A/N Charlaine Harris owns all these wonderful vampire characters, gosh darn her!

I don't use a Beta so all boo boos are mine.

I know it's been forever, but unfortunately my personal situation hasn't improved. It's been a downer, so I took a break from that today to finish this chapter. You'll be able to see that the first section was completed before Deadlocked. I've decided to leave it the way it is. I'll leave further musings for my profile page.

Recap: I'm sure alot of you have forgotten most of this, but a couple reminders. The first section is a flashback and the last section is "current" day ie in the future. Bill is living on Mars. Eric shows up unexpectedly with two lovely lady friends to give him a good time for his millenium birthday.

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"Why hello there! You're Bill Compton aren't you?" The woman coming onto him purred, as she lightly pushed her chestnut hair and her shoulders back for Bill's viewing pleasure. He wasn't interested and privately debated the best way to get rid of her. Fortunately, his young dates took matters into their own hands.

"He's MY boyfriend! Go away!" one yelled, while the other cried out,"MINE!".

The woman jumped back, taken off guard by the sudden attack. "Ahh…." She stammered.

"I think my dates have spoken," Bill commented smoothly. "It would be wise for you to move along. Have a good evening."

She had some sense apparently, because she scuffled off clutching her beer and looking a bit put out.

"Your dates are very territorial," Sam said, as he slipped Bill another TruBlood on a napkin.

Bill leaned against the bar and smiled. "Yes, I'm beginning to realize I like my women that way." Sam chortled and moved off to mix some more drinks for the buzzing bar. Bill looked down at the cherubic faces of his respective dates. Andy and Halleigh's daughter Caroline was clutching one of his legs with all the power of her three year old self and her cousin, Portia's daughter Isabella, imitating her on the other leg. Whatever Caroline had, Isabella had to have too. It had been that way practically since she'd been born. Bill felt compelled to correct their behavior, even as he appreciated the results. "Girls," he intoned slowly. "You realize yelling isn't very ladylike."

"But you're OUR boyfriend, OURS! Not that lady's!" Caroline declared, staring up at him determined. Unfortunately, she appeared to have inherited his family's stubbornness.

"But, that doesn't excuse yelling at people, understand?"

The little round face pouted for a second, trying to get her mind around this concept. Bill resisted the urge to pick her up. If he did, then Isabella would start squealing and stomping her feet. He'd have to pick up both. Then he wouldn't have a hand left to hold his drink.

"Okay," she said slowly.

Bill wasn't sure she knew what she was saying okay to, but it was best to accentuate the positive. "Very good Caroline, that's my girl."

He took another sip of his drink. Isabella was drifting a bit. She either lacked the stamina of her cousin or Caroline had managed to sneak in a longer nap that day. In five minutes she'd have her diapered bottom sitting on his left foot.

He relaxed against the bar, absorbing the warm ambience of Merlottes for the last time. In 24hours he was going to leave this place and never see it again. He would head for the airport, catch a plane to Florida, join his fellow astronauts (who were already in quarantine), and board the ship for the long five month journey to Mars. At this moment, there was still a feeling of surrealism to the thought.

The bar was as busy as Bill had ever seen it. The waitresses were hustling between the tables. The cook in back was sweating from the heat of the sizzling fryer. Even Sam appeared pressured, as he barked at the busboy to keep the tables cleaned off. Bill closed his eyes for a second, smelling the fried food, tobacco, beer, sweat, and cheap perfumes that made up Merlotte's distinctive scent. Smiling, he opened his eyes and looked down at his feet. Isabella had plunked down on his foot and was gazing around at the hubbub in her purple corduroy overalls, clutching a lavender plastic pony with purple hair in her hand. Her eyes were bleary and it was obvious she was drifting off.

"Oh dear, is she sitting on your foot Bill?" Portia got up from the large table she was sharing with her husband Glen, her brother Andy, Halleigh and a few of their friends. She strode over and lifted her daughter off Bill's foot with a grunt.

"It's fine, but I think she's ready for bed," Bill replied, amused.

"Don't wanna go to bed," Isabella murmured against her mother's shoulder.

Portia kissed her daughter's head and said, "We're leaving anyway sweetie. Your Daddy has an early appointment tomorrow."

"He's a good man," Bill said, without warning. Portia looked startled at the unexpected comment.

"Yes, he is," she agreed. They were both silent for an uncomfortable moment. " You're leaving tomorrow night aren't you?"

"Yes"

Portia leaned her cheek against her now dozing toddler's forehead. "I don't know how to say this, given everything that's happened, but it will be so strange….you not being around. And Isabella will miss you very much." Her brown eyes didn't meet his, staring at some empty spot on the floor.

"Well, this may sound odd, but it will be nice to be missed."

Portia's eyes flickered at him with a puzzled expression.

"I spent so many years ….wandering and mostly alone. I am grateful that I was able to come back to my original home and form a relationship with family. It means a lot to me and I will not forget it."

Portia's expression was hard to read.

"I'm glad we got to spend time with you and get to know you Bill. Please be careful," Portia said softly. Then she leaned forward and kissed Bill lightly on the cheek. "We'll be praying for you."

"Thank you"

With that she turned, and followed her husband out the door. Glen nodded to Bill as he opened the door for his wife and sleeping daughter. Portia appeared to wipe one of her eyes as she disappeared into the night.

