a slight push out of the front door.
"Sookie, I'm the King. I'm not late, they are too early." Bill said laughingly. Sookie just rolled her eyes. Bill used this opportunity to lean in and steal a kiss from her.
"Please drive safely. I'll see you tomorrow." Sookie said after they pulled away from each other.
"Get inside, please." Bill was being adamant that she got inside first before he left. Sookie stepped into the house and closed the door. A few seconds later, she waved through the window as she watched his car leave the driveway.
Sookie went the living room and picked up the empty bottle of TruBlood, then went to the kitchen to throw the bottle into the bin and grab a cold drink. Sookie was halfway through her glass of lemonade when she heard the doorbell ring. She glanced at the clock. Jason and Jess wouldn't be home until well after midnight and besides, they had keys. Sookie walked to the door and curiously took a peek through the window. She gasped as she saw Eric standing there, staring right at her.
"Open the door. We need to talk." Eric demanded.
"There's nothing to talk about, Eric." Sookie moved to close the curtain, but Eric's next words stopped her.
"You know I can easily break the door, Sookie. Is that what you want?" Eric threatened. Sookie knew that he was being serious. So, against her better judgment, she opened the door making sure that she stayed well inside the house.
"Oh, Sookie …" Eric shook his head as if amused. "You know, this is our dance, it's just between the two of us. There was no need for your boyfriend to get involved." Eric sneered. Sookie could feel the fear grip her and she swallowed hard. How did he find out about Bill? What else did he know? How much did he know?
"What do you want, Eric?" Sookie asked him although she knew the answer.
"You know what I want, Sookie. I want you. No one and nothing will stand in my way, not even him." Eric said.
"Leave him alone, Eric. If you hurt him, I'll stake you myself." Sookie said fiercely.
"You made a mistake by choosing him over me, Sookie. I offered you a solution, but you rejected my offer. If you think that he can help you to get the house back, you're wrong. If you are unwilling to make it ours, then it isn't worth the bother. The house will be torn down, first thing in the morning." Eric said threateningly.
"What? Eric…" Sookie tried to reason with him, but he cut her off.
"This is your last chance. Reconsider Sookie; be with me and you can have your house back." Eric stepped closer to the door, but without Jason's invitation, he couldn't enter.
Sookie felt panic blossom inside her. Sookie just stood there, stunned. She couldn't believe that Eric would go to that extreme. She thought hard, trying to think of a way to persuade him to change his mind. But she knew better. Eric was one of the most stubborn people that she ever met.
After a second, Sookie made her decision. "If you want to destroy it, then go ahead. I'm not leaving Bill for you." Sookie said with finality. She hoped her voice sounded stronger than she really felt. Eric was quite taken aback by her words. He never dreamt Sookie would put Bill first before her home.
"Have it your way then. But remember, in the end, you might lose both." Eric shrugged his shoulders casually. "Good evening, Sookie." Eric said with mock politeness and then he turned around and faded into the night.
Sookie slammed the door shut and rushed to the phone. She dialed Bill's number and it went straight to his voicemail. Bill must still be in the meeting.
"Bill, it's me. Eric was here just now and he… Can you come here as soon as you can? Please?" Sookie left him a message. She was overwhelmed and scared. If Eric destroyed the house, even if they could get it back, it wouldn't matter anymore… it wasn't as if she could afford to rebuild, besides, what would be the point?
Sookie knew that there use panicking. There wasn't anything she could do now anyway. She'd have to wait for Bill.
'Bill will think of something. He won't let Eric destroy the house. There must be a way to stop him.' Sookie told herself over and over again. She tried to keep her mind off things with busy work. She went to the kitchen and did all the dishes. Once done, she went to the basement and did some laundry. She kept glancing at the clock, wondering when Bill would finish his meeting.
About an hour later, the doorbell rang. Sookie rushed to the door. She peered through the window and was immensely relieved to see Bill standing there. Sookie hurriedly opened the door and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.
