Chapter 36

Sookie felt better than she had in days. She'd had a bit of sleep that actually refreshed her. She had absolutely no noise in her head, she didn't hurt, her stomach had settled down, and she was completely comfortable. As she took a deep breath in the dark, her nostrils filled with the wonderful odor of her vampire and she realized that she had fallen asleep with Bill. She knew she was in bed with him, but except for that she wasn't sure where she was. Wherever she was, the space felt small and it was completely dark. There was not a bit of light anywhere, and she got that disoriented feeling one gets in absolute blackness.

I wonder if I'm in Bill's resting place?

She reached above her head carefully, but didn't feel any obstruction. Besides, she was on a mattress, in a bed with clean sheets, and she knew that Bill didn't have those things in his space beneath the house. She sat up gingerly and swung her feet off the bed, only to meet the floor much too soon.

This bed is really low...

She stood up slowly, reaching out for balance, and groped her way in the darkness until she found a wall. She followed it until she met another where they came together to form a corner, and continued her blind explorations. Her fingers encountered the wooden molding of a door jamb, and she followed it into another room, stepping carefully so as not to stumble.

I wish I had Bill's vision for this...

There was no carpet on the floor, and beneath her bare feet it felt like linoleum. It was smooth and without the grouted seams of tile. It was too cold to be hardwood. As she slid her foot through the invisible doorway, she noted that there were no breaks across the threshold; the linoleum continued without interruption beneath her feet.

Her fingers found a low counter, and she ran her hands across it until she felt the cold smoothness of porcelain and the hard edges of taps.

Oh thank God...a bathroom.

She now had some idea of what kind of space she was in, so with more confidence she reached out until she found the door, then quietly pulled it shut so not to wake Bill. She ran her hands along the sides of the jamb and quickly found a switch on the wall and flipped it on.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light after its total absence, and she squinted hard until she could stand the brightness. She found herself by the counter, and looked over the sink into the mirror.

Geeze, Sookie. You look horrible. Good thing Bill's asleep or you'd scare him right into the true death...

She still had circles beneath her eyes, and her hair was horrid beyond description; but her color was better and she actually looked rested. She used the toilet and washed her hands at the sink, then quickly washed her face. There were clean towels and wash cloths stacked in a corner of the Formica counter, and she gave herself a quick sponge bath to clear away the remains of the clammy sweat that had overcome her at Fangtasia. When she had finished, she rinsed out her mouth as best she could, finger-combed her hair, and then took a minute to look around the bathroom. Though nothing in the room was new, everything was immaculately clean. Even the old fixtures on the toilet and sink gleamed. The room seemed odd, and it took a moment for her to realize why. She suddenly noticed that everything seemed just a bit too low; from the placement of the doorknob and the light switch to the height of the counter and the toilet. Then the pieces fell into place.

This is Dr. Ludwig's place. Bill must have brought me here for help.

Sookie turned off the light and waited several minutes for the bright afterimages to fade, thinking to herself that Bill had done it again. He had taken care of her when she was hurting.

I don't think I'll ever get used to this.

Except for her grandmother, no one had cared for her like Bill. Not even her parents. It was more than love; her parents had loved her. Her brother loved her. But just like Gran, Bill had a knack for the practical. He seemed to know what she needed, and then just took care of it. It had been the same with Gran. Gran just took care of things. No matter how much work, inconvenience, or effort, it was never a bother to her; it was an expression of love. And Bill was like that.

Standing in the dark bathroom, Sookie had time to ponder. She wondered if the trait was innate in Bill, or something he had learned from the times he'd been born in. He had been around so long and had experienced so much she couldn't even imagine. She couldn't get enough of listening to him when he told her of other times and places. She wanted to know everything. It wasn't just the things he'd done and seen that intrigued her; she was fascinated by Bill himself. The novelty of not being able to hear his thoughts was appealing. She'd had to learn to be patient while he decided what, when, and how much of himself to reveal to her. She'd even had to learn how to ask the most simple of questions, something she'd never had to do before because, with everyone else, the information was right there in her head, whether she wanted it or not. It was ironic that she was learning to be more whole as a human from a dead man who no longer was.

