A year now.

Maria was searching every place to find Sookie.

"Maria it's been a year since you've gone out and looked for her. She's no where." Jason said

"I swear. I've got one more place to look at." Maria said

"I'm worried about you. Just come home." Jason said

"I have to go." Maria said

Maria hangs up on her brother.

"Maria?" Alistair said

"Alistair I have to try. Start looking." Maria said

All three of them separated. Maria kept looking and asking a few people.

Back in USA, Louisiana, Bon Temps.

Maria walked up to her brother at the police station. She shakes her head and her brother ran up to her. She started crying.

"It's ok. It's ok." Jason said

"Did someone buy the house yet?" Maria asked her brother

Jason stopped hugging his sister.

"Real estate company. Don't know who it is." Jason said

Andy approaches to them.

"There's something up at your house. Saying some crazy lady won't come out." Andy said

"Andy stay here. We'll go find out who it is." Jason said

"Let's go." Maria said

Outside of Stackhouse Residence.

Jason stopped the car. Maria smelled something familiar.

"What is it?" Jason asked his sister

Maria gets out quickly. She ran inside the house and her brother followed. They couldn't believe their eyes.

"Jason? Maria?" Sookie said

"Sook." Jason said

"Sookie. (Jason and Maria ran towards their sister and hugged her.) Oh my God. Oh my God!" Maria said

"It's you. It's really you." Jason said

Sookie stopped hugging her siblings.

"Jason, why are you dressed like a cop?" Sookie asked her brother

"We thought you were dead! We've been lookin' everywhere for you. We, we figured a vampire must have did it. We thought it was Bill." Jason said

"Hold on, hold on. Stop a second. What is today's date?" Sookie asked her siblings

"Today is October twenty-first." Maria said

"I've been gone two weeks?" Sookie asked in confusion

"Sook...About that. You've been gone twelve and a half months." Maria said

It was about to be nighttime. They were sitting at the kitchen table and Maria and Jason explaining to her more of what happened.

"You two were selling the house?" Sookie asked her siblings

"I was traveling around the world looking for you. I couldn't believe it myself. Alive or dead. I couldn't do it myself. It was Jason's choice. But our stuff is still here." Maria said

"Look, Sook, you have been gone for a year, and it killed us even thinkin' about all the people who should still be livin' here, and how they're all gone." Jason said

"Who bought the place?" Sookie asked her siblings

"Uh, a real estate company with a bunch of initials. AIK, I think. Just wanted to be done with it." Jason said

"Jason I can't believe you gave up on me." Sookie said

"I didn't. I still had hope. I prayed and prayed that I wouldn't stop looking for you." Maria said

"Sook, you ain't the type to just skip off without tellin' no one. While Maria was on her first trip of finding you. Everyone put up fliers, we called TV stations, everything we could think of. We even made up a website! But after you were gone so long..." Jason said as his sister Sookie cuts him off

"I swear it felt like ten, fifteen minutes at the most! The place where I went, time just works differently." Sookie said

"We believe you." Maria said

"Sook, if you start tellin' people that you time-traveled to a land full of faeries, they're gonna put you away. (Sookie gets out Granddaddy's watch.) Where the hell did you get that?" Jason asked his sister Sookie

"I saw Granddaddy." Sookie said

"He was there. He wanted you to have it. He swore he'd only been there a few hours. He looked just like we remember him. Time stands still there, and no one knows it. It's how I lost a year of my life, and Granddaddy lost twenty." Sookie said

"Where is he?" Maria asked her sister

"Well, you didn't leave him there, did you?" Jason asked his sister Sookie

"He's gone. I'm sorry. He wanted both of you to know that he never meant to leave us." Sookie said

"What time you got?" Jason asked his sister Sookie

Sookie looked at the clock on the wall.

"6:35." Sookie said

"Which means..." Maria said as she was cut off

Sookie walked out and her sister followed her. Bill appeared. He was surprised to see her again

"My God. Sookie! (Bill was about to hug her but Sookie stepped back.) Forgive me. I know I'm not welcome. I have not felt your presence for over a year." Bill said

Sookie wasn't excited to see Bill.