Bill put his arms around her. After a while, he pulled away. "I am so sorry. I just got your message. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Bill asked her worriedly. He held her at arms' length and looked at her closely, inspecting her for any injury.
"I'm fine. He was here. He told me that he's demolishing the house in the morning unless I go with him. What do we do?" Sookie asked Bill anxiously.
"Sookie, sweetheart, please… relax." Bill tried to get her to settle down. Sookie took a few deep breaths and finally managed to calm down a bit.
"I will call George and see what we can do, alright? I promise you… we will not let Eric destroy your home." Bill told her calmly as he led her inside, closed the door and sat her down on the sofa. He took out his cell phone and called George. He explained the situation to George and asked if there was anything that they could do to stop Eric. Bill listened to George for a few moments.
"Are you certain you will be able to get a court order? I see, yes… Do it immediately."
Bill hung up and turned to Sookie, "It's going to be fine Sookie, George says he will wake the judge himself, he said he knows the judge will sign the order because he dislikes Judge Smith anyway. Smith is the judge that allowed Jason to sell the house in the first place. Once Eric is stopped, there will be some legal paperwork to be filed but you could have the house back soon, sweetheart." Bill sat down beside her and took her hand in his. Sookie was somewhat relieved, but Eric's parting words kept ringing in her ears.
"Bill, I'm so scared. What if he tries to hurt you? If anything was to happen to you, I…" Sookie started to babble but Bill pulled her into his arms.
"Shh… It's alright, Sookie. Don't worry, everything will be fine. I promise…" Bill assured her. He rubbed her back soothingly. Sookie nodded, clutching him tightly.
"How did he find you?" Bill asked a while later.
"I don't know. He came a few minutes after you left." Sookie shook her head. They heard Jason's truck pull in, and then the front door opened a few seconds later, Jason and Jessica stepped into the living room.
"Oh, hey guys!" Jason greeted them cheerfully. His smile fell when he saw Sookie's expression. "What's wrong?" He asked confusedly.
"Eric came here after I left earlier. He plans to demolish the house tomorrow." Bill explained.
"What?" Both Jason and Jess looked surprised.
"We are going to stop him." Bill said firmly. He was serious when he said it. He would stop Eric from destroying the house, no matter what.
"How?" Jason asked. He realized that the situation had gotten out of hand.
"My lawyers are working on something. Hopefully, they will have the necessary paperwork soon." Bill said before turning to Sookie, "Sookie, I have to go. There is paperwork that needed to be prepared first. I will ask George to meet you directly tomorrow morning. I know you're worried, but please stay inside this house as it is the safest place right now. Can you promise me that you will not go anywhere before sunrise?" Knowing Sookie, Bill knew that she would desperately want to go protect her home. Bill wanted to make sure that Sookie would stay put and wait until sunrise.
Sookie nodded. She wanted to stop Eric herself, but she knew that there was no point of doing something that foolish. Without the necessary legal documents, there's nothing that she could do to stop them.
Sookie had also learned from her past mistakes, she forced herself to accept that she had to do what was best and right now that was doing what she was told to do. She looked Bill in the eyes and said, "I promise you, I will not leave this house before sunrise."
Bill nodded and stood up. He bent down to drop a kiss on top of Sookie's head before walking away. Jessica took his place and sat down beside Sookie. Bill signaled Jason to follow him. The two men left the room.
"Jason, it is extremely important that you and Jessica stay here with Sookie for the time being. Do not leave her alone. We do not know if Eric would be back or if he would try to do something. To be on the safe side, you shouldn't answer the door yourself. Eric could glamour you into letting him in."
Jason started to protest but Bill continued, "He's very dangerous Jason, even as good as you are at your job, Eric has a thousand years of deception and treachery on his side." Bill said as he stood with Jason in the front porch.
"I got it. I'm not gonna leave her alone, and I won't answer the door. Don't worry." Jason assured Bill.
"Very well. I will call her later. Good night, Jason and thank you..." Bill nodded to Jason and made his way back to his car. He drove away, and watched Jason in the rearview as he entered the house.