When she'd waited long enough for the spots before her eyes to disappear, Sookie quietly opened the door of the bathroom and carefully retraced her steps back to the bed. She slipped into bed softly, not wanting to wake Bill, but it was a wasted effort. Before she had had a chance to settle herself, she found herself enfolded in Bill's strong arms as he planted kisses on her mouth.

Sookie was elated. She wrapped her arms around him and returned his kisses enthusiastically, pushing him onto his back and positioning herself atop him to do the job properly. She couldn't get enough of his lips, and she spent an inordinate amount of time focused on them before prompting him to open his mouth and extend his fangs for her. She finally had to stop to take a breath, and she collapsed on him.

Bill's fingers danced lightly across the bare skin of her shoulders for a moment as they rested together in silence, and then he spoke to her. "I see you found the bathroom, Miss Stackhouse."

"Yeah, I did. Just in time, too." She propped herself on her elbows and ran her fingers over his face, smiling in the darkness.

Bill traced her lips with his fingers. "It's nice to see you smile again, Sookie." He watched as her grin got even wider.

"I wish I could see you, Bill. It's so dark in here, I had to feel my way to the bathroom."

"Shall I turn on the light?"

"No. I like this, too. I get to focus on other stuff." She inhaled deeply. "Like how wonderful you smell." She ran her hands over his chest. "The way you feel." She kissed him again, playing with his fangs as she did so. "And the way you taste." Sookie shifted to lie next to Bill, wrapping an arm and leg around him resting her head on his shoulder. "We're at Dr. Ludwig's, aren't we?"

"We are. How did you know?"

"The bathroom. The bed. Everything is so short."

"You weren't doing well, Sookie. I had to get you some help."

"I'm sorry, Bill. I guess tagging along wasn't such a good idea."

"Well, it wasn't entirely a failure. Eric took one look at you in the parking lot and handed over a blood sample. I'm not sure we would have gotten it, otherwise." Bill played with her hair absently.

"Did he give you any trouble?"

"No. It went pretty much as I expected. He can't really take me before the magister without compromising his position as sheriff, and he's still wondering what happened that night and how he can use it. We are tolerating each other temporarily."

"That's good."

"There were some odd things, though, Sookie. He couldn't feel your pain except to note that you had a headache. And he didn't know where you were. He assumed you were in Bon Temps."

"What's that mean, Bill?"

"Well, either my connection to you is much stronger than his, or there's something wrong with his connection to you. I think it may be a bit of both. The night of our fight he claimed that he knew about wanting you to break his bond through the blood. He said it was almost like reading you mind. But after tonight, I think he was lying."

"Like, how could he read my mind if he couldn't even tell I was in his parking lot?"

"Exactly."

"I still hate what he did to me, but maybe it's not as bad as I thought. Maybe it's not working like he thought it would."

Although he didn't comment, Sookie could feel Bill's anger over what Eric had done to her. She didn't want to squander their time together bothering about Eric, especially since she was feeling so good. Sookie scooted up on one elbow and felt for his face, caressing his cheek with her hand and then running a finger across his fangs. "Bill, forget about Eric. Any time we waste thinking about him gives him power over us, and I won't give him the satisfaction. All I want is to be with you."

"All right."

Sookie settled back down with her head on Bill's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close and inhaling deeply. She smelled wonderful, and he turned his head closer.

Even though she couldn't see a thing in the light-proof room, Sookie closed her eyes so she could concentrate and softly began to run her hand across Bill's chest. He felt so different. His skin wasn't exactly cold, but it wasn't warm, either. He felt a bit on the cool side, cooler than any non-vampire she had ever touched. If she'd had to guess, she would say his body temperature was somewhere around 10 degrees cooler than hers. Her normal temperature was a little bit higher than average – right at 99 degrees – and she enjoyed the contrast.