"Uncle Bill? Why was Aunt Portia crying?" Caroline asked, gazing up at him with concerned eyes. It had been decided that calling him "uncle" would be the least confusing for the children. His true relationship to the Bellefleurs could be explained to them when they were a little older.

Now that Isabella was gone, Bill could pick her up. He lifted her onto the bar, and put his extra arm around her so she wouldn't fall.

"She was just a little sad," Bill replied. "She'll be alright"

"Oh, okay."

Bill took another sip of his drink, as they remained quiet and still, toddler and vampire, observing the late night organized chaos that was Merlottes.

It had been an interesting couple of days. Bon Temps had held a parade this night for Bill. When told that the mayor was going to give Bill a key to the town, he had initially refused, but the mayor had come to his home personally. After it was explained what terrific advertising it would be for the town, he had reluctantly agreed. Fortunately, it had been a homey sort of affair, with the local high school band, the fire department trucks, a few floats, kids dressed as astronauts , a presentation down at the square that seemed to have been attended by everyone in Bon Temps and Bill had enjoyed himself. Bill had ridden in an older model Cadillac convertible, waving to everyone as they went. Afterward, it seemed like at least half the people in the square had come back to Merlottes to toast Bill and his upcoming mission. He was touched and a bit taken aback by all of it.

The key was attached to a plaque, sitting on the bar next to Caroline. Since she'd gotten permission, she was playing with it. Her little legs kicked back and forth, the beaded Minnie Mouse sneakers sparkling in the lower light of the bar. Bill watched her tiny fingers tracing the shiny gold plated oversized key. The script below read "To William T. Compton, Bon Temp's native son. For defending us during The War of Northern Aggression and achieving what few ever hope to attain, to travel amongst the stars. We proudly present this key to our town and hope it will serve as a reminder to never forget where you come from. For to us, you will forever be, our Vampire Bill. Our prayers will be with you. God Speed."

The date was under the script. Bill hadn't had the chance to absorb the words during the ceremony, but he looked at them now. He knew that the words weren't typical of a formal "key to the city". They were folksy and sentimental. He wondered who had written it. He doubted everyone in the town agreed with the sentiments, but there had been a very large cheer after it was read at the rally. The concept of acceptance by this local community still felt odd to him, after spending decades on the outskirts of human society. An unfamiliar hard swallow caught in his throat as he read the words again.

A familiar scent filled his nostrils.

"Well, look at those snazzy sneakers!" Sookie popped over, smiling her genuine smile at Caroline. Bill hadn't talked to her thus far this evening, since the bar had been so busy and she'd been whizzing past him with trays and pitchers of beer. "Are those Minnie Mouse?"

"Yes!" Caroline answered, holding her feet up, so Sookie could have a better view.

"They're so pretty! I wish I had a pair just like them!" Sookie said. Caroline laughed at the idea. Her cheeks had little dimples when she laughed. She was adorable when she laughed. At least that's what Bill thought. Sookie winked at Bill," We should get a pair for your Uncle Bill too!"

"Minnie is for girls," Caroline pronounced with authority.

"How's that baby brother of yours doing?" Sookie asked.

"He sleeps a lot," Caroline answered. "Daddy says he does poo poo a lot."

"He does?" Sookie exclaimed, giving Bill another wink and gazing at Caroline. "Well, he's a little baby and that's what babies do."

"I'm not a baby. I use the potty now!" Caroline added to clarify her mature status.

"Good for you," Sookie praised. "I'll bet your mama and daddy were pleased as punch."

"Uh huh"

Sookie smiled, then turned to Bill. "I have to get back to my tables. You're leaving tomorrow night aren't you?"

"Yes"

Sookie's smile tightened a little. "Did you bring your car tonight?"

"No, I rode with someone else earlier. They've already left, so I'll probably be running home tonight."

"How about I give you a ride home?" It was completely unnecessary of course. Bill could easily run home in minutes as he had done many times before. But, he wouldn't pass up a chance to spend a little more time with Sookie. He had paused too long before answering. Sookie added," It'll be like old times, almost."

"Yes of course, I'd appreciate that very much. Thank you," Bill said.

Her grin spread wider. "See you later kiddo," she said as she tweaked Caroline's sneaker and hustled over to Sam, who had a couple pitchers ready for her to take to a table. Her blond head leaned in towards her boss's reddish one as they briefly discussed the tab the respective table was running. According to local scuttlebutt, Sookie was a co-owner or manager of Merlottes now. She'd loaned Sam some money to get him through the difficult transition after the two natured had revealed themselves. Sam had stubbornly stayed and kept running his business like normal. After a while, people in Bon Temps just seemed to forget he was a shifter or decided they didn't care as long as they had a comfortable bar to drink in. There had been some turnover with his staff, which wasn't unusual, but Sookie had stayed put.

"She's pretty," Caroline said, interrupting Bill's thoughts.

"Yes…yes she is," he agreed.

"And nice."

"I agree."

"Some people are mean to her, but I'm always nice. Mommy says to stay away from mean people"

"Your mother is very smart. You listen to her. Some people just aren't very nice and it's best to steer clear of them."

"Uh huh". She set the plaque down, and leaned into Bill, resting her head on his shoulder. He tightened his free arm around the little warm body. He was just starting to have an inkling of how much harder it was going to be leaving than he'd originally thought.

