AN: All credits go to Alexander Woo, Alan Ball, HBO and Charlaine Harris. A huge thank you to my Beta All About Eric.

"I love you Jason," I blurted out, suddenly emotional.

"I love you too, sis."

Our Kodak moment was interrupted by a banging on the front door. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I knew exactly who that was, and I was none too pleased.

"All right," I muttered to myself. "Showtime."

•••••••••••

Chapter 2: The Game Has Changed

I went to answer the knocks and, as anticipated, I found Bill pacing on the porch. He whirled around to face me and his expression upon seeing me wasn't so different from Jason's.

"Sookie?" he breathed. "Is that really you?"

When he took several steps towards me, arms outstretched, I matched them backwards. My face was a completely blank mask (I'd learned that from the vampires), and if he'd hoped for a cinematic reunion, complete with tears, sweeping music and fireworks, he was clean out of luck. My closed features gave him pause and he stopped his advance.

"Sookie, I… please forgive me. I know I'm the last person you want to see, but —"

"Actually," I interrupted, "you've gone down a few notches on my shit-list. Amazingly, there are even lousier people than you in my life right now."

As soon as the words escaped me, I regretted them. Not because I felt guilty about the hurt etched on Bill's face, but because I hadn't meant to sound so bitter. It had been six months since I'd washed my hands of Bill, but he seemed to cling onto my skin like a bad smell. I was so angry with him and I couldn't put a cap on that anger. That was bad, because I didn't want him to still affect me that much, and also because I needed to keep a clear head in order to play my cards right. Within seconds of seeing him, I'd already let slip hints about my current situation. I couldn't give him more ammunition: from what I knew of Bill Compton, he was expert at exploiting even the slightest weakness. I took a breath to collect myself.

"Before you ask, I've been out of town for personal business but I'm back for good, now. That's all you need to know," I declared as calmly as I could.

Bill leaned forwards and spoke in a pained voice: "You've been gone for so long… I've felt so empty, so lost… It was as if —"

I felt my temper rise again at hearing Bill's plaintive speech. How dared he stand before me, with all the crap he'd put me through, and tell me about his sufferings? Fuck him. I crossed my arms and cut off his whining:

"Bill, I have to warn you: if we're going to start discussing your issues, I'll have to bill you the full hour."

Before he could respond, a whooshing sound came from behind him and a familiar voice said: "Well, it was about time that he dealt with all these mommy issues."

Bill looked over his shoulders and spat: "Now is not the time, Eric!"

The blond vampire ignored him and addressed me directly: "I always knew you would be back."

"Shouldn't you be in Fangtasia, sheriff?" Bill irately said.

What followed was a bickering contest between the two vampires, which I silently observed. When Bill ended up ordering Eric to go on an errand and Eric actually conceded defeat, I was stunned. The Eric I knew would have told Bill to go choke on a maenad, but now he actually took orders from the younger Vampire. What the hell had happened while I was gone?

"I am apparently needed elsewhere," Eric stated, his intense stare fixed on me. "But know this: everyone who claims to love you; your family, your friends, even Bill Compton right there; they all gave up on you. I. Never. Did."

And with that he was gone in a blur. I had to give it to him: he knew how to make an entrance and an exit. I was about to invite Bill to follow Eric's example and get the fuck off my property when the wailing of a siren tore through the air. My address was evidently the hot ticket in town tonight.

A fuming Andy stumbled out of his police car and proceeded to give me an expletive-laden welcome. When he'd calmed down a bit, he said with genuine concern in his voice: "We all thought he…"

He gestured towards Bill, who finished the sentence: "They all thought that I had killed you."

I looked at my ex and sweetly said: "But why would they think that? You would never hurt a single hair on my head, right?"

Bill's shoulders tightened but he had the good sense to avert his eyes and keep quiet. Jason chose this opportune moment to join the peanut gallery. When Andy asked me to come down to the station to take my statement, Bill took over and placated the officer by putting forward a cover story explaining my long absence and offering to reimburse the cost of my search parties.

For the second time tonight, Bill's demeanour had surprised me. He exuded an air of authority and it was clear that Andy deferred to him, just as Eric had. I would need to get to the bottom of this power shift. If Eric wasn't the most powerful Vampire around anymore, I might be placed in the position of needing to seek Bill's help and protection. It would absolutely bite my ass to ask him for anything, but I would use him if it could benefit me.

