I wrote this on paper in 2019 while I was in and out of the hospital, and then I lost my notebook when we moved. I cleaned the storage room last weekend and found my notebook. I figured I might just as well type it up and post it. This is mostly based on the books, but I have a couple of characters from True Blood that I like.
In reality, Bill's Cadillac was not in any condition to make the drive from New Orleans to Bon Temps. His relief was short-lived when he found his property walled off with a temporary fence set. "What in the…" Bill stepped out of his car and stared at the makeshift gate before him. He stepped closer, but hearing the whirring noise the camera lens made as it zoomed in on his position had him stepping back. He did not need to be arrested for trespassing, which would make endearing himself to his neighbors difficult.
Did Jessie sell the property, did the Parish sell it, or did someone help themselves to it, thinking there was no one left to inherit? He needed answers, which would have to wait until the following evening. With that in mind, he drove back to Shreveport and checked in at the Motel 6 off the i-20. More importantly, not far from the hotel was a place where he could die for the day. It wasn't ideal, but he had little choice.
The next night, Merlotte's saw its first vampire visitor. "Hi, you new around here?" Arlene chirped.
"Yes, I'm Bill Compton, Jessie Compton's…"
"Oh, right," Arlene interjected. "Well, what can I get you?"
"A glass of red wine to start. Do you know what happened to his place?" He mumbled.
"Yeah, He sold it a few months back. That's surprising with you here and all. Jessie sold it because he said he had no family left to leave it for." Arlene added, walking away. Bill dropped a twenty on the table and left. Arlene shrugged, knocked back the wine, and grabbed the money when she found him walking out. It was clear he'd only come in to learn about the house. "Must suck something fierce to come here thinking you were getting the family home only to find it sold," Sam grunted in response. It was apparent Arlene had no idea Bill was a vampire. No one did.
Bill had wanted to ask about the Stackhouses but refrained when the shifter's continued glare intensified; he'd worn out his welcome. Bill initially planned to approach the Stackhouse home as their neighbor. As he walked toward the Stackhouse home, he was quickly working through a new plan, one he was sure would work. "For fuck sake." He groaned as he found the Stackhouse home empty. It was dark, except for the security lights on the perimeter. He listened out for heartbeats and found none. He turned to leave but quickly turned back around and looked at the farmhouse. One more thing that didn't make sense.
This was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. Worse, he hadn't even confirmed whether the girl was a telepath. Bill sat down beside his tombstone, staring at his name when a thought suddenly hit him. He ran back to the shifter's bar, staying out of site. He waited for the waitress from earlier and watched as she got to her car. He ran ahead of her vehicle the second he knew the direction she was headed. Bill looked a sad figure as he walked down the road, his head down. Just as he was hoping, Arlene pulled over.
"Bill…" Was all Arlene managed.
"Invite me in." Bill smiled.
"Get in." Arlene leaned over, opening the passenger door for him.
"Thank you." Bill chuckled. Things were beginning to look up. "Do you know who Jessie Compton sold his house to?"
"No."
"How about the construction company?"
"That's Carmichael." Arlene smiled, eyes glassy.
"Carmichael, What's his first name?"
Arlene chuckled. "It's the name of the company." This was the trouble with glamouring; unless you asked the right questions, it could get very tedious.
"Tell me everything you know about the Stackhouses." He asked. Nothing, not a single thing, was as he expected. Nothing about the property denoted the family was struggling for money.
"Well, there is Sookie, Jason, and their gran..." Bill groaned, his head hitting the headrest with enough force to break it.
His frustration persisted; he hadn't learned much about the family, and in the two weeks he'd been in Bon Temps, he'd glamoured his fair share of people. Something that was proving difficult as word had gotten out that he was a vampire. So far, not a single person has confirmed the girl's ability to read minds. So far, it would seem Hadley had lied, just as he'd suspected. It could also mean Sookie Stackhouse was cautious regarding her gift. That meant getting the truth out of her would not be easy, even with his blood in her, if she was that disciplined.
The family were away in London, and no one knew when they would be back. Sookie had gone to LSU, studied pre-law and business, but had decided against going to law school, focused on starting a business, and was a successful businesswoman. But no one knew precisely what said business was, except it had something to do with getting the rich out of trouble. That worried Bill; if that was true, then Sookie Stackhouse was using her telepathy in crisis management. That did not bode well for the queen's plans. The brother was a welder and owned a large workshop at the back of his property. According to Hoyt, he was a very good fabricator. He made custom tools by order.
His luck finally changed when he found the travel agent the family had used and learned they had left mere hours before his arrival and would be gone for a month. With a couple of weeks until their return, he decided to find out who had bought his home. He had initially given up on knowing, considering his home was long gone and another property in place. The new building now had a roof and, from the size of it, was a rather large property. Now, his plan was simply a matter of satiating his curiosity.