Bill's skin was different for other reasons, too. Like his other senses, it was exquisitely sensitive; and though he healed almost immediately, it was pretty tough to breach his skin in the first place. The night of his homecoming she'd had to bite him awfully hard to break the skin to feed from him. It was no wonder he had lost control that night. Sookie had fed from him before, but always with Bill opening his flesh for her. He had ached for her to feed from him through her own volition, but had never really expected it. Her ability to feed from him without his help was completely unforeseen, as was his reaction. Sookie's stomach got butterflies when she remembered that night. She hadn't just surprised Bill; she had done a pretty good job of surprising herself, as well.

For a moment Sookie wished that her Gran was still alive. She would have liked to have been able to discuss all of this with her. Gran had been an amazing woman. She'd had a knack for getting to the pith of the matter, and Sookie could always go to her without fear of judgment. Mrs. Stackhouse also was careful to make sure that whatever decision Sookie came to, it was hers alone. Although Gran gave advice when asked, she never assumed there was only one answer to a dilemma. She wondered what Gran would have made of her feeding from Bill. Sookie never would have imagined herself doing such a thing. It was all so strange. She was vaguely repelled by the idea of ingesting blood, but somehow taking Bill's blood was a whole other matter.

There was just something about feeding from Bill that felt right. She didn't understand it, but she recognized it. The first time she had fed from him it had been an unwilling necessity. Then in Dallas, after the bombing, she acquiesced to Bill's request because he was worried about her. But recently she had begun to actually enjoy it, and sometimes even to crave it. Bill's blood tasted so good to her that she was beginning to understand not just his need for human blood, but his desire for it as well. It was somehow...erotic.

Sookie put aside her ruminations about feeding from Bill and returned her attention to the feel of the vampire beneath her fingers. Beneath that cool, smooth skin she could feel hard, well-defined muscles and she was thoroughly enjoying herself. Most of the folks she knew agreed that Bill was easy on the eyes, but to her he was more than that. As far as she was concerned, Bill was gorgeous; no doubt about it. His dark good looks were exactly to her taste, and she enjoyed looking at him. But here, in this room without light, she didn't have that opportunity and she found it a pleasure to explore him now solely by touch. She ran her fingers around the contours of his chest muscles, and then traced the well-delineated muscles of his abdomen. As her hand slowly moved down his body, she could feel Bill's pleasure through their connection.

Sookie smiled to herself in the dark, unable to quash the playful desire to tease him. She slowly ran her fingers down his body, following the trail of hair down his belly that led like a path to the thatch that framed his penis. She lightly traced the curling wreath of hair, carefully avoiding the rest of his anatomy and taunting him with the promise of a touch that had yet to reach its destination.

Bill was more content that he had been in weeks. For the first time since returning from Dallas, Sookie was herself again and for the moment he could put aside his worry. He could feel her – she felt well and rested, and the mischievous, playful side of her personality again had come to the fore. She hadn't been so eager to torment him in quite a while, especially not in bed, and apparently she was determined to make up for recently missed opportunities. She was getting rather good at it. She was learning exactly how far she could tease him before he lost control completely, and took an almost perverse pleasure in bringing him just to the brink, then relenting and beginning again. Had she been able to see in the dark, Sookie would have seen a smile begin to break on Bill's face as he relaxed and gave himself up to her amusement.

Sookie thought Bill was just a bit too staid for his own good, in all probability due both to his nature and his upbringing. From stories he had shared with her, she knew that his previous existence, both as human and vampire, had been grim and harsh. The only bright spot had been his marriage and children, but even that had been cut short; first by war, and later by his turning and the loss of his wife and children. Bill had gradually opened up to Sookie, revealing bits of his history to her; a reminiscence here, a sentence there – sometimes just a flicker of emotion across his eyes. She had pieced the bits together to help her form a picture of his character. He'd had so little joy in his existence that Sookie couldn't help but feel for him.

