A/N: This is a pro-Bill story, and will remain that way.

Disclaimer*** No copyright infringement intended. These characters are exclusive property of Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball and HBO.

"If you love him, you tell the truth... Period." Bill stated with a sadness that was all too familiar over the past year. He did have to admit, though, that as Jessica rested her head on his shoulder, he could feel a small ease in the pain that has been his constant companion since Sookie disappeared from his life. His thoughts turned to how Jessica kept him grounded since everything went wrong so many months ago. His job as king would have made it very easy for him to become cold and detached from whatever humanity he had found since his return to Bon Temps. Embracing his role as maker, as a good maker, unlike his own, truly helped him hold on to that good part of himself. He could never begin to thank Jessica for that. Having this semblance of family again is a very surprising bright spot in his long life.

They sat in a companionable silence for many minutes, hands intertwined, Jessica's head on his shoulder. Each contemplated the things that have gone wrong in their relationships, and both at a loss as to how to fix things. Bill, hoping that Jessica would have more success than he had, knowing that Hoyt truly cared for her and had always seemed to be a sensible and loving guy. He will understand if she tells him the truth. That's where I always went wrong. I don't want Jessica to have to pay so steep a price. Bill thought as he squeezed Jessica's hand.

Not wanting to think about their respective relationships any more, Bill decided it would be a good time to fill Jessica in on the latest problems in his kingdom. His kingdom? Even after a year, it caught him by surprise the responsibility that had been set upon his shoulders.

"Jessica, do you have a little more time to spend with me tonight? I have some work related things I would like to discuss with you." She lifted her head, looking at his serious face with surprise.

"You want to tell me about work stuff?" Looking up at him from what Bill thought of as her slouched teen girl pose, the questioning look on her face almost made Bill laugh. He supposed he hasn't always been the most open, even as he and Jessica grew closer over the past year. He tended to keep her out of the vampire politics side of his life, which he had been thinking over the past couple of months might be a mistake. Especially since Sookie's abrupt return, he was reminded of how keeping someone in the dark wasn't the best way to protect them.

Smiling down at her he said, "I do. While I do not want to add more stress to your life, I know that you need to be aware of more of our history as vampires and how things work. There is an issue I have been dealing with in Shreveport that I think you should be aware of."

"Vampire history?" Bill could tell by her raised eyebrow that a history lesson wasn't exactly what she had in mind when he said work stuff.

"Not too much history," He stated with a grin, "I'll save that for another day." Which earned him a groan and an eye roll from Jessica.

"What do you know about witches?" He asked, his face resuming it's normal serious expression.

"Witches? Like black hats and cauldrons? Flying broomsticks? That's real?" Jessica asked, wide eyed.

"Well, yes, but not like what you see on TV. There is a coven in Shreveport that we have been watching for awhile. The leader of their coven has seemed pretty harmless, but my sources have told me that they were able to raise a bird from the dead. Any one working magic on dead things is..."

"Could they use their magic on us?" Jessica interrupted, with a combination of excitement and trepidation. Bill was surprised and very pleased with how astute Jessica was in making that connection. She stood, walking towards the fireplace and turned back to Bill as he resumed speaking.

"There was an incident many years ago where a witch was able to exert control over vampires. And I would not like to risk that again," Bill walked toward her, laying his hand on her shoulder as he saw her frightened expression, "I am in the process of dealing with this, in fact I have dispatched Eric this very evening to take care of the matter."

"What do you mean take care of the matter? And you trusted Eric to take care of it, after everything he's done?"

Bill turned from Jessica, placing his hands on the fireplace mantle. "Eric is my sheriff, he will do as I say, and he is aware of the danger these witches pose. He was instructed to convince the coven to disband and stop this death magic." Annoyed to be talking about Eric, his words came out sharper than he intended. At the look on her face, he softened his tone.

"I am telling you this so you are prepared if things do not go as planned. You know I do not wish to disrupt your life with vampire business, but you have to understand there are things happening that put us all in danger. If I should summon you in the coming days, it is because it is very important and because I want to keep you safe."

