Merlotte's was packed. High School football had started and the after-the-game party was in full swing when Bill arrived. Spotting Sookie hoisting a heavy tray of food and heading for a back table, he took the only seat available at the end of the bar and observed the crowd as he waited.

"True Blood, I assume." Sam barked at him after a few minutes.

"Type O, please."

Sam rolled his eyes, but returned in a moment with the warm bottle. Bill acknowledged the shifter with a nod.

"Hiya, Bill." Tara said, swiping a cloth over the bar and setting a bowl of nuts down for the man sitting next to him.

"Hello, Tara. Busy tonight."

"Yep. It'll be this way until playoffs." She remarked. "Or until everyone realizes we ain't makin' the playoffs."

"The team is no good?" Bill knew quite a bit about sports, but had not paid attention to any of the build-up to the current high school football season, even though the paper had devoted several pages to it for the past few weeks.

"Bon Temps is small stuff compared to the schools we play. Last time we made the playoffs was when Lafayette was playin'."

"Lafayette played football?" He questioned skeptically.

Tara gave Bill a hard look. "And basketball, too. Lettered in both. Took the basketball team to the state finals his senior year. I would think you, of all people, would be careful of stereotypes."

Chastised, Bill replied "Of course. You are right. I apologize."

"No problem. Lots of people assume things. Lafayette is a good person. There's more to him than meets the eye. Sure he's flamboyant and in-your-face, but that's just his way of dealin' with things. 'Course, now he's run off, so it don't matter what people here think."

Bill detected a note of resignation. "You don't think he's coming back."

"I been wonderin'." Tara admitted. "He ain't never been gone this long. But to not call his mama?" She gave a spot on the bar a vicious swipe. " I could strangle him for that."

"Tara!" Sam yelled from the other end of the bar. "Stop yakking and help Arlene, wouldja?"

"Comin' Sam." Tara shot Bill a smile and left to aid the harried waitress.

"Whew." Sookie set the now empty tray down on the bar and brushed a strand of hair off her face. "It's been awhile since we've been this busy."

Bill looked her over carefully for any signs that last night's activities had affected her. Sure enough she was glowing. Her hair was blonder and shiny, her skin gleamed, and her eyes were bright and showed no sign that she was tired, or overwhelmed by keeping her guards up in the crowd. His blood coursed through her, strengthening her, and it was obvious. How could no one notice the change? She radiated confidence and sensuality.

"What?" Sookie eyed him. "Why are you looking at me that way?"

"How do you feel?" He smiled.

"Fine. Why?"

"You look especially beautiful tonight. That's all." She blushed at the compliment.

"Order up!" Terry called to her.

"Off I go." Sookie planted a quick kiss on his cheek and ducked behind the bar to get her food.

Bill watched the crowd part for her as she made her way to her table. Heads turned to watch her, not knowing why. She delivered the food, chatting amiably with the folks she served. She wouldn't question the extra large tips they and others would leave on impulse. It would just be an unusually good night. Turning, she held the tray under her arm and headed back to the bar. As she walked by a table of boisterous twenty-somethings, a hand reached out and grabbed her so that she lost her balance and fell into his lap. "Well, hello there, Darlin'." The young man smirked.

Before Sookie could disengage, Bill was there, gripping the offender's wrist with inhuman strength. "Let her go." He commanded.

"Ow, ow! Let go. My hand! Ow!"

The man's companions leapt to their feet ready to defend. "Sorry. We didn't realize she was your fangbanger." One of them grinned, looking to his friends for approval.

Bill's vision swam red. He struggled to keep his fangs from showing. She was His. No one should disrespect her this way. It would be so easy to snap the wrist, render the man immobile. He could easily take out the other two as well.

Sookie wrestled herself up off the man's lap. "Bill! Stop!" She begged, grabbing his arm. Her pleading cut through the haze in his brain. The entire bar was silent, staring at them. He dropped the man's wrist and stepped back. Suddenly one of the man's friends took a swing at him. Before his fist could make contact, Bill's arm shot out, smacking the man in the face.