When Sookie met Bill and no longer had to spend all her energy keeping her barriers up, she had been able to be herself for the first time in her life. Over time, she discovered in herself a naturally playful nature which had been hidden on the other side of those barriers, and it expressed itself in a irresistible urge to tease Bill. He didn't really like teasing, per se, but allowed it from Sookie. He even was beginning to loosen up and enjoy it a bit, and that made her happy.

Sookie could feel Bill's amusement through their shared connection, and felt his body relax. She got up and sat on Bill's thighs, leaning forward to kiss him lightly, then softly running her hair down the skin of his chest. She went back to his lips with another kiss, lingering just a bit longer, then returned to teasing him. She lowered herself just enough to brush her nipples against him as she moved down his body, and she could feel his skin turn to gooseflesh in response.

She kissed her way down his body carefully so as not to miss any part of his torso. When she reached his penis, he was already hard, and she smiled. It had been a while since she had felt good enough to seduce him, and she was certainly going to take advantage of the present opportunity. Not that Bill really needed seducing – but she loved to wind him up until he lost control.

Sookie ran her lips softly over his penis, from the tip to the root, exhaling her warm breath on him at the same time. She was rewarded by a small shiver from Bill, so she repeated herself, this time in the opposite direction. He smelled so good that Sookie had a difficult time keeping her movements slow and deliberate. When she reached the tip of his penis, she wrapped her warm lips around it, eliciting a moan from her vampire.

Sookie had never pleasured Bill in this way before. It was completely new to her and she wasn't sure how to proceed, so she followed her instincts. She explored him with her tongue, delicately, learning the shape of him in minute detail, and wanted more. She used her lips to push back his foreskin and ran her tongue around the edges. She could feel his phallus swell and harden further, and it excited her, so she took more of his length into her mouth and began to suck, gently at first, and then with growing enthusiasm. She slid her hands beneath his buttocks and gripped him tightly as she began to coax him into orgasm.

Bill clutched the sheets beneath him and watched Sookie as she serviced him. The sight of her performing fellatio on him for the first time was hypnotic, and he couldn't take his eyes from her. A growl began to build within his chest as he became more and more aroused by her actions and her soft moans. He could feel her hunger; it matched his. The feather-like touch of her hair as it brushed against his skin and the heat of Sookie's mouth around him made it impossible for him to control his lust, and he could hold back no longer. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her tightly to him and released himself into her mouth, then pulled her away and flipped her onto her back, plunging his penis into her as she gasped for breath and wrapped her thighs around him, gripping him tightly. Bill pumped his hips into hers as he climaxed again. As Sookie's own orgasm overwhelmed her, he sank his fangs into her soft flesh and fed.

...

"Lafayette..." Sam leaned across the pass, peering into the kitchen.

"What you need, Sam?" Lafayette didn't take his eyes from the pot he was stirring.

"Y'all got a free burner on the stove, and some counter space back there?"

Lafayette looked up. "What? What kinda question is that? This is a damned kitchen, Sam. Where hell else would there be a burner and counter space?"

Sam made a face ripe with exasperation. "I know you have them, Lafayette. I need to know if there's a burner and a spot on the prep counter that y'all aren't using at the moment."

Lafayette put his hand on his hip and looked at him with suspicion. "Yeah, I do. Why? What y'all got up your sleeve, Sam?"

"Apparently, you have an admirer."

"Well, do tell." Waving his spoon, Lafayette did his best swish up to the pass, leaned on his elbows, and batted his mascara-enhanced lashes. "My horoscope said the stars were good for love..."

"Relax, Lafayette." Sam chuckled. "Your cheeseburger made such an impression on Brother Bede yesterday that he wanted to come down and cook lunch for everybody. His way of saying thank you, he said."

"Brother who? You mean that cracker who drinks wine with his burger and can't fold a map?" He rolled his eyes. "Lord, he ain't even my type."

Sam pointed a finger at him in warning. "He'll be here in a minute. Y'all be nice."

"Sam, when am I ever not nice?" He turned on his heel and went back to stir his chili.

...

Brother Bede arrived carrying several grocery bags, with a smile on his face so wide it was a wonder he could get it through the door. Sam looked up as he came in and hurried to help him with his burden. "Brother Bede, did y'all buy out the store?"

