Three Months Later
I laughed. "Stop it!"
"No," He said ticking me again.
"Stop it Alcide!" I whined.
My cell phone rang. "Oh it's Lily, thank god."
"Hey Lil!" I answered. "How's King Bill?" I asked in my best Bill impression
She laughed. "He's fine. He still wants you to come home."
"Oh he'll get over it. I like Jackson."
"No you just like Alcide. Have you talked to Eric?" She asked.
"Not since we broke up," I said quietly.
"He wants you to come home too," Lily said.
"I'm sure he does," I sighed. "It's too hard. I can't live right there and see her house everyday and know that I should've done something about it."
"It's not your fault," Lily said.
"Everyone says that but you didn't have the feeling. You didn't know something was wrong. I did."
Lily sighed. "Bill wants to talk to you."
"Put him on."
"Hello Rachel," He said.
"Hey."
"How's Jackson?"
"It's great. How's being the King of Louisiana?"
"Its work but I'll live," He laughed.
"Lily says the house looks fantastic."
"It does. She helped design it. You'd love it, if you ever came home."
"Bill you know how I feel."
"Eric blames himself."
"It's not his fault. He couldn't have saved her. And he couldn't have stopped me from leaving." I sighed. "I really wish everyone would stop talking about Eric."
"I'm sorry."
"Look I'll talk to you soon."
I hung up.
"Are you alright?" Alcide asked.
"Yeah."
"I know its hard getting over someone," he said.
"I just wish everyone would stop talking about it. It was my choice."
Two Months Later
"Do you remember that night; Bill had broken up with Sookie, we had just got her into bed and we were sitting on the couch and I started crying?" I asked.
"Of course," He said.
"I don't cry about a lot of things."
"I've noticed. You're pretty tough."
I laughed. "I guess I am." I paused. "Did you cry over Debbie?"
"Yeah, I guess. Why?"
"I never cried over Eric."
"You just bottle everything up don't you?" He asked.
"I do. It's bad. I'll end up exploding one day."
Two Months Later
I had the apartment all to myself one night. Alcide was out for a work thing. Janice was supposed to be coming over and we were going to watch chick flicks and she was going to do my hair but she ended up having a date and had to cancel. Not that I minded being alone it was relaxing.
I made a cup of hot chocolate and was watching TV in the living room when there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it up. Standing outside was Eric. "Oh my god. What are you doing here?"
"I came to bring you home," He said.
"You can't just show up on my doorstep unannounced."
"I still love you," he said.
I knew deep down I still loved him but until that moment I hadn't ever admitted it to myself.
He pulled me close to him and kissed me.
"I love you too," I said.
"Then come home."
"I can't."
"Do you really believe she's dead?" He asked.
"No, I think those damn fairies took her. But that's practically the same as dead. She'll never come back. And I could've saved her."
"You know you're the only one who thinks the fae were involved. Bill and Lily think she's dead."
"It doesn't matter. It's too late," I said.
"It's never too late.
Then he was gone. I wasn't even sure if it was real or if I had imagined it all. But I knew I wanted, no needed, to go home.
OoOoO
The next morning Alcide came home and found me packing. "Are you going somewhere?" He asked.
"I'm going home," I said.
"For how long?"
"I'm going back. For good. "
"What?"
"I can't stay here. I was never the kind of person to run away and hide out. This isn't me."
"I love you."
"I'm sorry. I just can't do this anymore."
I grabbed the last of my bags and walked towards the door.
I stopped. "I love you too. Just not the same way I love him."
Three Months Later
"For the last time, can I please paint my room some other color?" I begged.
"Is this really the last time you're going to ask?" Bill asked.
"If you say yes."
"No."
"Ugh."
"I'll have to get the interior designer back in here to redo your room, then that will turn into doing the whole upstairs because it needs to match and then my entire house will looks like Sophie-Ann's did."
"Her house was gorgeous!"
"Rach, give it up. It isn't going to happen," Lily said.
"I hate you both."
"Mr. Compton, Eric Northman is here," one of the guards said.
"Oh that's my date! See you two later." I waved.
The guard walked me out. "I've told you over and over, that is not necessary."
"Mr. Compton insists."
"I bet he does."
When we reached Eric's car the guard waited for me to get in.
"Being related to the king is kinda getting old," I grumbled.
"I've told you multiple times you can move in with me," Eric said smiling.
"I know. And maybe eventually I'll take you up on that."
"You look beautiful."
"Thanks."
Two Months Later
"Do you think I made the right choice?" I asked Lily one afternoon. "Coming home I mean."
"Of course I do," She said.
"You don't sound too convinced."
"I mean I'm glad you came home but…"
"But what?" I asked.
"But I wish you hadn't broken up with Alcide."
"You're the one that wanted to talk about Eric every time you called!"