"I understand, Bill. And you know I can't ignore your summons." She placed a hand on his forearm, still gripping the mantle. He turned and looked into her eyes.

"I know, and I am hoping we will not have anything to worry about, but it is my job as your maker to keep you safe." Bill was prepared to say more, but was interrupted by a knock at the hall door.

"Enter," Bill said as Bucky opened the door with an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt, your majesty. Mr. Northman is here to see you." Bill's eyes narrowed at Bucky's statement. Why would Eric be back from the coven already? Bill could feel his frustration rising, but kept his face neutral.

"Thank you, Bucky. Show him to my office and I will be there shortly." Bill turned to Jessica. "I suppose you should get back to Hoyt."

With his statement, Jessica's face fell. Knowing he said the wrong thing, he pulled her into a fatherly embrace. "You will do the right thing, Jessica. Hoyt will understand."

"I hope so," came her muffled reply. "Thanks for the Advil. Goodnight Bill."

"Goodnight Jessica," He saw her out before heading back to his office. Unsure of what to expect from Eric this time of night, he took an unneeded breath and sighed before opening his office doors.

"Sheriff"

"Your majesty" Eric nodded curtly as Bill walked around to his side of the desk.

"What brings you back so soon? Did things go that well at Moongoddess Emporium?"

"I don't know if I'd say it went well, but I don't think they will be taking much interest in us anymore." Eric said with a cocky grin.

"What is that supposed to mean? What did you do?" Bill did not like the look on Eric's face as he claimed things were taken care of. He knew Eric tended to be a bit of a loose cannon, his age and experience combined to create an ego of epic proportions, but he had always been a relatively fair and efficient sheriff.

"I simply told them that they should no longer meet, as you instructed your Majesty."

"And?" Bill knew something wasn't right, if things had really gone as planned, Eric would not have needed to return to the mansion tonight. He would have simply left a message that it was done.

"They did not like being told what to do, so I had to employ some, shall we say, diplomacy." Bill did not care for Eric's tone or his implications.

"Spit it out Eric, what did you do? You know vampire on human violence is strictly forbidden by the Authority." Bill's voice taking on a warning tone.

"All I did was feed from their leader, Marnie. It was hardly violent. And I certainly didn't kill anybody"

"Eric, your instructions were to convince them to stop what they were doing and to ensure we were not dealing with the kind of power that drove the inquisition. Not to taunt them and certainly not to bite them!" Bill's irritation was evident in his speech, he had stood up from his chair before he could stop himself.

"Well, what do you expect? I'm just a warrior, not a politician." Eric said with a smug smile. He has always had a talent for pushing Bill's buttons. Bill was aware Eric drew satisfaction from irritating him, so he reined in his emotions and sat back down in his desk chair.

"You are right, Sheriff, I should have known this assignment would be too difficult for you. That will be all." Bill said with a finality, dismissing Eric with a nod and turning to the unfinished paperwork on his desk. Now he would have to come up with a diplomatic way to take care of the witch problem.

As the door closed behind Eric, Bill pondered the situation. He admitted to himself that perhaps sending Eric wasn't the smartest decision, but he had thought sending a thousand year old vampire who recalled the dangers of the inquisition and how deadly witches could be was a good idea at the time. Knowing he understood the importance of diffusing the growing danger, he assumed Eric would have been able to convince the coven to disband without resorting to violence. Sure, a violent solution would have probably been the easiest. No witch problem if there was no witch, but not only was it forbidden by the Authority, but Bill still could not kill indiscriminately. If this Marnie truly posed a danger, and hurt the people he cared about, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her, but he didn't yet have enough proof of how dangerous she is. But he could no longer risk Katerina's safety by keeping her undercover within the coven. They had drawn the attention of the vampires, who else's attention had they garnered?