"Mr. Merlotte! Hello my friend! No, no, no...but once I got into the market I just couldn't help myself. I've forgotten how different shopping is here in the States, you see. It's been so long. Quite an adventure...yes, yes, yes..."

Sam lifted his eyebrows. "Y'all got excited buying groceries? You're a cheap date, Brother. And I told you, call me Sam."

Brother Bede chuckled. "Forgive me, Sam. I've gotten used to shopping at the mercati di quartiere – the neighborhood markets – and I'm not use to American supermarkets any more. Oh my, my...as I told Mr. Compton, it's like a whole new world has opened up for me... Do you like shrimp, Sam? I've discovered that Louisiana has the most marvelous shrimp...I thought I'd make you all scampi imperiali San Giusto..."

The expression on his face was one of pure joy, and Sam was entertained by his enthusiasm over the mundane chore of grocery shopping and pleasantly anticipating the proposed dish. Sam led Brother Bede into the kitchen and introduced him to Lafayette. "Brother Bede, this here's Lafayette. He's the one who made your burger the other day.

The monk put his bags down and approached Lafayette with his arms wide. Lafayette was effectively cornered, his only avenue of escape hampered by the hot commercial stove, and he eyed him warily as Brother Bede smiled and gave him a great bear hug, kissing him on each cheek in typical Italian manner. "Lafayette! Oh my, my...I haven't words to tell you how much I enjoyed the cheeseburger you made! It's been just years since I had a real, American cheeseburger. The Italians try, they really do, but it's just not the same...oh my. It was lovely, just lovely! It brought back such memories..."

Lafayette's face was unreadable. "Uh huh..." he deadpanned. "Y'all are gettin' mighty worked up over a burger. Don't get out much, do ya?"

Brother Bede laughed aloud. "No, no my friend, I certainly do not. Most of my time is divided between my religious duties at the abbey and my work in the archives. Neither is very conducive to a social life."

Lafayette abruptly decided that he liked this strange fellow, and waved his spatula at him for emphasis while speaking. "Well, y'all better watch that kissin' folk or you's gonna have more social life than you can handle..."

...

"Sookie, Sookie, wake up Sweetheart." Bill brushed the hair from Sookie's eyes.

"Huh? What time is it?"

"Just after sunset. We should get going."

"Oh geeze, Bill. I hate to get up. This is the first time since Dallas that I've felt good."

"Yes, I know. But I've been awake for a while now listening to your stomach rumble. You need to eat."

Sookie snuggled closer to Bill and held him tighter. "Mmm...I'd give up eating for good to spend forever with you like this..." She felt Bill tense in her arms. "Bill, what's wrong?"

"Don't ask me to turn you, Sookie."

"Turn me? Who's talking about turning me?"

"You are...aren't you?"

"Me? No...I'd love to spend forever with you, Bill, but I really don't want to be a vampire. It's just a manner of speaking."

"Yes, well, the last time I thought you were using a figure of speech you shoved me into the sofa and screamed at me. As I recall, you were quite angry. You'll understand my misinterpretation, Miss Stackhouse."

Sookie chuckled. "I promise, Bill. If I ever decide I want you to turn me, I'll ask you – very, very clearly. OK?"

"All right." Bill kissed her forehead and got out of the bed, turning on the lights at their lowest setting to spare Sookie's eyes, and began to dress.

...

Dr. Ludwig was scowling over a slide in her microscope and looked up when Bill and Sookie came in. She did a careful but rapid assessment of Sookie's appearance and was encouraged by what she saw. "Well, you look a damned sight better than you did when you got here. How do you feel?"

Sookie smiled at her as she responded. "I feel fine. I haven't felt this good in weeks."

"No headache? Nausea?"

"Nope, not a bit. I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, it worked."

Dr. Ludwig snorted in derision. "Didn't do a damned thing except lock you in a soundproof, light -tight room with this asshole." She indicated Bill with a wave of her hand. "Thank him."