These potentially depressing thoughts dissipated as he heard Halleigh's voice approaching. "Well, little girl, I think we're going home! Someone needs their bedtime."

Caroline gripped Bill's neck and whined a little as her mother walked up. "I'll stop by and see you tomorrow night, sweetheart," Bill reassured her.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She still frowned when he handed her to her mother. Halleigh grunted. "Goodness! She gets heavier every day. I'm positive!"

"They grow up fast," Bill agreed.

"Will we see you tomorrow night?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'll stop by on my way out. I might have something I'll need to drop off," he commented casually.

"Oh, alright, see you then…" she said. Her little group filed out. Bill heard her telling Andy what he had told her.

The rest of the evening was pleasant. Various people came up to him at different points and wished him luck. He got hit on a couple more times, but he brushed them off. When the place was almost empty and Sookie started doing her end of shift clean up, he went to Sam to pay up his tab.

"Don't worry about it," Sam said firmly, as he wiped the bar down with his towel.

"Well, thank you. It's not necessary," Bill replied.

"Just keep safe. We're all rooting for you, you know." Sam avoided Bill's eyes, and kept rubbing the same spot on the bar even though it looked perfectly clean to Bill."You've been a regular patron and God knows you've been a lot less trouble than some of my other customers."

That wasn't entirely true. Bill and Sam had a few run in's in the past, but it sounded like Sam was letting those go now that Bill was leaving.

Bill nodded. "Well, thank you again. And good luck with your business endeavors. If you get the time, you're on my Call List to send me emails and video if you'd like."

That got a reaction. Sam looked as startled as Bill had ever seen him. "Oh! Oh…um..okay..maybe I'll do that…yeah..maybe I will at that." He nodded almost to himself.

"You ready Bill?" Sookie came up slinging her purse over her shoulder.

"Yes. Thanks again Sam, good luck."

Sam nodded," You too." Sam appeared to be fighting the impulse to drop the towel and reach a hand out to Bill, even though he knew vampires don't shake hands.

Bill took that as a compliment and followed Sookie out the door.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Then Sookie said," A package arrived for you today. The UPS guy brought it to my house, because it was insured and needed a signature."

"Thank you."

"It's a good sized box," she added, with a question in her voice, too polite to directly ask what it was.

"I'll open it at your house, if you don't mind."

"That would be fine."

The conversation ended awkwardly. Bill didn't recall he and Sookie ever having trouble keeping a discussion going. Sookie seemed to changing her sentences as soon as she started them. He had no idea why.

When they pulled up to her house, she asked," Why don't you come in and hang out for a bit? Unless, you have some packing to finish?"

"No, I'm pretty well done and most of the items I'm taking with me have already been shipped to NASA. They weigh everything we take."

"Oh, wow"

"I'd love to come in."

"Great"

As they entered Sookie's comfortable old house, she tossed the purse aside, scratched her shoulder and said," I need to take a quick shower. I feel totally gross. It was such a busy night, is that okay? Can you wait a few minutes?"

Bill nodded.

"Okay. I'll be back in a flash! There's your box," she cried as she hustled down the hallway.

Bill got a box cutter out of the kitchen drawer which held odds and ends. He opened the box and smiled when he saw the contents. He had been hoping this would arrive before his departure.

He wasn't sure how the idea got started, he suspected Pam's influence. Eric had decided that a Vampire Bill astronaut doll would be a great merchandising idea. Unfortunately, Bill had signed over most of his money decisions to Eric since he was leaving anyway and once Eric had this "brainstorm", he wouldn't let it go. The marketing and merchandising department at NASA had some experience with this since they had okay'd astronaut dolls in the past. Or as Eric had said, when Bill protested becoming a doll, "action figures".

The toy manufacturing giant Mattel had gotten involved and the next thing he knew, Bill was signing paperwork allowing them to use his likeness.

He gingerly lifted one of the patriotically decorated boxes out. The doll was approximately 12 inches in height. He was wearing a full spacesuit, complete with helmet. There were tiny NASA emblems and an American flag decorating the chest of his spacesuit. The facemask could be pulled down or snapped up with the push of a button. He was pale, but not as pale as most vampires really were. The tiny vampire Bill stared at Bill through the clear plastic window of his box with a confident, serious expression.

The back had drawings of Mars, factoids about him, and information regarding the mission he was about to embark on. And it stated that the box included a small educational foldout poster to hang on one's wall.

Bill honestly couldn't believe that anyone would want to spend money on such a thing.

"What's that?" Sookie padded back into the living room. She had a towel on her damp hair, with a brush in her hand and quickly walked up to Bill wearing her nightshirt with Tweety Bird on the front.

With an embarrassed expression, he held up the doll.

To his surprise, she shrieked and threw down the hairbrush. "A Bill astronaut doll! That's crazy! How do I get one?"

"You may have this one," Bill replied. "You like it?"

"It's great! Don't you think it's cool?"

"I'm having trouble imagining anyone desiring to purchase such a thing."

"Bill, you have no idea how many people buy and collect dolls," Sookie announced with an informed air. " I know several people who will want one of these."

"Well, tell them they'll be available at Fangtasia, on their website and NASA's website." Mattel wasn't sure about putting the doll into toy stores until they gauged the public's reaction to the doll. Most of this shipment was going to Eric, but Bill had insisted on seeing them first.

