The next night Bill surprised her by arriving at her house just after dark. "I thought we could go for a drive." He indicated the car idling in the driveway.

"I should shower and change. I was working in the garden. Look at me, I'm a mess." Her denim shorts were smudged here and there, and the top button of her shirt was undone, sweat glistening on the skin of her collarbone. Strands of hair had loosened from the ponytail she wore and curled damply around her face. She was beautiful

"Sookie, you look fine." He leaned in to kiss her, inhaling deeply. She smelled of sunlight and the rich, woody aroma of the soil. "Ummmmm. You smell wonderful, too. No shower." He waited while she locked the door, took her hand and led her to the car.

Bill rolled the windows down, letting the warm breeze flow through the car. He lay his hand on the seat, palm up, and Sookie linked her fingers through his.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Sookie leaned back into the seat and closed her eyes. He was happy to see her relax. The effects of his blood were still apparent, at least to him. She had a nervous sort of energy, tapping her foot on the floor to the time of the music on the radio, running her free hand absent-mindedly through her hair. She glowed. He was aroused just sitting next to her. He was so absorbed in watching her that he almost missed the turn. He over compensated, causing Sookie to slide toward him on the seat as the car took the curve.

"Whoa!' She exclaimed.

"Maybe it was a ploy to get you closer." He smiled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Like this?" Sookie undid her seat belt and moved as close as she could. She slid her hand up his thigh until it rested on the growing bulge in his jeans. "Oh my."

She moved her fingers lightly and he groaned. "Sookie." His voice carried a warning. The road was bumpy and littered with dips and potholes.

"All right. I'll be good." She pretended to pout.

Indeed." He said. "You will be very good."

It was all he could do to keep driving and not pull over and take her right here in the car. Patience, he told himself. That could wait for later. He couldn't wait to show her the place he had found. It shouldn't be much farther. Ah. There. He slowed and pulled to the side, exiting before Sookie could advance any farther. He was at her door in vampire speed.

"Where are we?"

"Fray's Pond; or at least that's what it used to be called. I was surprised it was still here." He walked through the tall grass toward the edge of the lake. The old rowboat was just where he had seen it several nights before. He had checked it throughly and there were no leaks. He picked up the oars and stepped in, holding out his hand to Sookie.

"Are you sure this thing floats?"

"Absolutely." He assured her. "And if it does not, I swim quite well."

"Really?" She seemed surprised.

"It's not something you forget. Swimming was one of my favorite things to do as a boy. I won't let you drown, Darling."

"I can swim, too." Sookie said, somewhat indignantly. "But there could be alligators."

"No 'gators in this pond, ma'am." Bill said. "I have chased them all away."

"Well, in that case." Sookie took his hand and stepped into the boat.

He used one oar to push off from the shore. With both oars in the water he pulled hard, sending them out onto the shimmering surface of the lake. The moonlight lit the surface of the water, sending eerie shadows cascading along beside them. He rowed steadily, easily propelling the boat to the middle of the lake. When he could no longer distinguish the shore from the water, he stopped rowing, pulled the oars into the boat and slipping off the seat, took Sookie in his arms, pulling her to him, her back against his chest.

They leaned back, staring at the seemingly endless sky. "Look," Bill said, pointing. "Do you see those stars there? That's Pegasus."

"The flying horse?"

"Yes, see here." Bill took her finger and traced the shape from star to star, like connecting the dots.

"It's upside down."

"Yes, it is. And over here..." He moved a bit to the right. "This is Capricornus. And this..." He pointed north. "Is Ursa Major."

"The Big Dipper." Sookie said. "There are so many stars. Look at all of them."

"It's a glorious night. I checked on the computer, and it said tonight was perfect for stargazing."

Sookie tilted her face back to him. "This is perfect."

He kissed her mouth, upside down, her hair brushing his neck, their tongues barely touching. She moved to turn around, but he held her still, sliding his hands up under her shirt, caressing the soft skin of her stomach. Laying one hand across her ribs, he could feel each breath she took. He stopped there, content for now to hold her close as she relaxed in his arms.

They were quiet. There was no need to speak. Crickets chirped on the shore and from time to time a bird call sounded. The water lapped gently at the side of the boat, but the lake was calm.

"How do you know so much about the stars?" Sookie asked.

"The night is all I have. I made it a point to learn as much as I could. To try to find the beauty in it."

"It is beautiful. Do you miss the daytime?"

"Not anymore." Not true. It had been true, before he met her, but now....he buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. For the second time that evening the smell of sunlight filled his senses, making him dizzy with longing.

"Bill?" Sookie's voice broke his reverie.

"I'm here."

Sookie hesitated and he felt her take a deep breath. "There was a news flash on the televison today, when I was working lunch at the bar. What did you say the girl's name was?"

Girl? Bill felt his gut clench. "Jessica."

"Jessica Hamby." Sookie breathed.

"What?"

"That's her name. Jessica Hamby." Her voice broke. "Bill, her mother was on tv. She was begging for any kind of information. Oh, Bill. I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but those poor people!" She turned her head and cried into his shoulder.

"Shhh, Sookie, shhh." Bill soothed her. "I hate it, too. Believe me. I never would have...."

"I know." She said emphatically. She sat up and dried her eyes, turning in the boat to face him. "I know you never would have done that if you weren't forced. You hadn't done it in over 100 years." She looked at him. "Why?"

"I could not put someone else through what I went through." Although, he thought to himself, it seemed to have worked out fine as far as Jessica was concerned. "Sookie, I have adjusted to being what I am. I accept it, and there are some things I must admit I enjoy. But, I still struggle with it."

"Didn't you ever get lonely?"

"I was always lonely, in a way, even when I was with other vampires. I didn't see how one more vampire would make things any better. The emotions I felt toward my....maker, well, I didn't want anyone feeling that way about me." Too late he realized he had opened a door heretofore unopened.

"Your maker...who was he?"

"She." Bill said. "Her name is Lorena." His voice was hard and cold.

"You hated her?"

Bill took both of Sookie's hands in his own, staring down at their intertwined fingers as the boat rocked gently. "I hated her. I loved her. She was a demon or an angel, depending on many things. She controlled me for a long time."

"Did you....have sex with her?"

"Yes. It's why she made me. To have a companion. Many vampires do that. It usually ends badly. Lorena kept me with her for much longer than is usual. Long after I had sickened of her."

"Kept you?"

"Yes. Sookie, a maker has a certain amount of control. If your maker says 'Go' you must go, 'Stay' and you must stay....they don't control your feelings, or every move you make, but they can force you to do things you don't want to do."

"And Lorena made you....be with her?"

Bill swallowed. He hated remembering the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of his maker. "She kept me with her, for sex and for her own amusement." He said flatly.

"Oh, Bill." Sookie squeezed his hands. "Let's go home now, okay?"

"Why?"

Sookie leaned in and kissed him softly. "I brought up bad memories. Let's make some new ones to chase them away."