Bill interrupted, asking, "Did you find anything?"

The small woman turned her attention to the vampire, saying, "Let's go into my study and talk. I've been bending over these instruments so long I've got a crick in my neck. If I'm gonna talk, I want to be comfortable."

Bill and Sookie followed her to the study and, after settling themselves in, Dr. Ludwig looked them over for a moment before beginning.

"I don't know what the hell is going on with you two, but it's the strangest, most fucked-up mess I've ever seen. If I'd known what I was getting myself into, I'd have kicked your ass out the first time you showed up, vampire."

"But do you know why Sookie is ill?"

"Nope. Neither Joey nor I can figure it out, but we haven't given up yet. It would help if we had an old blood sample for comparison." She looked at Sookie. "Any chance you had blood sample or biopsy taken at a hospital or doctor's office, or is that asking too much?"

"No, I haven't. I've never really been sick before, not even as a kid."

"It figures. Disgustingly healthy."

Bill was silent for a moment, then asked, "Does it have to be a fresh sample? Can it be dried?"

Dr. Ludwig turned to him. "Fresh or properly preserved would be better, but anything would help at this point."

Sookie reached for Bill's hand. "What are you thinking of, Bill?"

"Your clothes. From the night you were attacked. You still have them."

"Yeah, but I don't know what kind of shape they're in."

The healer interrupted. "Fill me in. What attack? What clothes?"

Sookie responded. "I got beat up really bad, right after I met Bill. It was months ago. Gran was still alive then, and I didn't want her to get upset, so I buried my bloody clothes in the yard in a plastic bag so she wouldn't see them. They're still there."

"Fine. Get 'em to me. Better than nothing."

"Dr. Ludwig, do y'all have any idea what's happening to me? It's getting to the point I can hardly make it through the day. You said it was a mess. What's that mean?"

Dr. Ludwig didn't answer right away. She hated to dole out bits and pieces of information or half-finished ideas, but she could see the nervous strain in Sookie's face and decided to give them both the little information she did have. "Well, I'll tell you what I think is going on. I don't have all the facts yet, and there is still a lot of work for Joe and me to do. So none of this is definite yet. Understand?"

Sookie nodded, and Bill could feel her anxiety.

"I don't have much. But from the tests that Joey and I have done so far, we're pretty sure that whatever is affecting you caused the changes in your vampire here."

Sookie's eyes widened in surprise and her grip on Bill's hand tightened.

Bill said, "What? How...?"

"Something is going on in your system, Ms. Stackhouse. We're pretty sure feeding on you caused the metamorphosis in Compton, particularly the venom." She turned to Bill. "Tell me, have you had any success in learning to bite without depositing venom into the wound?"

Bill and Sookie looked at each other, then Bill answered. "Some. Sookie's had some ideas we've been trying. Why?"

"'Cause it's the nastiest, most toxic damned stuff I've ever seen. Her instincts were right on the money. If you tried to feed on a human they'd be dead before they knew what hit 'em. How's the Viking's wound?"

"I saw him last night when I got the blood sample from him. The wound's still there. It hasn't healed yet."

"Figures."

"But what about Sookie? Is she in danger?"

"Nope. As far as we can tell, she's immune. I'd bet my last nickel she's the only creature on the planet who is."

Sookie shook herself, trying to take in what the healer was saying. "How can that be?"

"Like I said, you're the source of the changes in the dead man here. Makes perfect sense. Something in you was the catalyst. You're part of the process, so you're immune."

Bill straightened in his chair. "Is there anything else you can tell us, doctor?"

"Well, you each said that the other one has a stronger odor. That's not happening. What is going on is that you apparently are more receptive, more sensitive to the pheromones you're each putting out. It seems to be specific to the two of you... which is why you get so damned horny anytime you get close to each other. There's no danger, though, so you might as well enjoy yourselves. Hell, if you could bottle it you'd make a killing."

Dr. Ludwig levered herself out of her chair. "Now the two of you get the hell out. Joe will be back later and I want to take a nap before he gets here. And get me those clothes right away."