"I'm going to open this," Sookie announced. "Do you want a blood?"

"Yes, please."

While she scampered into the kitchen, Bill relaxed on the sofa. Some drawers opening and closing, a ding of the microwave and she came back. After handing Bill his drink, she giggled while eagerly opening the box.

Once she pulled the little Bill out of the box, she cried," His arms and legs move!" Acting like a kid at Christmas, she set the doll on her lap and moved his arms and legs back and forth. The little white booted feet kicked. Then she popped the facemask open.

Bill had to laugh out loud at the situation. "I would have agreed to this a while ago if I had known it would give you so much pleasure."

"Well, he's just so cute!" she declared. Bill sat there, feeling ridiculous as he experienced jealousy towards the little Bill doll, who was cuddled against Sookie's breasts receiving her attentions. "Whose idea was this anyway?"

"Eric's, but I think Pam may have suggested it to him."

Sookie's enthusiasm damped down a bit at his mention of the Viking's name. "Oh, how was the big party the other night?"

The previous weekend, Eric had decided to throw the party to end all parties for Bill. Bill wasn't sure how he had managed it. He suspected bribes, glamouring, and threats were involved. It had been held in the massive parking lot of the large strip mall where Fantasia was located. There had been Shreveport dignitaries there, TV station reporters, Louisiana delegates, vampire dignitaries, fireworks, massive crowds, a DJ doing dance music, and enormous lights pointing towards the sky. Bill attending wasn't optional. It was a requirement. He'd been glad when it was over.

"It was fine," Bill replied casually. "I preferred the one Bon Temps had tonight."

"Was SHE there?" Sookie asked. She kept her head down, playing with the little astronaut in her lap.

Bill didn't have to ask who "she" was. Eric hadn't been able to get out of the marriage his Maker had arranged for him before his final death. And while Sookie had never told Bill anything about her breakup with Eric, it was obvious she was still holding a grudge. Bill had held his tongue since he knew she wouldn't like what he had to say.

Eric had pulled off a negotiating coup by getting a "Sookie Clause" included in the primary body of the marriage contract. In addition to the gifts of oil wells, natural gas rights that the Queen of Oklahoma had given to Eric for their wedding, a protection clause had been added. He had absolutely refused to go forward until the Queen had agreed to extend her protection towards Eric's human lover. In return, he had agreed to severe his relationship to Sookie. According to Pam, the Sookie Clause was over twenty pages long and covered her protection from threats, abduction, injury, death and being Turned. In essence, if anyone did wrong to Sookie Stackhouse, they would have to contend with the Queen of Oklahoma. If the Queen failed to uphold this part of the contract , then Eric could get out of the marriage, keep all the wedding gifts she'd given him as well as any assets accumulated during the marriage, and had the right to sue for breach.

Bill grudgingly admitted (to himself), that what Eric had done was genius. Essentially, he had pitted the Queen against their own monarch, thereby guaranteeing neither would act against Sookie. And no outside vampire would do anything to her, because they'd be forced to contend with two separate monarch's wrath. Eric had managed to do something that Bill could never have done. She would be left alone if she wished. She could make her own decisions and live without fear of coercion from other vampires for as long as she lived.

Eric had given her a tremendous gift.

Unfortunately, Sookie didn't see it that way. Her hurt feelings regarding Eric's marriage and her place in vampire society had dissolved the remaining ties between them. She could have remained with Eric as his human companion, a 2nd class citizen amongst the vampires, but this she would not do.

Bill understood why she felt the way she did, but he also knew she didn't fully appreciate the scope of what Eric had done for her. But Sookie had never asked his opinion, so he didn't volunteer it.

"Yes, she was there," he replied to Sookie's question. "The king was there as well and a number of other notable vampires. They feel my accomplishment will raise vampire's status in human society."

"It'll help them is what you mean," Sookie answered darkly.

"That too"

They sat quietly for a minute. Bill finished his drink and tried not to look too envious towards the little Bill with his face buried in Sookie's bosom . To his relief, she got up and placed the doll in a sitting position on the mantel over the fireplace. His helmet was snapped back down over his head, and he perched between a ceramic bird sculpture and a postcard that appeared to be from Paris. After retrieving her hairbrush, she sat back down and continued brushing out her hair. Bill remembered a previous evening similar to this one and the beautiful way it had ended. But that was the past and this was now. There was only red residue left at the bottom of his bottle and he sat quietly, knowing he should leave, leave her alone to live her life.

But, he couldn't bring himself to get up. Then, a hand crept slowly onto his knee. He stared at Sookie, daring to hope. Only her profile was visible, as the freshly washed and brushed hair covered most of her face. She was looking up towards the little astronaut sitting on her mantel.

"I know this is not a great idea but…." She began. "It's just that you're leaving forever and I hate that the last time…" She stopped, but Bill didn't need the words because he could hear them in his head

"I hate that the last time I touched you was with violence in the trunk of a car" he thought.

"Are you sure?" he asked, giving her the chance to change her mind. His cravings for her clawed at his belly.

The blond head nodded.

He had them in her bedroom in seconds.

At first, it was all he could do to not rip Tweety Bird right off of her. But, she pushed him away and firmly ordered," Bill Compton, this is my favorite nightshirt. Don't you dare rip it!"

