Day 10
"Evenin', Bill."
"Good Evening, Terry." Bill greeted the cook, noting as he always did that something seemed to lurk just beneath the surface there. Something more than just post-traumatic stress. Bill looked around the bar. Spotting Sookie, he took a seat at a booth in her section.
"Hi." She beamed a smile his way. "I'll get you a Tru Blood and be right back."
"Hiya, Vampire Bill." Hoyt waved from the table where he was sitting with Sookie's brother and another young man Bill did not know.
"Hello, Hoyt."
Jason leaned over and whispered something to Hoyt. Hoyt shook his head, smiled, and raised his beer in Bill's direction. Bill acknowledged him with a nod and took the folder newspaper out of his pocket, spreading it out on the table. Sookie returned, sat the Tru Blood down and pulled out a chair.
"I can take a minute." She said. "Things are kinda slow and Sam isn't around."
"I thought Sam was always around."
"He usually is." Sookie tapped nervously on the table. "Actually, I'm kinda worried. He's been actin' really strange. Snappin' at all of us and slammin' doors. He yelled at poor Arlene yesterday when she dropped a tray of food. Made her cry. That's not like Sam."
"Has he treated you badly?"
"No, oh no, not at all." Sookie shook her head.
"Good. He'd better not." Bill said. "Is Layfayette back?"
"Nope. No sign of him. I think even Tara is starting to wonder if he's taken off for good."
Bill took a sip from the warm bottle. "Your brother is staring at us."
Sookie turned toward Jason's table, shooting her brother a black look. "He's gone all religious all of a sudden. Joined some church, The Church of the Sun or something? Lecturing me." Sookie snorted. "Imagine Jason lecturing me."
"About what?"
"You, mostly." Sookie said. "Says you aren't human and I shouldn't 'mix' with vampires."
"I'm not human."
"Bill, you're more human than half the people in here." Sookie leaned in and kissed him."I'd better get back to work. See you later at the house."
Bill's cell phone buzzed as Sookie walked away. He glanced down. Eric. He pushed 'ignore' and turned the phone off.
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Bill gently rubbed the tight muscles in Sookie's shoulders as they waited for the tub to fill.
"Ummmm." She murmured. "That feels wonderful."
He continued massaging, working out the knots, feeling the tension release as warmth flowed back into the loosened muscles. He reached the hem of her t-shirt and she raised her arms so he could pull it off. Reaching behind she pulled the ponytail holder from her hair and shook it out. Bill ran his fingers through, untangling the strands. He brushed it over her shoulder out of the way and resumed rubbing her back, unfastening her bra and letting it drop to the floor. The steam from the water glistened on Sookie's tan skin. He kissed her shoulder tenderly.
"I think the water's ready." Sookie said. She slipped out of her shorts and panties and stepped into the tub. She sank into the water and smiled at him. "What are you waiting for?"
Bill shucked his clothes and slid in beside her, pulling her to him for a kiss. She was quiet tonight, and he wondered if something had happened after he left the bar to upset her.
"Did Sam ever show up tonight?" He asked finally.
"He came in and went straight to his office." Sookie said. "I didn't see him again until I went back to get my purse. He's distracted and upset about something, but he isn't talking, at least not to me."
"And that bothers you."
"Bill, he's not just my boss, Sam's my friend. I know you aren't crazy about that, but I've known him a long time, and he's been good to me. Between he and Tara both acting weird, and Jason with this stupid anti-vampire kick, I'm feeling a little, oh, I don't know, lonely, I guess."
"You have me." He nuzzled her neck, taking in her scent.
"I'm so glad." Sookie said, leaning back to kiss him. "But it doesn't help much during the day."
"No," Bill admitted. "I suppose not. But know that you are always at the center of my thoughts, wherever I am."
She turned to face him. "Do you sleep or is it...different?"
"I don't know. I suppose it's like sleep, although I never dreamed until now."
"What do you mean?"
"Since I met you. I have...dreams....thoughts of you that come to me while I am...in the ground. That has never happened before that I recall. There is something about you. More than meets the eye."
Sookie smiled. "Maybe it's just because you love me."
Bill nodded slowly. "Maybe so." Certainly he had never loved anyone, human or otherwise, since becoming a vampire. His feelings for Lorena were a mix of hatred and fascination, but not love. His love for his wife and family endured, but was too painful to allow to the surface. There had been no other woman who had captured his heart until now. Perhaps that was why he dreamed. Sookie had awoken something in him, something he thought was gone forever.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She leaned against him, her warmth seeping into him. She was so fragile, so human. Somehow he would keep her safe, somehow he would make sure that this woman, this love, was never snatched away as his human life had been so long ago. He would protect her at all costs.