"Well, I'm fine." Sookie said

"You were with Claudine?" Bill asked Sookie

"It's none of your business where I go or what I do." Sookie said

"Sookie, for over twelve months I was so empty. It was as if...I thought you had died." Bill said

Maria doesn't believe Bill.

"Oh, please." Maria said

Eric appeared.

"Maria didn't lose hope." Eric said

"Don't you have an obligation at Fangtasia?" Bill asked Eric

"I don't think so." Eric said

"I believe you do." Bill said

"Pam can handle it. (Eric looked at Maria.) Hi Maria." Eric said

Maria isn't speaking to him. Quinn approaches to them. He holds Maria's hand.

"She wants you to leave." Quinn said

"I'll go. (Eric looked at Sookie.) Understand this. Everyone who tried to find you. Who loved you. They all gave up on you. Maria never lost hope. She never gave up." Eric said

Eric leaves in his vamp speed. Andy shows up in his police car. He gets out of his car and walked towards them worried sick and angry

"You have gotta be shittin' me!" Andy said

"Happy to see you, too, Andy." Sookie said

"Geez. Are you all right?" Andy asked Sookie

"Yeah, I'm safe, sound." Sookie said

"They kept thinking Bill killed you." Maria said

"Which I didn't." Bill said

"Well, when you're up to it, come on down to the station. We'll get your statement, track down whoever it was that took ya." Andy said

"Nobody took me." Sookie said

"What?" Andy asked in confusion

"I wasn't kidnapped." Sookie said

"Don't tell me you skipped town without tellin' no one. (Jason comes out.) You know how many man hours I put into lookin' for you?" Andy asked Sookie

"Hey, take it easy, Andy." Jason said

"We dragged the fuckin' lake for you! Where the hell did you go?" Andy asked Sookie

"You need to calm down!" Maria said

"She was working for me. Vampire business." Bill said

"Are you kiddin' me? What kind of vampire business? For a whole year, you swore up and down you had no idea where she was!" Andy said

"I deeply apologize for misleading you, Sheriff. Too many human lives would be at risk if I did not keep it a secret. Now, as you can see, Miss Stackhouse is unharmed." Bill said

"I'm back. I'm fine. I will come down to the office tomorrow, and I will explain it all." Sookie said

"And I will repay the costs of the search effort, as soon as you issue a statement clearing my name. Obviously, I did not kill her." Bill said

"For thirteen straight months, I've had that open case on my books. If it weren't for you, this year's Louisiana Safe Streets plaque would be on my wall, and not fuckin' Webster Parish!" Andy said

"All right, that's enough!" Jason said

Jason takes Andy to his car. Maria and Quinn walked in a different direction.

"Thank you for everything." Maria said

Quinn kissed Maria on the lips.

"You're welcome." Quinn said

"I should..." Maria said as Quinn finishes her sentence

"It's been a year since you last saw her. Spend time with her." Quinn said

Maria kissed him back.

"I'll call you later. (Quinn looked at Andy. Maria looked at Andy and looked back at Quinn.) Don't worry. He knows about the rest of the supernatural." Maria said

Quinn turns into a weretiger and runs off. Bill leaves in his vamp speed. Jason is talking to Andy. Both Maria and her sister walked back inside.

"So who was that?" Sookie asked her sister

"His name is Quinn. You saw him turn into a tiger. I wanted you to meet him. I've met my father through him." Maria said

"You've met your father?" Sookie asked her sister

"A year ago yes. My father's name is Alistair Miller. He took a break with his tribe and so did Quinn. They help me travel around the world looking for you. My biological father getting to know me. I was getting to know Quinn." Maria said

"Seems like you two are getting serious. (Maria nods as she smiles.) The way Eric was looking at you. It looks like he was..." Sookie said as her sister cuts her off

"Oh, yeah. But I'm not to worried about it. He lied to me. Am I a bad person to break Godrics word?" Maria asked her sister

"No. You can't do it all the time. Eric cares about Eric." Sookie said

"My past relationship with Eric is over. You could find someone." Maria said

"I'm in no rush. What was the others doing in the past year?" Sookie asked her sister

"How about they explain it to you tomorrow. You've been gone a year. Go over there and watch some TV. I'll make some hot cocoa." Maria said

Sookie walked in the living room, sit on the couch, and turn on the TV. Her sister is making cocoa.