"I'm sorry darling, I'm sorry," he muttered as he pressed his forehead against hers, calming himself down with effort.

As he leaned back, Sookie pushed him further away, then made gestures for him to remove his clothing. As he did so, she pulled off the nightshirt. He was sensing a theme here. When he climbed into the bed, he was sure of it, when she said," I don't know much." A knowing smirk spread across her face.

He returned the smile," Don't worry. I know a lot." Then, they both laughed the laughter of two people who know one another, the good , the bad, and the ugly. Who've been to Hell and back, so they now have a true appreciation for taking the scenic route. As Bill wrapped his arms around Sookie's warm body, he shoved aside the sadness of his impending departure. Instead, he rejoiced in this precious moment with this woman he cherished.

The sheets smelled of laundry detergent and sunshine. It wouldn't have mattered if they had carried the scent of a dozen Werewolves. God had decided to display an ounce of mercy, and granted this night with his darling. He wasn't going to waste a minute on things that didn't matter.

Any potential awkwardness never emerged. It was like they'd been making love nonstop for years. At first, the room was barely lit by a partial moon outside the bedroom window. Bill turned on the small nightstand lamp on his side of the bed. He wanted to remember the glow of Sookie's skin, the sparkle in her eyes, the golden sheen of her hair. He made sure that every spot on her body was kissed, stroked, and worshipped with everything he had. Nothing would be missed or neglected. He was a pilgrim submitting to the goddess of his heart.

They paused a couple times, when Sookie needed to catch her breath. He ran to the kitchen and brought her back some ice tea from the refrigerator and the little box she kept cookies in.

"Wow, naked male snack delivery," she smiled. "It just doesn't get any better."

Bill laughed and popped the container lid, handed her one of the tiny cookies inside. "I like that," she added.

"What?" Bill asked. "These cookies?"

"No, I love hearing you laugh."

"It's easy to laugh when I'm with you."

"God, we're so cheesy. Maybe we should write one of those vampire romance novels that are the big thing now."

"Stake me first…..please."

Sookie giggled and they reclined back into the pillows snuggling as close as the laws of physics would allow. They were quiet for a couple minutes.

"Are you scared Bill?"Sookie asked softly. Her arms tightened around him.

"A little, but I'm excited too. Please don't be afraid."

"I'm trying, but it's hard when it's someone you …..well you know."

"Sookie, in a lot of ways we're better prepared for this journey than the sailors who explored the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred years ago."

"Well, okay," she grudgingly answered." But you tell those other people they better be nice …and look out for you too."

Bill smiled against Sookie's hair at the protective sound in her voice. "Are you going to open up a can of whoop ass on my fellow astronauts?"

Sookie burst out laughing and elbowed Bill's stomach. "Hey! I'm not that much of a redneck….am I? And since when do you use the words 'whoop ass'?"

"I spent way too much time at a certain redneck bar."

"I won't tell Sam you said that."

Bill rolled them so he hovered over Sookie, staring into her eyes. He stroked the golden hair that fanned around her head like a halo in old renaissance religious paintings. "Promise me something."

Sookie's face frowned at the change in his tone. "Let's hear it."

"Don't be so afraid of what might happen that you don't open yourself to something potentially wonderful. Your mortal life is too short. Sam is a good man…..for a shifter."

Sookie's lips compressed and a giggle erupted.

Bill stiffened a bit. "Did I say something funny?"

Her warm arms hugged him tightly. "Oh no! No ..no. no…not at all…it's just that…when you and I were dating…Sam said the exact same thing." Pitching her voice absurdly low, she said, "That Bill, he's a good guy….for a vampire." She laughed and squeezed him again.

Bill smiled, but repeated," You'll think about it? Please?"A warm kiss and a nod was the reply. He could hear the early birds beginning to chirp outside. As always, dawn was approaching and a painful goodbye was imminent. "I have to go," he said quietly.

"I know," Sookie whispered back, her gray blue eyes full and large as she gazed at him.

He couldn't help the slightly frantic nature of the last few kisses he gave her as they clutched in the early dark hours of the morning. Then he dragged himself out of the warm bed, and began slowly pulling on his clothes. Sookie sat up in the bed, hugging her knees to her chest, quietly watching him. There was really very little left to be said. One last look around, then he leaned back over her and kissed her again. When he hugged her and buried his face into her hair, he murmured," I love you."

"I love you too," she replied quietly and without hesitation. "I'm going to miss you."

Bill smiled into her hair."The feeling is mutual. But, we'll still be able to talk through the link I gave you."

"That's not the same thing."

"I know."

When he got to the doorway, he turned to look at her again. She dropped the blanket down to give him a nice view of two of his favorite things, did a little pin up girl head toss which made him chuckle, and blew him a kiss.

He blew her a kiss back and just when he was turning to leave she said," Bill?"

He stopped. "Yes, my darling?"

"Do me proud."

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The next night, Bill had his travel bag sitting next to the front door and wandered through his house while he waited for his ride to the airport. The more modern furniture had been sold. The older pieces that had been in his family for a long time were covered with cotton drop sheets. The lights were off, and he drifted from room to room like a ghost. He'd been born in this house and like most people of his generation, had assumed he'd die in it one day. Fate had other plans.

