Disclaimer

All rights go to Charline Harris and Allan Ball. I only own my original plotlines and characters.


❝ People are not addicted to alcohol or drugs

they are addicted to escaping reality. ❞

- Unknown


IN A PANIC Juliette ran out of Merlotte's sharing an alarmed look with Sam as he too rushed towards the screaming girls.

"Would you two shut up!" Juliette heard Andy bark and for a second she thought he had done something to them but she calmed down when she saw both Tara and Sookie were physically fine.

"There's someone inside!" Sookie cried out, pointing to the car where Andy was knelt, looking in.

"Right, so what happened?" Sam asked, he moved to take a step forward but Andy whirled around.

"You step back!" He all but roared, "I got it."

Juliette's eyes locked onto the limp body in the backseat, and she froze, flashes of killing Drew hit her like a freight train. Trying to hide the shake in her hand, Juliette rested protectively atop Sookie's shoulder, tugging her sister slightly behind herself.

Juliette's face had turned white as a sheet and she had begun sweating but she still managed to somehow force those memories back, she couldn't have Sookie catching onto her thoughts nor could she afford to be distracted at a time like this.

"Andy's got it," Juliette murmured quietly, no traces of her usual snark in her tone. Juliette didn't know what happened, but she wasn't about to get already aggravated not to mention drunk Andy even more upset.

Juliette felt nauseous as Andy revealed that the woman was indeed dead, someone having had ripped out her heart. Sookie leaned further into her sister, while Juliette tightened her grip on Sookie.

"Who the heck is that?" Sam questioned as Andy pulled away the bag covering her face, only for Tara's eyes to widen as she let out another scream.

The cops arrived shortly after, taping the area off before questioning each of them. Juliette already felt the beginnings of a headache start to come one as she was assaulted with the thoughts of everyone around her.

Thankfully the questioning for her was quick and as soon as she was done, she made her way beside Sookie resting her head on her sister's shoulder as she shut her eyes, hoping it would soothe the pounding in her skull.

Hours or minutes could have passed but Juliette didn't know, Sookie gently nudged her and helped her into the bar. Sam pouring her a shot of vodka, that she downed, letting out a sigh as she felt the familiar burn in her throat.

Sookie helped Sam lock up while Juliette had another drink, the alcohol helping numb her power induced headache.

Despite it taking more than two shots of vodka to get Juliette drunk, Sookie was still adamant she drove the pair home once she was done closing up and Juliette didn't even bother to argue, handing over her keys to her sister and climbing into the passenger seat.

Juliette must have drifted off because when she opened her eyes they were at the house. With sluggish movements, she made her way inside the house and up to her room while Sookie left with a halfhearted goodbye for Bill's.

It was only once she got to her room did Juliette remember she still needed to have a chat with the vampire, especially after what Eric had revealed to her about him but for tonight she would let it pass. That was the last thought before her eyes drifted shut.


Her chance to talk to Bill came in the form two days later when he invited her shopping.

"Remind me again why Sookie couldn't come with you?" Juliette asked almost teasingly as she sifted through clothing.

"Because I didn't want to bother Sookie," Bill replied, with a slight smile.

"So instead you decided to bother me?" She questioned raising an eyebrow.

"No! Well yes..." Bill stammered realizing how he sounded, "I figured it would be a nice way to get to know my girlfriend's sister."

"Mhm," Juliette hummed looking at him unconvinced but thankfully she dropped the subject and continued to look through clothes, "Well I'm actually glad you did, I've been meaning to talk to you."

"You have?" Bill questioned in surprise.

Juliette let out another hum, surprising him when she suddenly whirled around with narrowed eyes.

"I've asked around about you and I know you aren't the upstanding vampire you make yourself out to be, you have a dark and bloody past but I was also assured you changed, so this is my one and only warning Bill Compton, hurt my family and I will hunt you down and kill you, understood?"

Bill stiffly nodded, and Juliette returned the nod, a smirk appearing on her face like she just hadn't threatened a vampire centuries older than her.

"I think Jessica will like this one," She muses, holding up the shirt in her hand.