"Well, TV sure hasn't gotten any better in the past year." Sookie said

Their brother comes in and shuts the door. He sits with his sister Sookie. Maria walked in the living room with three cups of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

"Scooch over." Maria said

Maria sits with her siblings.

"Look, I know you two must have been worried for me, but I wasn't..." Sookie said as her brother cuts her off

"No, it ain't that, Sook. Just...having you back, it's about the happiest we've ever been in our entire lives. And we don't want it to end." Jason said

"I love you, guys. But I'm still mad that the house was sold." Sookie said

"Since you're back. Tomorrow, we're gonna call Sid Matt and see if we can't give those AIK people their money back." Maria said

"I'm keepin' the flat screen, though." Sookie said

"Well, yeah. It's nice." Jason said

"Hell yeah it is." Maria said

Next day.

Bunkie

Maria was at this club called "Claws".

"Doesn't the supernatural world get tired of owning bars?" Maria asked anyone

"Your friend Sam has one and so does your ex boyfriend." Female 1

said

"Fair point." Maria said

"What are you going to do about your house now that your sister is back?" Quinn asked Maria

"I'm going with her to talk to the AIK. I told Jason that we don't need the money. We're fine on our own." Maria said

"Am I going to see you tonight?" Quinn asked Maria

Quinn wrapped his arms around Maria's waist.

"Well tonight is the open night. Yes you are going to see me. (Maria kissed Quinn.) And I better get going. (Quinn let go of her.) Bye guys." Maria said

Maria leaves.

Merlottes.

Maria and her sister are sitting down with their lawyer who happens to be Andy's sister, Portia Bellefleur.

"Sid Matt, poor thing. He's been in and out of the hospital nine, ten months now. He tells me, "Portia, the firm's all yours," but I think people still like to see his name on the cards and signs." Portia said

"Is the cappuccino okay?" Sookie asked Portia

"It's in the ballpark." Portia said

"No one's ever ordered a cappuccino here." Maria said

"So I tracked down the buyer, AIK. Turns out their address is a PO box in the Caribbean. Phone number is an answering service. I can keep on it, but it may take some time. You know my hourly rate." Portia said

"Pretty sure someone with your skill can do it in half the time." Sookie said

"Honestly, they must have put around fifty thousand worth of improvements into that house. They'd at least want to be compensated for that." Portia said

"Can't we negotiate some kind of settlement, a payment plan?" Sookie said

"I'll get a hold of someone at AIK. Maybe we can appeal to their sense of compassion." Portia said

"Thank you. There's a lifetime of memories in that house for us." Maria said

Sookie reads Portia's mind.

"Is the bill okay?" Portia asked Sookie

Sookie stopped reading Portia's mind.

"I'm sorry, excuse me?" Sookie said

"Can I send you a bill?" Portia said

"Oh yeah. Sure, of course." Sookie said

Sookie walked away.

"Thank you again, Portia." Maria thanking Portia

"Don't worry about it." Portia said

Nighttime.

Stackhouse Residence.

Maria was in her room with no clothes on and hair wet. She's trying to decide black or the navy blue dress. She chosen the blue dress. She smell something. She looked behind her and freaked out when it was Eric. She wrapped her towel around her.

"What the hell! Fucking perv!" Maria said

Eric smiles at Maria. She was pissed.

"Mmm. Good old days." Eric said

"Its been a year now and I wish it was a dream. Your blood is not going away because of that fucking psychic link." Maria said

"It'll always be in your system." Eric said

"There was a rule saying "No vampires allowed." Meaning that you're not invited in. So how are you in here?" Maria asked Eric

"About that. You and Sookie don't own the house anymore. (Eric gets out the house keys.) I do." Eric said

"You bought our house? Why?" Maria asked Eric

"Because of protection. You had hope that she was still alive. If I owned the house, then I would own you. Protecting you and protecting Sookie. (Eric walked towards Maria.) You will always be mine." Eric said

Eric fangs appeared.