He heard the faint sound of a car coming down Hummingbird. Locking the door, he walked out to the bottom of the porch steps, and placed his bag next to the cardboard box. He leaned against the horsehead iron hitch. When he had come back to Bon Temps, he'd been amazed it was still there. Shutting his eyes, he remembered the day they'd installed it. It had been rather exciting with the blacksmith and his apprentice coming from town. His father had spent the morning digging a hole for it. Once they pulled their horses up, there was a discussion regarding the cement mixture they were going to use to hold it in place. Bill was dispatched to run back and forth with buckets of water from the water pump out back. Rocks, cement, additional dirt were poured into the hole, and it took all three men to place the hitch in its spot. Once it was installed, he and his sister had been ordered to not touch it for a couple days until the cement had set. He had been very excited when his father told him he could be the one to paint it. And here it stood, a quiet witness to his family's history. The last Compton was leaving forever.

Bill opened his eyes as the car was pulling up. The red corvette came to a smooth stop, with minimal gravel dispersing, which Bill appreciated. Eric unfolded himself from the car in a second.

"Are those the dolls?" he asked, looking down at the box at Bill's feet.

"Yes."

"Excellent! Pam has a spot in the gift shop cleared for them, right next to the T-shirts." Eric looked like he was ringing up dollar signs in his head. Bill didn't ask how much they were going to cost. As they shoved Bill's bag and the box into the Corvette's tiny trunk, Eric noticed the box's contents sounded loose. "Is there one missing?"

"Yes, I gave one away and I'm going to be taking two more."

"Bill, the whole reason to do this is to make money. What are you doing?" Eric didn't bother hiding his irritation.

"I am giving a couple away as gifts. You're going to make plenty of money," Bill replied, also not bothering to hide HIS irritation.

Eric grumbled a bit as they slid into his car. Bill experienced the pleasant feeling of freedom from Eric's displeasure. Bill could not be touched due to his current status, and upcoming mission. There was nothing Eric could do to him directly. He felt free to push the envelope a little.

"I need to make one more stop before we leave Bon Temps."

"Where?" Eric asked, gritting his teeth a little.

"Andy Bellefleur's house, I'll give you directions."

Eric's head nodded in the darkness. They drove quietly for a couple minutes. Then Eric interrupted the silence. " I Googled NASA and this astronaut thing you're doing," he blurted. Bill remained silent, since he was unsure where Eric's offer of discussion about his "astronaut thing" was going. "The human astronauts…they all appear to have very extensive educational backgrounds...multiple degrees…they're all very smart."

"Yes," Bill answered.

"I was surprised."

"Why? Did you think I was dumb?"

"No, don't be ridiculous. It's just …remarkable…that they're allowing someone with a limited formal education to do this. There are other vampires with more extensive educational backgrounds than you."

"True"

Bill had been assigned a formal tutor to "design" an educational program specifically for Bill and this mission, to get him "caught up" as it were. The expression on the tutor's face when Bill had told him his formal education had only gone to age 15….in the 19th century…. had been memorable. Bill had overheard the tutor speaking to one of the mission project heads. Even the very bright humans at NASA had trouble realizing how good his hearing was.

"What am I supposed to do with him? He doesn't even have a high school education! And he went to school before light bulbs were invented! There's no way he can catch up in a couple years! And learn the mission? He sleeps all day, you know that right? How am supposed to work around THAT?"

"We're aware of the issues with Bill Compton, but he's very bright. And he's self-educated, so don't assume he can't learn what he needs. He taught himself how to use computers and designed an entire database practically on his own. Bottom line, cut the negativity and make this happen. The higher ups have a time table. You know this. The ship has to leave within a specific timeframe so Mars will be as close as possible."

"Very well, but I'm informing you that given his weakness In this area compared to the alternate vampire candidates…this mission could be in jeopardy. You're only as strong as your weakest link, you and I both know this."

"Of course, I know you'll do your best. In a few months , if it's not looking good, we'll revisit this and take another look at the alternates, alright?"

"Okay, I can live with that."

Bill was determined that the alternates were not going to replace him. He suggested that they set up school rooms in the lower levels of one of the old military buildings that were no longer used. The basements went down for many floors, a left over from the Cold War and nuclear fears. Deep underground, Bill could be awake hours longer than normal, which added to his training time. He did his "remedial" learning there and his astronaut training with his teammates. When his tutor gave him book reading assignments, he was shocked at how fast Bill read through the books and how well he retained all the material. There was no more talk of alternates.

"There were concerns at first, "Bill said, "but they got over them as my training progressed."

There was a heavy silence for a few seconds. "I never realized you were that smart," Eric murmured grudgingly.

Bill had no idea how to reply to that.

They pulled up to the Bellefleur's modest little house, on a tidy older street on the other side of Bon Temps.

"Pop the trunk, please," Bill requested, as he got out.

A sullen grunt was his only reply, but he heard the trunk's latch click. He still had his key to Andy and Halleigh's house, from his occasional babysitting duties with the children. Some of the happiest moments over the past couple years had been sitting in this little house. Andy and Halleigh entrusting him with their children had been very moving for him. He had read baby books and perused the internet for helpful advice and safety tips.