"No," Bill immediately denies.

Juliette slightly frowns, "And why not? it's cute."

"It is indecent for a woman of her age," He replies.

His words cause Juliette to snort, rolling her eyes at his old ways. While she doesn't try to argue with him further, she doesn't put away the shirt either and before Bill could notice and reprimand her, a sales lady came up and caught his attention.

"You look positively lost," She smiles.

Bill shrugs, looking a little more bashful as he puts back the shirt he held onto the rack. "Yes, I do feel a little...at sea," He nods.

The smile didn't falter from the woman's face in fact Juliette noted it seemed to get bigger. "I can help you pick something out if you'd like. You're looking for your daughter?"

Bill nods, "Yes, my daughter Jessica."

Juliette moved to look for more items for Jessica, all while keeping an ear on Bill's conversation. She wanted to know what type of person Bill was, and one way to do that was to see how he interacted with others.

She only fully turned her attention to the pair when she heard the sales lady trail off after she commented how cold he was.

The sales ladies smile had faltered, "Ooh, well, you're not..."

"...I am vampire, yes," Bill nods, answering off her unfinished question.

"Tell you what." A sly look entered the woman's eyes and Juliette nearly choked when she saw the lady lift the mini skirt, she had originally offered Bill to buy for Jessica. "Why don't you come with me to the dressing room and I could model this for you?"

Juliette clasped a hand over her mouth to stop her giggles as she watched Bill politely decline her offer.

However the sales lady was persistent, "You sure now?"

Bill nods, "I am."

Before the lady could try to persuade him further, a familiar voice interrupted the conversation.

"Good evening, old sport."

Juliette turned and she froze when she saw that Eric had cut his previous long golden locks. If he was considered hot before he was now smouldering, hotter than the sun hot now. It took every ounce of Juliette's self-control not to ogle at him, the fact he chose to wear a simple tracksuit helped a little in reining in her hormones.

Bill turned around and like Juliette did a double-take but he was more subtle about it. "Eric?"

"It's the new me," He stated before smirking slightly, "You like?"

Bill nods, his lips turning up into a slight smile. "I do. Very much."

The sound of the sales lady laughing had the three turning their attention back to her and Juliette started giggling when she realized that the woman had thought Bill and Eric were together.

Juliette's giggles had garnered the two male vampire's attention. Bill glaring, while Eric sauntered over to her with a smirk.

"Well, if it's isn't Juliette Stackhouse," He all but purred before gesturing you his hair, "What do you think?"

Juliette's giggles subsided and she pretended to study him as if she didn't think he looked mouthwatering.

"You're really trying to live up to your name aren't you Ken doll," Juliette smirks.

Eric's smirk drops and he refrained from letting out a grumble at the blonde's sharp tongue, instead, he turned back to Bill.

"We need to talk."

Bill looked to Juliette who gave him a nod, waving him off, "Go, I can handle shopping for Jessica."

"Just nothing...indecent," He sighs, handing over his credit card to the female blonde.

Juliette doesn't bother answering, just taking the card with a smirk before turning away to look for more clothes. She found herself actually enjoying the task, while she hadn't had a chance to really get to know the redhead, the older sister in her couldn't help but feel bad for the young girl.

Juliette had just finished paying when Bill rushed up to her, claiming that they needed to go. Juliette didn't even have a chance to say a word as he dragged her out of the mall before speeding them away.

He rushed them over to a house, placing Juliette down before breaking down the door to reveal Jessica holding up an older man by his throat.

"Jessica, let him go! As your maker I command you!" He all but yelled.

"Thank god you're here!" Sookie cries out.

"Shut up!" Bill snaps.

Juliette didn't even care that Bill had told her sister to shut up. If she had to guess this was Jessica's house and the other humans were her old family and somehow Jessica had convinced her gullible sister to take her to see them.

Juliette let out a sigh, making herself comfortable on the family's outdoor chair. She already knew it was going to be a long night, only she just didn't realize how much worse it was going to get.


Authors Note

We are officially in season 2!