"Well yes…but I just wanted you to come home."
"It doesn't matter we weren't going to work out anyways," I said.
"You don't know that. He was good for you, and I could tell you really loved him."
"I really love Eric too," I told her.
"Do you? The two of you happened so fast it was like an explosion, like Romeo and Juliet. If they hadn't died they would've ended up divorced and bitter."
"Are you comparing me and Eric to Romeo and Juliet?" I asked.
"Yes," she nodded.
I sighed. "Well what epic Shakespearian romance were me and Alcide?"
"You two are your own story. You don't fit in with any one Shakespeare play and that's a good thing, most of them were all tragedies."
"I don't have to listen to you," I said.
"No you don't. But you know it's true, even if you won't admit it."
Four Months Later
Something was going to happen today, something big and exciting. I could hardly sit still.
"Rachel you've been bouncing around all day, what is going on?" Lily asked.
"I don't know! Something!" I said happily.
"You got a flash?" She asked.
"Not exactly. I haven't gotten a flash since before Sookie…well you know. But I've been getting these feelings, and today something really big is going to happen."
"Maybe you should go for a jog. Get rid of some of that excess energy."
"Alright, I'll go. But if something happens call me!"
I put my iPod in and left. I jogged passed the old cemetery and then around towards Sookie's old house. I saw Jason pull up in his cop car. "Hey Jason!"
"Hey Rach."
"What's going on?" I asked.
"Some girl showed up here and refuses to leave."
I didn't want to get my hopes up but I couldn't help but remember that feeling I'd had. I started to walk in with him. "Rachel, you should go back home."
"But Jason, what if…?"
"It's been over a year." He sighed. "I'll call you."
"Fine."
I walked out and sat in my old favorite spot in the woods and called Lily.
"Sookie's home!"
"Really?" She asked surprised.
"I haven't seen her yet but I'm sure it's her. Tell Bill to come over here as soon as he wakes up."
"He just did. We'll both be over there in a minute."
I saw Sookie walk outside. "Gotta go."
I ran across the yard. "It's really you! Jason wouldn't let me come in. I've been waiting for him to leave."
"Rachel!" She hugged me.
"You were with the fairies weren't you?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"I got a feeling before you vanished. I knew you weren't dead but I never thought I'd see you again."
"Well I'm back," She said.
"I have so much to tell you!"
Bill showed up. Sookie backed away.
"I'm sorry I know I'm not wanted here. It's just been so long," Bill said.
"I'm fine," Sookie said.
Lily pulled up. She came running out of her car. "Sookie! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"I missed you! Rachel was right the whole time."
"I tried to tell you. Over and over! I knew she wasn't dead," I said.
Then Eric appeared.
"I knew you weren't dead," Eric said.
"Eric, shouldn't you be at Fangtasia?" Bill asked.
"Pam can handle it," Eric said.
"Eric, go!" Bill commanded him.
"Bill!" I yelled.
Bill looked at me. As if he was trying to command me to do something too.
"I don't have to listen to you," I said.
"I guess I have to go," Eric said. "But everyone who says the loved you; your brother, Lily, Bill. They gave up on you. Rachel and I never did."
"Well we'll be going," I said. "See you later Sookie."
OoOoO
The next day I was working my sucky early shift at Merlotte's. That's what I get for moving to Jackson for six months. Sookie had just walked in and was talking to Arlene and Terry.
Sam walked over to Sookie and they were talking about her being gone. I used to like Sam but in the past year he had gotten a lot harder to deal with. I walked past them to go pick up my orders from Lafayette.
"Rayray can you believe that?" He asked. The two of us had become pretty good friends since I had come back from Jackson; we even had nicknames for each other.
"It's crazy right?"
"If you ever need to go on vampire business you write because I don't know if this town will want to deal with another one of ya'll disappearing."
"Lala, I'll make sure you know if I'm disappearing at least a month in advance," I laughed.
"Rachel," Sam called.
I turned around. "Yes?"
"You just got bumped back to the dinner shift starting tomorrow," he said.
"Yes!"
"How did you end up getting bumped back to lunch shift?" Sookie asked.
"Well it's a long story. I'll tell you later…"
"I know last year you didn't want to live with Bill any more if you still want you can move back in with me."
"Yeah that'd be great! I love Bill and all but I need to get out of that house."
"You can start moving your stuff in tonight if you want. If Lily wants to she can come too," Sookie offered.
"I'll ask."
"See you later."
"We have a lot to get caught up on."
OoOoO
That night borrowed a couple of Bill's guards to help me move my stuff over to Sookie's. Lily and I pulled up out front and started unloading stuff. I was setting up things in my old room upstairs when I heard Lily shriek. I ran down stairs to see what had happened. Eric was standing in the living room.
"I thought Sookie rescinded your invitation," she said.
"But now I own the house," he said.