Dawn approached, and Bill knew he should go to rest. He would deal with the aftermath of whatever Eric had done tomorrow night. He dreaded going to his daily rest. When Sookie had first disappeared, his sleep was somehow plagued with nightmares. He thought it very odd, since aside from a few rare times in the past, he had never dreamed before during his rest. He had spent months looking for Sookie in his dreams, only to wake feeling somehow even more empty than when he went to rest. The dreams eventually slowed and almost stopped completely... until the day he suddenly felt her again. His eyes snapped open, he had not felt her presence in over a year, but knew instantly what he was feeling. She was back. Seeing her that night, he almost wept in joy. He knew their relationship was over, but couldn't help but love her. He meant what he had said on that fateful night. He would love her forever, and would protect her at any cost, even if that meant he could not be part of her life. She had only been back a few days, but in just those few days, his nightmares, well daymares he supposed, had come back with a vengeance. This time he could find her, but she always remained just out of reach.

xx

xx

Sookie felt like this was one of the longest nights of her life, and she certainly had her share of long nights. After discovering Eric's other "upgrade" to her home, she had gone to Fangtasia to, well she wasn't sure exactly what she was going to accomplish, but she had to try again to get her house back. It was her house, damnit! Pam of course had been no help, which Sookie kind of expected, but had held out hope that maybe she could convince Pam to be on her side. Then, her run in with Jessica in the bathroom was the perfect way to cap off her lousy day.

How could she lecture me on Bill hurting? Does she even have any clue what happened between the two of us? Not that it's any of her business. Sookie thought to herself as she drove home. She did wonder what had happened in the year she was gone. She knew Bill and Jessica had come to a sort of peace before she left last year, but what had happened while she was gone? Maybe Bill had become the maker she knew he could be, and had developed a better relationship with Jessica... although that still probably didn't include the truth.

Ha, Bill and the truth, yeah right, she scoffed to herself turning down her driveway. She thought about the mess her life had become, and continued to wonder what else she missed in the last year. Vampires, fairies, werewolves, ugh, life was way more complicated than she wanted it to be. All she wanted was her old life back. Working at Merlotte's, living in her gran's house, well, her house, once she got it back from Eric that is. Eric, she so didn't want to think about Eric. She still couldn't believe that he had somehow managed to buy her house. Of all the underhanded, sneaky things he's done to her and her friends, this one sure takes the cake. Sookie was having more and more moments wishing vampires had never walked into her life. While she didn't want to give up the memories she had with Bill of actually feeling loved and cherished, it seemed like those memories were tainted. She was still mad at Bill, and so hurt, but as much as she wanted to believe everything about their relationship was a lie, she felt it deep down that Bill had really loved her. Well, she thought that most of the time, but doubt always had a way of creeping in. Especially knowing that he had moved on and seemed to be doing quite well for himself in her absence, it only made her hurt worse.

"Enough! Stop thinking about it." she said out loud as she walked in through the back door.

"Stop thinking about what, my Sookie?" Eric questioned, making her jump. He was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, clad in dark jeans, a black V-neck t-shirt and leather jacket. His hair slicked back like usual. He looked very large and out of place in her homey kitchen. "I hope you were thinking about me."

"Damnit Eric, what are you doing here?" Sookie got over her initial fright and moved very quickly into angry.

"Well, it's my house. I was in the neighborhood, I thought I'd stop by and check on my favorite tenant. Since you seemed to have thrown away my dinner, perhaps you intend to offer yourself?" He said with a leering grin.

"Not likely, and how dare you put that disgusting blood in my refrigerator. And furthermore, how dare you build a frickin' cubby in my house!" Sookie's anger easily reached it's peak after the emotionally exhausting last few days, including losing a year of her life. She was yelling by the end of her sentence and had even stepped forward advancing closer to Eric.

"You forget Sookie, this is MY house now, and I can do with it whatever I please." He went from leering to very scary in an instant. Sookie was genuinely afraid, taking a step back. Eric must have sensed her fear, as his expression instantly changed back to his default bored, yet seductive look.