"My nose!" The man cried, his hands flying to cover his face. "The bloodsucker broke my nose!"

"Enough."

Bill heard the click of a shotgun being engaged.

"Get out." Sam growled at the young men. "Now."

The uninjured man glared at Sam. "We should sue." He pointed to Bill, now standing with his arm protectively around Sookie. "He broke Ryan's nose, and probably J.R.'s wrist, too."

"Your 'friend' assaulted my waitress." Sam glanced around the bar. "Mr. Compton here came to her defense. Everyone saw the whole thing. Right?"

Hoyt stood up from his seat at the bar. "I saw it."

"So did I.." Arlene piped up.

Heads began to nod all around the bar. "I would say you'd have a hard time with witnesses." Sam said. "Out. Now. And don't come back."

"Don't worry. This place sucks. And you..." He pointed to Bill. "Watch your back." The young men stomped out of the bar.

Sookie jerked away from Bill. "Don't you ever, ever do that again!" She snapped. She picked up the tray from the floor and glared at him. "This is Sam's bar. He takes care of us. You...you just can't do things like that. I'm not your property." She burst into tears and walked quickly behind the bar, disappearing into the back. Bill heard a door slam.

He looked at Sam sheepishly as the other diners returned to their own business. "I did not mean to cause a scene."

To Bill's surprise, Sam shrugged. "I might have done the same thing, in your place. Come back and sit. Have another True Blood. On the house."

Bill followed the shifter back and took a seat near Hoyt. Sam slid the bottle down the bar to him. "Thank you." Bill said.

"Listen," Sam said, leaning on the bar. "You and I know that for us animal instinct sometimes trumps logic. But Sookie doesn't get that. She's not like either of us. You're gonna have to curb those impulses, not be so possessive. Remember what happened the last time."

Once he recovered from the shock of getting advice about Sookie from Sam, Bill recalled all too well his reaction to her kissing the shifter and what it had wrought. "Yes." He nodded. "She kicked me out."

"And me right after." Sam smirked. "She has a mind of her own. She's smart and she's been working here for years. You think this is the first asshole to grab her? She can handle herself."

Bill nodded. He had to agree.

"All that aside." Sam lowered his voice. "Do anything like that again and I'll kick you out of this place. And I won't invite you back. Understood?"

"I understand." Bill glanced up. Tara motioned to him.

"She's back there." She gestured over her shoulder. "In Sam's office. I'd apologize, I were you."

Bill nodded and walked down the hallway toward the office. He tapped his knuckles on the door. "Sookie?'

"Go away, Bill."

"Sookie, please. I'm sorry. I know you aren't my...property." He flinched at the lie but there wasn't anyway to explain to her that in a way, in his world, she was. And it was his duty to protect her at all costs.

Silence.

"Sookie?"

The door opened and she stood there, her face tear-streaked. "This cannot happen again." She said. She met his gaze. "Promise me."

"Sookie...I...."

"Promise me, or we're done."

He could tell she meant it. Bill was quiet for a moment. "I promise that I will not over-react in the bar. I will let Sam handle things in his establishment. But at other times, in other places it may be necessary. I will protect you if it comes to that. You cannot expect me to do otherwise."

After a pause, she nodded. "That seems fair."

Bill pulled her into an embrace. She stiffened at first, but then relaxed against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. They stood that way for a bit, then Sookie pulled away, wiping at her face with a tissue.

"I know vampires don't think like humans. I know that no matter what you say, you think of me as belonging to you. But what happened today scares me. Sometimes I wonder if Jason's right." She was crying again. "I mean, how can this work when we're so different? But at the same time...." she went on. "I love you. I want to be with you. I can hardly stand it during the day until I get to see you again. I just....I don't know."

He held her close again. "It will work. We'll make it work." Bill would not allow himself to think otherwise. The idea of a life without her was unfathomable.

"I should get back out there."

"Do you mind if I stay?"

"No. I want you to stay. Just..."

"Sweetheart, I promised, remember?"

"Okay."

"Trust me."

"I do." She kissed him, straightened her ponytail, and headed back out into the bar.