He quietly let himself in, carrying two of the Vampire Bill dolls. It was a little later than he had stated, so it appeared everyone was asleep. Burying his disappointment in not getting to say goodbye, he glided into the kitchen, its only light the one over the stove which typically stayed on all night. He set the two boxes on the table and started leaving a note, saying they were for Caroline and Isabella. Then he heard soft familiar footfalls in the hallway.

"Uncle Bill!" Little Caroline stood in the dark doorway, a wide grin spreading across her face." You came, you came, just like you promised!" She ran over, making soft thumping sounds in her pajamas with footies. She threw herself into Bill's waiting arms and hugged him with the full emotion of a small child who knows no caution when expressing love. Bill was so overcome, he had to be careful not to hug her back too hard. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at the boxes in the dark kitchen.

"One of those is for you and one is for your cousin," Bill explained. "Why were you up anyway?"

"I was thirsty. Can I have some water?"

"May I have some water," Bill corrected.

"May I have some water?"

"Of course you may."

After getting her a drink, he carried her back to her room while she examined what he had brought her. Once they were in her room, which was lit only by a nightlight, he turned on a small lamp. She was currently sharing her room with her baby brother Lee. Bill looked into the crib and was shocked to see the baby was wide awake and staring back at him. Bill took a quick sniff and knew why.

"Uncle Bill? I want to play with him!" Caroline begged, holding up the box.

"In a moment, sweetheart. I'm going to change your brother before he starts crying." Bill replied firmly.

There were times when being a vampire was a definite advantage, like changing a baby's messy diaper. Bill was able to do it quickly, and not breath during the process. The modern diapers with the tape tabs were wonderful and made this an easy task. Baby Lee had his usual stunned, toothless smile when Bill was done. Bill held him close and asked," Do you feel better now?" Baby Lee answered with his usual, "Ah!" and reached out to grab Bill's nose which he was fascinated with for some reason.

Bill had not been able to go see Lee at the hospital like he had with Caroline. By then, his astronaut training had gotten more involved and days off were more difficult to come by. He knew the baby had been born healthy and it was a boy. He didn't know the name until he came back to see him after they brought the baby home. Like Caroline, Lee's middle name was Compton. Bill had blinked hard when they had said their son bore the same name as the baby he and his wife had lost too soon. He thought it was a coincidence until Halleigh had awkwardly mentioned that they knew about his son. She seemed concerned that Bill would be offended. He had assured them he felt the exact opposite.

Right now, the baby Lee was wide awake, sitting on Bill's lap as they sat at Caroline's table on little chairs. He stared wide eyed at the box Bill was opening for Caroline, reaching out to pull it to his drooling mouth, attracted to the colorful pictures. Maybe he should have gotten another doll for Lee, for when he got older. Bill pictured Eric's face if he went back out to the Corvette and took another doll out of the trunk, no, not worth the argument.

Bill handed Caroline the Bill astronaut and she immediately began "introducing" him to her other toys. Bill and Caroline took up two of the four chairs. A large brown bear, with a tiara on its head sat on one, with Barbie on its lap (Bill had been informed of Barbie's importance). The remaining chair held a stuffed rainbow colored unicorn. Lee leaned back into Bill, slobbering and gnawing on the cardboard box. Bill shook out the little poster that had been included. It had a picture of Mars next to a picture of the Earth, giving side by side comparison information about the two planets; their respective sizes, distance from the sun etc.

Caroline stopped her introductions. "Is that a poster?"she asked. Bill handed it to her and she took it to the white eraser board she used for drawing and hanging pictures. She put magnets on it to hold it against the messy background. It was crooked, but that didn't matter. He looked over the various glittery, messy drawings (Caroline LOVED glitter). He saw one that looked vaguely like people.

"What's that sweetheart?" He asked, pointing at the picture. Caroline had sat back down and was arranging her plastic tea set in honor of the new member.

She pointed at the picture while explaining. "We drew our family at Miss Bea's. (Miss Bea ran the daycare Caroline attended while her mother was teaching). That's daddy and mommy". The two figures could be told apart by Andy's size and what appeared to be a gun on his hip. A small blobby circle with a smiley face turned out to be Lee. "And that's you!" She pointed at a tall skinny figure with brown hair. There seemed to be something wrong with the mouth. "Those are your fangs!" She had drawn two red spikes coming down out of his mouth. Bill hoped he didn't appear that way to her. "The white crayon didn't show, so I had to use red," Caroline explained apologetically.

Ah well. "It's a wonderful picture," Bill observed.

"Do you want some tea Uncle Bill?" she asked, arranging the little plates and teacups on the table. Little Bill had been seated on the bear's lap next to Barbie, his facemask popped open so he could drink the tea too.

Bill knew it was late and she should be in bed sleeping, but it was too difficult to cut this comfortable setting short. "Yes please, that would be lovely," Bill answered automatically, with the same words his human mother had trained him to use.

A dark weight eased onto his shoulders. He had thought he understood what it meant to leave and never come back. But now, with Lee's small, warm body squirming on his lap while he accepted Caroline's offer of "tea" with mini plastic glittery cupcakes placed on his plastic plate; there was a gaping black hole opening up in front of him. Had he made a mistake? It had taken over a century to regain part of what he had lost when he was turned. Now, he had a place in the community, family ties, friends and a home. Caroline's voice yanked him back.