"My offer still stands Sookie, this can be our house, you can be mine, I promise you won't regret it." he raised an eyebrow and leaned his face close to Sookie's. "I can take you places you've never imagined, without ever leaving this house." His fangs clicked into place with his last word. He leaned in close and smelled her hair. Sookie backed up quickly, separating herself from him by the kitchen table.

"I told you before, I will never be yours." she paused, "Please, just give me my house back." Sookie's voice broke with her plea as tears welled in her eyes.

Eric seemed startled by her emotions, he straightened up and his face taking on a bored expression.

"You will change your mind eventually. I will give you a few days to think about things, but make no mistake, I will be back." With that he was gone. Sookie heard the screen door slam behind him. She let out the breath she had been holding as the tears streaked down her face. Maybe she should have listened to Bill and found another place to stay for awhile. She was too tired and wrung out to think about that more now, so after making sure the doors were locked, she made her way upstairs and to bed. Her rest was fitful and full of shadowy dreams. She was searching for something or someone, but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find it, and although she didn't know what she was looking for, she knew she'd never be complete without it.

Despite her stressful dreams, Sookie awoke feeling halfway decent. The bright sun was shining in through her windows, which made her smile. Looking at her bedside clock, it was almost noon. She figured she might as well get up. She was working the evening shift at Merlotte's despite only working part time for now. Arlene had asked her to cover her shift and of course Sookie wasn't going to say no. Plus, she is going to need all the money she can earn to get her house back. After fixing something to eat, Sookie stepped out into the sun. For October, it was actually quite warm, she contemplated sunbathing, as that always soothed her. She made a quick decision and changed into shorts and a bikini top. She grabbed her radio and a blanket and was out soaking up the sun within minutes.

Some time later, she heard a car approaching. Opening her eyes, she smiled when she recognized Tara's car. Although Tara's frown as she approached Sookie quickly ruined her bright mood.

"Hi, Tara. What's goin' on?" Sookie leaned up on her elbows as Tara knelt down on the blanket next to her.

"Ain't it a little cold for layin' in the Sun?"

"It wasn't when I first got out here at noon. And it's plenty warm with the sun cookin' ya."

"Sookie, we've got a major problem." Tara shifted on the blanket and looked away from Sookie's gaze.

"What do you mean problem?" Sookie took off her sunglasses and sat up fully.

"It's Lafayette, he is freaking out and I don't know what to do. You're the only one that can help!" The concern evident in Tara's voice.

"What happened? And why am I the only one that can help?"

"Last night, I went with Lafayette and Jesus to this witch meeting thing."

Sookie held up her hand, "Wait, what? Witches? There's witches now?"

"Well I don't know, they call themselves witches or Wiccans , but it was mostly a bunch of weird people sittin' around burning incense and chanting."

"And? So what happened with these 'witches'?"

"We were there, minding our own business when Eric Northman came charging in. He asked for Marnie, who is apparently the like head witch or somethin' and told her to stop doing what they were doing. She told him no and that son of bitch bit her! He just grabbed her and sunk his teeth in."

"Oh my god, Tara. Is she okay? Are you okay? Then what happened? How did you get him to leave?" Sookie reached for Tara and hugged her close.

"She seems okay, just scared and pissed. I think he was just trying to scare her, cause he let her go. But then he threatened her, and the rest of us. He said that if the group met again, he'd know about it, and we'd get more than just a warning." Tara returned her hug as she continued talking. "But the worst part is Lafayette. He's still traumatized from what happened last year, and seeing Eric Northman bite someone right in front of him, and then threaten him seemed to push him over the edge."

"Oh no, Tara. Where is Lafayette now? How can I help?"

"He's at home with Jesus, but he's so scared that Eric is going to come after him, we can't calm him down. I was hoping you could talk to Lafayette, maybe see what's going on in his head... I hate to ask you to do that, but we can't seem to get through to him."

