Time frame: Years after "From Dead to Worse"
This is a companion piece following "Family", "Bowling for Vampires" and "Leather Underwear".
Disclaimer: I don't have any claim on any characters in the Sookie Universe. Please don't sue me. The other characters are my own creation and just wanted to play with them for a while.
A/N: The Big Bad showdown will not be in this story. There will be more immediate issues that our merry band must contend with before that will happen and I refuse to try to jam it all in these final chapters.
Sorry to disappoint.
Bill and I have argued at length on how this chapter was going to play out. Me being me, I won of course. Bill being Bill, however, he was able to convince me to keep most of what he wanted.
Damned vampires.
By now, you all might have deduced that I have a very kooky sense of humor that borders on the certifiable. Keep that in mind when y'all read this chapter.
Music inspiration was "Like Only a Woman Can." by Brian McFadden and if you dig deep in the archives, the song "I Can't Let Go" by Air Supply. Yes, I am that old. Please listen to both songs when reading- it will make it much more enjoyable.
This is dedicated to all my lovelies out there and especially my girl, ED. I hope you like it.
Once again, this chapter will all be from my Bill's perspective.
Chapter 28
Throughout my whole existence, I've always tried to walk the steady path.
As a man, I believe I was successful in that goal. I had a loving family. I worked hard. I honored my mother and father. I was a good friend and a faithful husband. I may not have had the life of adventure I had dreamed of, but I was content. I could have lived with what I had been given without a word of complaint and without a second of regret.
As a vampire, the way to the steady and the honorable is difficult some of the time, impossible the rest. The vampire world is fraught with politics, rules and procedures. Someone was always trying to out maneuver the other in this crazy game of survival and only a lucky few have been good at playing it. I held very little interest in those things, prefering the quiet life. I was perfectly content brooding over my ancient tomes, conversing with ordinary humans, watching an occasional movie and traveling to some new far off place.
Admittedly, I have had my bouts of loneliness but I've been able to get by. There are always willing women to be found that could satisfy my sexual and nutritional needs but I didn't enjoy them, they were merely a necessity. I held no fascination or interest in them. They rarely wished to engage in conversation and even if they did, I seriously doubt they had anything worth listening to. They didn't want any more from me than what I provided and I didn't want any more from them once I was sated.
Sated but empty. That was how my life was for me.
Then I met Sookie and the world as I perceived it changed for me. She was so beautiful, so full of life, so very fascinating. She looked at me without condemnation of what I was. She loved me and I loved her, forgetting about the emptiness for a while. She had a wonderous and powerful gift and as more of us knew of it, the more danger she faced. But this had been the plan all along.
I was flattered when the queen had summoned me. So much so that I was oblivious to what was actually being asked of me. Then again, how could I refuse? I was unimportant, my political clout was nonexistent and I was a nobody and I had nobody.
But once I held her in my arms, my mission had changed. Instead of working a way to get Sookie more involved, I attempted to find a way to get her out. I went against my nature and threw myself into the political spectrum in hopes of helping her. I wanted to keep her safe, but mostly I wanted to keep her mine.
I was a fool.
I was trying to outmaneuver those who have been doing it all of their lives. Even more than that, I failed to see the simplest most expedient way to keep her with me and that was honesty. It really was the best policy.
That was how I lost her. I fought it but it didn't change the fact that it was over the moment she found out about my deception. She hated me for a long time and I couldn't blame her. Eventually she moved on as we all do and found love again with Eric. In the end she forgave me and graced me with her friendship. A friendship I truly cherish. She was happy again and I made my peace with that. This is how life works after all. You win, you lose, you move on.
So I dusted myself off and moved on as well, once again immersing myself with the mundane and the ordinary; the ever present emptiness rising back to the surface.
I had always looked upon Valentine's Day as a ridiculous holiday. Overpriced cards, flowers and confections. Grandiose displays that held no real meaning. To me love is not something that you convey loudly with trumpets blaring. It is that sweet, gentle caress. It is that deep, meaningful look. It is that soft, clear voice that says,
"Hi, I'm Allison McCallen..."
Suddenly Valentine's Day was the most glorious holiday ever conceived.
Funny how love comes at you from the most unexpected places. But that was the definition of my Ally- unexpected. She was the life that I never realized I had wanted. She was the dream that I carried in my pocket all along. The emptiness I had felt for most of my existence finally held new meaning. My soul was simply making room for her. It knew even when I didn't that she was coming. It knew and it was ready.
After all these years, after all the mistakes I've made, I realized that I was ready too. She was standing at the end of that steady path holding out her hand and I was finally ready to walk down that road to take it.
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After the initial shock wore off, the others quickly adapted to our new circumstances. There were questions, many questions although we had very few answers. The dread felt heavy in the salty air. Dread with a heavy dose of excitement. We vampires love a good fight after all.
We decided to cover all of our bases. Ally had some errands to run in BonTemps tomorrow and suggested that Sam be advised as well. I knew he was fond of her, so I had my reservations but I wisely kept them to myself. He could prove useful in the dangers to come, but sometimes I catch the way he looks at her...
Stop it, you fool! She loves you. You love her. Trust her dammit. I gave myself a good mental shake.
I sent them all, including Merlin back to Shreveport so that Ally and I could enjoy some privacy. We walked hand in hand along the craggy shore. The water sparkled like jewels under the moonlight. It was the perfect setting for what I hoped would be one of the most important moments of our lives.
She turns to me and smiles looping her arms around my neck. Grabbing her by her hips, I lift her to her toes and pull her to me for a kiss. Our lips brush each other softly and then they open allowing our tongues to meet. I gripped her hips harder pressing her to me causing her to gasp. When the kiss ended, my fangs had already begun come down and she was flushed.
We wrapped our arms around each other and she pressed her cheek to my chest as we swayed under the night sky.
"I wish we could just stay like this, Bill. Just you and me, together forever." she sighs dreamily.
That was my cue.
"It can be." I whisper taking a step back. She looks at me curiously as I take her hands in mine. When I lower myself on one knee her eyes widen and I feel her hands begin to tremble.
"You are the most wonderful woman I've ever met. You are strong yet so precious. You are kind and wise. You are accepting and giving. You are funny and so unexpected. You are everything I am not." I take a deep, unnecessary breath and pull the ring from my pocket.
"I know we haven't been together for a long time, but I know my love for you is true. You are my light when there is only darkness. I never realized how empty I was until you came into my world. Now I am whole. I've waited two lifetimes for you to come and I don't want to wait any longer. I love you, Allison McCallen. Will you be my wife?"
She gazed down on me, a tear sliding down her cheek as she stood silent and expressionless.
"Bill..."she whispered her voice unsteady. I felt as if the world stopped rotating, as I waited for her to continue.
And then it crashed down around me.
"I'm sorry, Bill. I'm in love with someone else..."
TBC- Mwahahaha. Stay tuned...