In spite of Bill's assurances, Andy still got in my face about some stupid plaque but Jason thankfully ushered him away before I could introduce him to my right hook. Andy had always been an curmudgeon but he if wasn't careful he would discover sooner rather than later that the new Sookie had very little patience for bullshit.

I turned my attention back to Bill, who was leaning against the porch railing. "I take it that a lot of things have changed during my absence," I ventured cautiously.

"Yes. Sophie-Anne is dead," he replied pointedly.

I took a beat to register the information, then inquired: "Who is the new ruler? And do I have to worry about him or her?"

Bill straightened and declared: "I am the King of Louisiana."

I couldn't help but gape in astonishment. While that explained the behaviours I'd witnessed tonight, I couldn't compute how Bill, of all people, had risen to the top of the vampire hierarchy.

"How did you swing that?" I uttered before I could help it.

Bill was clearly put out by my reaction. "You would not believe what it is possible to achieve when everybody under-estimates you."

I gave him a level stare. "Actually, I know exactly what you mean."

We held each other's gaze for a few moments, and he was the first to look away. Bill's new status changed things. I had planned on dealing strictly with Eric but now I saw that I couldn't afford to cut ties with Bill. I needed to tread carefully and revise my options. A thought crossed my mind and I asked: "Did you buy my house?"

He looked surprised by my question. "No. No, I did not. Would you like me to find out who owns it?"

"I'd appreciate that, yes. Where can I contact you?"

"I still live in the old Compton house. You're welcome anytime, but it would be better if you booked an appointment."

"I see… I might swing by some time this week. There might be something I need to discuss with you."

"I'll look forward to that."

Bill seemed to be put at ease by the civil turn of our conversation, which suited me fine. If I was gonna use him, I needed him to like me. Still, I had seen enough of Bill Compton for the night.

"Not to be rude, Bill, but I have stuff to attend to…"

"Of course. I'll leave you be. Goodnight, Sookie."

I nodded a salute before turning back and stepping inside the house. Back in the living room, I found a stack of mail next to the phone. They were all addressed to the mysterious AIK and were mostly utility bills. I looked for hints about the identity of the house's new owner but found nothing useful. I leaned back against the cushions of the brand new sofa and thought about everything I'd learned today, and what my next move should be.

One thing was for sure: I needed the protection of a Vampire. I'd pissed off a handful of powerful fairies and, even thought I'd bought myself some time by destroying the portal, I knew I'd be hearing from them one way or another. Vampires were fairies' natural enemies, so it made sense that I would go to one. The enemy of my enemy, etc. I also needed protection from other vampires. With Sophie-Anne dead, I could breathe a sigh of relief for the moment, but more were bound to come sniffing. I'd learned to fight, but I couldn't solely rely on my powers. There were only so many energy balls I could throw.

No, I had no choice. As much as I hated it, I needed to be somebody's… or I wouldn't be.

Eric had been the obvious choice: he was the most powerful Vampire I knew, he was aware of my heritage, he was ruthless and, most importantly, he had made it plain that he wanted me to be his human. However, now that I knew that Bill outranked him, I had to consider the possibility that my ex had more to offer. Returning to him was the last thing I wanted but I would be mercenary in order to ensure my survival. And if I did go back to him, at least this time it would be on my terms.

The problem was that I knew little about the workings of vampire monarchies, and I couldn't make an educated decision without more insight. I eventually decided I would make up my mind after I'd talked to both Bill and Eric.

Jason returned later that evening with two paper bags full of groceries. I proceeded to fix us a chicken casserole but there was an awkward moment when I had a strong reaction to seeing Jason handle a kitchen knife. My brother was disquieted but I managed to pull myself together after some time and we enjoyed an agreeable dinner. Afterwards, we sat in front of the TV to watch the Alfred Hitchcock movie Spellbound on TMC (I had cable TV now), with cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows. It was heaven.

That night, I lay in my bed and, for a couple of hours, I just listened to the peaceful night. For the first time since my return, I allowed myself to cry and mourn my lost innocence. I had gone through a lot, but I'd swore to myself I would never be a victim again, and I held onto that promise.

Eventually, I fell into a dreamless sleep.

AN: Thank you so much for the amazing response to the first chapter of this story! I'm genuinely thrilled.

The banner for Rewind is available on my profile, as well as the link for my WordPress blog for those who prefer that website over FF.

I hope to post chapter 3 on Saturday. Thank you for reading.