"I'll do whatever I can Tara. Let me go change and we can go see Lafayette now."

xx

xx

Bill had spent most of the evening trying to come up with a more diplomatic way to deal with the witches at MoonGoddess Emporium. He knew he had some major damage control to do after what had happened with Eric the night before. Luckily nothing had been recorded or reported, though Eric Northman receiving the true death because of disobeying the authority did have it's appeal, it just wasn't Bill's style. He was hoping if he made a sincere apology to Marnie and discussed with her why they were so concerned with what she was doing, he would be able to come up with a peaceful resolution to this problem.

Bill took care of some other business, dreading going all the way to Shreveport, but knowing that it is his responsibility to make sure the vampires in his area are safe. He may not have wanted to be king, but he was sure as hell going to do the job well if he was going to be doing it. Hating the need for all of his security, but understanding it's importance, he explained his plan to his head of security, Katerina and brought her along to help get the conversation started with Marnie.

When they arrived at the Wicca shop, Katerina went in first to talk to Marnie. Bill waited just outside, where he could hear what was going on.

"Katie! We thought you had left us, I'm so glad to see you." Marnie said with enthusiasm as Katie entered.

"I'm sorry, I had some work things come up and couldn't make it yesterday. But I heard what happened. Are you okay?" Katie was sincere in her enquiry.

"I'll be okay, but I still can't believe that that thing would just come in here uninvited and harm us for simply practicing our religion. What right does he have to tell us what we can and cannot do!" Marnie sounded quite agitated.

"I understand Marnie, it sounds awful. But not all vampires are like that. And I think they were just worried about the things you can do."

"Well, they should be worried, after last night, I will not rest until I find a way to make them pay. All of them." The determination in her voice had Bill a bit worried. This sounded like someone who knew more than some simple spells, and with enough instability to really cause problems. Damnit Eric, your attitude problem has really screwed us this time, Bill thought to himself, while simultaneously trying to come up with a way to diffuse the situation.

"Marnie, calm down for just a minute. I want to talk with you more about this. I think we can come up with a solution where nobody has to get hurt. The people I work for want to help, they can help, if you will just listen," Katie tried to calm Marnie.

"It's too late for that, we've already been hurt, and oppressed... mocked for what we believe in. It is time for it to stop!"

"Ms. Stonebrook, perhaps I can convince you to reconsider," Bill stepped forward, a loose plan forming in his mind. "Please, I come in peace. I have no desire to harm you or anyone here." He had his hands up, palms facing out. Dressed down in jeans, with a medium blue henley covered by a dark canvas jacket. By the look on her face, he knew he had to talk fast if he was going to accomplish anything.

"I sincerely apologize for what happened yesterday. All we had wanted to do was..." Bill wasn't fast enough. At the mention of what had happened the day before, or perhaps it was as soon as he spoke, Marnie had already set something into motion.

Bill froze mid sentence, a wind came from nowhere as Marnie stood before him chanting. There was a fire in her eyes, and then nothing.

Katerina stood there in shock. Bill had froze, and then zipped away, practically disappearing. Marnie collapsed to the floor and the rest of the people in the shop stood there in disbelief. What the hell had just happened?

xx

xx

Sookie was so glad to finally be on her way home. It was unusually busy at Merlotte's that night, and Sookie's concern for Lafayette among all of the other drama going on in her life made it very hard for her to keep the voices out. Luckily for her, she had really only missed a few days of work as opposed to being out of practice for a whole year, but it was still a very draining night.

Between her, Tara and Jesus, they had been able to calm Lafayette down before she had to go in to work. She reassured him that he would be safe in his house, and that no matter what happened at the witch shop, Eric wasn't going to hurt him. If she had to discuss it with Eric herself, she would make sure Lafayette was going to be safe. And although she'd hate to keep running to Bill for help, she would do that too if it was what her friends needed. By the time she left for work, Lafayette was finding his way back to his normal self. Hopefully within the next couple of days, with Tara around to help, he would be back to 100% fabulousness.