Bill had been surprised to find less security at the Shreveport site of the construction company when he surveilled the place the previous night. Their construction site had a better security setup. With a leap, he gripped onto the ledge of the window seal. With the window locked, he had little choice but to break it, and again, surprised he hadn't triggered an alarm. "At least you are more security conscious when it comes to your client's assets, but not the paperwork. He soon found out why; there was nothing to be found. He found the plans for his former home, a rather large office space, the cost projections, and the amount the client had paid upfront. No document had the name of who bought the house, just the company's name and nothing more. Frustrated, he put the papers back where he found them, touched every other piece of paper in the file cabinets, made a haphazard attempt at breaking into the safe, and left. He couldn't have anybody knowing what he was looking for. He had covered himself in vinegar, bleach, and cheap perfume to cover his scent. Excessive, but he'd rather that than a were picking up on his scent. Weres were a dime a dozen in the construction industry. It would take hours to get the smell off. He felt the universe was mocking him, as this had been a colossal waste of time. His curiosity, though, grew.
Sookie staggered down the stairs, eyes barely open as she just about managed to collapse onto the sofa. "You'd think with the amount of traveling you do, you would be used…" The house phone rang then.
"If it's for me, I'm not here," Sookie grumbled.
"Hello, Maxine." Sookie rolled her eyes and with great difficulty, got herself a cup of coffee. She had no desire to hear her grandmother's unbridled glee as she waxed lyrically about her great time in London. For Sookie, it wasn't a holiday until the last week. Every family holiday for Sookie was a work-related trip she dragged the family to. Most of the time, their presence aided in her work. Despite the cup of coffee, she soon crawled under the sheets again.
She peeled her eyes open to find the sun had set. "It's going to be a long night." She groaned as she rolled out of bed and into the shower. Despite her hunger, a shower would do more to wake her up.
The only light on was the one coming from the TV in the living room. Adele was softly snoring on the sofa, a blanket draped over her legs. "Gran." Sookie nudged her softly.
"Hmm." Adele's eyes snapped open. "So much for catching up on the news." She chuckled as she got up with some difficulty, even with Sookie's help. "There is some chicken in the warmer; I'm off to bed."
"Goodnight, gran," Sookie murmured as she grabbed her plate of chicken and rice. She certainly had missed a good home-cooked meal.
Sookie settled on the porch after her meal with her laptop to settle some accounts. It was much earlier than she had thought, and she settled in for a long night. Knowing her, she'd only start to fall asleep when the sun was coming up.
Her plans for the evening were quickly disrupted when she picked up a mind walking through the cemetery toward the house. Sookie's eyes stayed on the mind until it cleared the treeline into view. "Good evening." The vampire greeted cordially. "I'm Bill." Sookie was almost tempted to ask if he was serious. It was such a boring name for a vampire, but in truth, he looked like a Bill with his white shirt and Khaki pants.
"Hello Bill, I'm Sookie." She shut her laptop and put it aside. "Paying your respects?" Sookie asked.
"Yeah, to myself." Bill chuckled, only to hit a wall when he got to the porch. "I need an invite, vampire if you haven't figured it out," Bill said with an attempt at a sheepish look that Sookie thought he pulled off. "If you are not comfortable, I'd stay out here." He added, surprised by the ward.
"Come on up." Sookie chirped, but Bill found he still could not climb the stairs.
"If you've got wards up against vampire entry, no amount of invites will help." Bill's genuine smile had morphed into a frustrated one, as even with a ward, the invite should have worked.
"I don't have wards up against vampires; you are not the first vampire to visit my home. That ward is up for those with malignant intentions, whether vampire, were, or human." Sookie said, standing up.
"Malignant intentions, of course, you do." Bill chuckled humorlessly. "Sookie, you want to come out there." He used his glamour.
"No, I'm just fine where I am," Sookie responded nonchalantly.
Bill's eyebrow hit his hairline in surprise. "You can't stay in there forever; at some point, you will venture beyond this ward." He punched the ward to no avail. Sookie wasn't the least bit worried; between the Fairy magic, Lafayette, and Jesus' work, nothing was getting past that ward.
Sookie laughed. "And you can't stand out there forever." Sookie went back to her laptop. "This time around Compton, I am fully aware of how the game is played." Sookie's smirk was nothing short of superior.
Bill looked confused by her words. "Do I know you?" To him, it sounded as though they'd met before.
"No, but I know you," Sookie said, her eyes glued to her laptop.
Bill just stared at her, confused and frustrated at his continued failure. He confirmed at least one thing: even if the girl was a telepath, she could not read a vampire's mind. If she could, she would have confirmed why his intentions made it impossible to cross the ward. The most confusing, she seemed to know him, and he had no idea how. She did not look up once as he walked away.
An hour later, Sookie's phone rang. "We have him. He's staying at the Motel 6 in Shreveport."
"He won't stay there when the sun comes up. I doubt he will risk it." Sookie surmised.
"He's going die for the day in the ground nearby, but it makes no difference. If anything, it makes getting to him a little easier. It will be a close call, though." Tray laughed.
"I don't care if he gets burnt, as long as he is not a pile of goo." Sookie retorted.
"Alright, Sookie. Will call the minute we have him secured." Tray said, ending the call. Sookie smiled at her phone.