As she turned down her winding driveway, she thought she saw a figure along the road in the distance. Who would be walkin' down my driveway this time of night? She thought as she slowed the car to a crawl. As Sookie got closer, she could see it was a man, a man with dark hair who appeared to be wearing no shirt, and who was just walking slowly down her driveway. She continued to approach slowly, making sure her car doors were locked. Who knows what to expect around here? It slowly dawned on her why the figure looked so familiar. It was familiar, it was Bill. What the hell? Sookie thought. As she rolled down her window.

"What the hell, Bill?" she said out loud as she pulled up next to him. He looked over at her cautiously, curiously.

"What?" he said, somewhat timidly.

"Bill, what are you doing out here?"

"What?" he said again. "Who are you?" he asked, glancing at her and then looking around like he was searching for something.

"Come on Bill, it's me, Sookie. What is wrong with you?" Sookie was very confused by Bill's behavior and his demeanor. He almost looked lost. Which was impossible, considering his house was just a short walk away.

"Do I know you?" He stopped his roaming gaze and turned to focus on Sookie. She was finally able to get a good look at him. No only was he shirtless, but he was also barefoot. His dark hair was disheveled, although being honest, Sookie found it quite attractive, like when she would run her hands through his hair while they were making love. She mentally shook herself, that was not the right path for her thoughts to take at the moment. He also had what appeared to be dirt smeared across his right shoulder and on to his well muscled chest. His blue eyes seemed to pierce into her soul as he stared at her. He then sniffed the air.

"Why do you smell so good?" Before Sookie could respond to that odd statement he was suddenly beside her with his hands on her car door, leaning in her open window. Sookie yelped at his sudden movement and stepped on the gas pedal. She was able to watch him in her rearview mirror for a few moments. He just seemed to be standing there.

Her driveway curved, and she lost sight of him. Sookie had no idea what was going on, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. He seemed to not know who she was, how could he forget? She's never known him to forget a single detail, much less such a big part of his life. Well, she thought glumly, maybe I wasn't as important in his life as I thought.

It took less than thirty seconds for her to arrive the rest of the way to her house. As she climbed from the car, she looked around for any sign of Bill. She turned once in a full circle, seeing nothing, but as she turned to glance behind her one last time, he was there. Even though she was sort of expecting him to appear, it still startled her.

"Damnit Bill, how many times have I told you..." Her words trailed off as she noticed his fangs and the look in his eye. She had a feeling of deja vu, this reminded her of the first dream she ever had of Bill. The dream she'd had before she had ever tasted his blood.

He advanced on her and she struck out, slapping him across the face. Which stopped him in his tracks. He reached up and touched his mouth, blood on his fingers from a cut on his lip.

"You cut me," He stated, sounding wounded, almost whining, as opposed to angry.

"Oh be quiet, you're a vampire, you'll heal in five seconds." Sookie wasn't sure what to think. She never really been afraid of Bill, aside from in the back of that van. But she still couldn't blame him for that. This Bill was different. He seemed confused, but also a bit menacing. She knew she needed to tread carefully over the next few minutes.

"I know I am vampire, but I... I... I just cannot seem to remember anythin' else" he said slowly, his old fashioned drawl really making itself known as he finished his sentence.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked her, reaching his hand out to touch her, but stopped, re-thinking that decision as he licked the healing cut on his lip. His fangs retracting with a soft click.

"Yes..." She hesitated, not sure what all to tell him. "You're Bill Compton and I'm Sookie Stackhouse. You live across the cemetery from me," she pointed in the direction of his house. "Bill, what do you remember about what happened to you?"

"I do not remember." he said with a hint of frustration in his voice. His eyes meeting hers, pleading with hers to help him remember.

"Well come on, try to remember. What is the last thing you remember before I found you?"

"I remember... trees, the forest... cold... hunger. And eyes, dark, empty eyes but then they were not empty, but I was empty." He reached for her then, taking her hands in his.

"Sookie, I do not remember, why can't I remember?"

Sookie could see the fear in his eyes, but there was also a hunger there that she recognized. She pulled her hands from his and looked him in the eye.

"Okay. I'm going to help you. But there are a few rules. You have to listen to what I say, you do not touch me, and you most certainly will not bite me. Do you understand?" She stepped back from him, cocking her hip with full Sookie attitude as she laid down her ground rules.

"Yes. I understand. Thank you for helping me Ms. Stackhouse." Sookie turned towards her front door, shaking her head at his use of more formal speech, considering how moments ago he was clutching her hands like a frightened child, clad only in a pair of jeans.

Bill followed her up the steps. Stopping at the threshold, waiting for Sookie to issue his invitation. She smiled at the thought that even though she no longer owned this house, Bill just assumed he could not come in and was waiting patiently to be invited in.

"Please come in, Bill." he stepped into the house and hesitated, looking down at his bare feet.

"Ms. Stackhouse, would it trouble you to find me some sort of cloth to clean my feet? I do not wish to sully your floors with mud." She turned from where she was on the stairs, coming back down into the foyer.

"You don't have to call me Ms. Stackhouse. We were friends Bill, you can call me Sookie."

"Were friends? Are we no longer friends, Sookie?" He gave her a questioning look.

"Um... It's complicated, okay? Let me get you a wash cloth," she said as she walked towards the kitchen. She got out one of the cleaning rags and wet it with warm water.

"Here ya go. You can put it back in the kitchen when you're done. I'll be right back." Sookie again headed for the stairs. Still marveling at this different Bill. He is still the same "proper" gentleman, and of course still a vampire, but the rest is missing. Upstairs, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Hoyt. Hopefully he would be with Jessica, since Sookie certainly didn't have Jessica's phone number. Oh no, what if Hoyt has changed his number in the last year, she thought as the phone rang.

"You're talkin' to the man," Hoyt answered with a smile in his voice.

"Hoyt? It's Sookie."

"Oh, hi Sookie, what's up?"

"Um, I'm trying to get a hold of Jessica, but I don't have her number, so I was wondering if she was around, it's kind of an emergency," Sookie tried to keep her voice steady. After her last conversation with Jessica, she didn't think this was going to go to well.

"Sure, she's right here, hold on a sec." She could hear muffled talking in the background before Jessica came on the line.

"What?" Jessica did not sound pleased to be talking to Sookie. But Sookie didn't have anyone else to call. She certainly couldn't turn to Eric with something like this.

"Hi Jess, listen I know you don't want to..."

"You're right I don't want to, just get to the point please. What do you want?" She said in a clipped voice.

"It's Bill."

"What about Bill? Haven't you done enough to him?"

"Bill's here Jessica, at my house, and something's wrong." Sookie could sense the shift in Jessica's attitude. From animosity to concern.

"What do you mean something's wrong? What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's okay, mostly. He's not injured, but he doesn't seem to know who I am, or who he is for that matter. He doesn't seem to remember anything."

"What? I'm on my way." With that the phone went dead. Sookie put her cell phone back in her pocket, grabbed something out of her closet and went back downstairs. As she came down the stairs, she could hear what sounded like piano music. In the living room, Bill was sitting at the piano, a jazzy tune flowing from his fingers. The muscles of his back flexing gently as he played. He stopped playing as she approached, and turned to her.

"I'm sorry, I just saw the piano, and I wanted to play, it felt familiar. I do not know what I was playing, but I knew how to play it."

"It's okay, it sounded lovely. You have always been very skilled at the piano." Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still for a moment, she always could get lost in the brilliant blue of his eyes. Sookie shook her head, breaking the spell they had cast on each other.

"Here, you can put these on," She handed him what were actually some of his own clothes that had been left behind during their relationship. Her favorite white/gray henley and a pair of worn and comfy jeans. He reached for the clothing and she noticed the dirt still streaked across his chest. "The bathroom is through there if you want to get cleaned up first," she told him, pointing towards the back of the house.

He nodded his thanks and walked to the bathroom.