"Make sure you drink your tea Bill," Caroline ordered. Bill started by her tone of voice, then realized she wasn't talking to him. She had placed a tea cup and plate with the pink mini cupcakes in front of the bear, so Barbie and the little astronaut could share. She was tipping the cup into little Bill's mouth. "You're going to fly far away, so you need to drink your tea," she repeated, sounding like her mother. Bill lifted his cup to his lips and drank his "tea" too.

"It's very good Caroline. You make the best tea." Bill smiled.

"Will you play with me tomorrow after dinner?" she asked, holding one of the pink cupcakes up to little Bill's mouth so he could eat. Although she didn't understand the "why" of Bill only being around after dark, she knew that she never saw him during the daytime because the sun made him "sick".

Bill had explained his mission to her many times. There had been tv specials about it on Science channel, Discovery, and the History channel as well. And one of the children's channels had run age appropriate programs about the mission that she had watched. But she was only three. Her whole world consisted of this little house, her parents, immediate family , her daycare and maybe the park. Adults had trouble grasping the concept of a planet that was millions of miles away, how much harder for a small child?

"Sweetheart, I explained this to you before, remember? From now on we're going to talk to each other on the computer. I won't be able to come over, but we can talk and you can show me what's going on here and I can tell you what I'm doing, understand?"

"You won't play with me?" she asked, her eyes sadly staring at Bill. The look in her eyes was identical to Sarah's when Bill had left to fight in the Civil War. Maybe getting involved with this family had been a mistake. Caroline might think Bill was abandoning her. He tried to reassure her.

"We can play, but on the computer. I'm going to fly into the sky on a rocket and go to a planet far, far away so I won't be able to come over here anymore, but we'll always be able to talk and share, okay?"

She nodded slowly, a little frown wrinkling her forehead. Bill had a feeling that her poor mother was going to have to revisit this all over again later on.

Lee was a dead weight in Bill's arms. During this conversation he had drifted off and his chubby face had the blissful expression of a child's pure relaxed sleep.

"I thought I heard voices," Halleigh said. She was standing in the doorway, with a fluffy robe wrapped around her, blinking in the lamplight at the scene in front of her.

"I apologize," Bill said. "I didn't realize it was so late. While I was dropping something off for Caroline and Isabella, she woke up and…..here we are." He gestured towards the tea party he, Caroline, Barbie, the bear, unicorn, and astronaut Bill were conducting.

"Oh, that's alright Bill, it'll be fine. What's that?" she asked stepping forward to look at the new addition.

"He looks just like Uncle Bill and he's an astronaut too!" Caroline informed her mother, holding up the astronaut for introductions.

"I see, well isn't that something! Did you thank your Uncle Bill?"

Caroline immediately looked abashed and hung her head.

"Well, young lady, what do you say?"

"Thank you Uncle Bill!"

Bill laughed. "You're welcome sweetheart." He stood up with the sleeping baby and carefully placed him back into his crib on his back like he'd been instructed.

"I saw a car sitting in our driveway."

"Yes, that's an….acquaintance of mine. He's taking me to the airport."

"Oh, has he been waiting? Should I invite him in?"

"No! Um, no that will not be necessary, Halleigh. I should be going."

"So, you're headed there now?"

"Yes, I'll be flying directly to Florida and going into quarantine."

"We talked about you in Sunday school," Caroline offered.

"I'm sorry?" Bill asked.

"We all prayed to baby Jesus to help you and the other astronauts," she announced.

"Well, thank you very much for that," Bill said.

She pronounced the word "astronaut" correctly. Bill was so proud of her. "And we drew pictures." She got up and dug through the mess of papers stuck to the white board. The family picture was pushed into his hands as well as another picture that seemed to be him and someone else, wearing spacesuits with a bubble around the heads.

"Who is this standing with me?" he inquired.

"That's me!" Caroline answered. "I will come see you and we can play," she added, with the utter confidence only a child can muster.

Bill smiled gently at the picture of him and the smaller astronaut holding hands.

"What's that?" Bill asked, pointing at a red circle in the corner of the page.

"Mars," Caroline answered like it was obvious. "You can have them! "

"Why thank you so much. I'll cherish them always. Will you give me a hug?" He kneeled down, so Caroline could reach him and she ran over and wrapped herself around him. For several seconds, he held her to him, wished for the second time in as many days for time to stand still. "Uncle Bill loves you very much Caroline. Don't ever forget that, no matter what. You understand?"

"Yes Uncle Bill. I love you too."

He let her go and stood up. Halleigh was wiping tears from her cheeks. They shuffled back to the front door, Caroline holding his hand all the way. Andy came rushing down the hallway, wrapping his robe around his stocky body.

"Is he leaving? Did I miss him?"

"He's right here Andy," Halleigh said in a reassuring voice. Andy slid to an embarrassed stop.

"Ah…well…I just wanted to wish you well and good luck," he nodded at Bill, knowing not to shake hands.

Halleigh opened the front door and gave him a hug. "You be careful, you hear? We'll all be praying for you."

"Thank you," Bill replied, as he hugged her small form gently. They all waved from the doorway, as he walked down the sidewalk to the driveway. The headlights came on, as Eric started the car. When he slid in he looked at Eric and nodded. Eric nodded in return and started backing up.

THUNK!

Eric slammed on the brakes. "What's that? Did I hit something?"

Bill turned and saw Andy and Halleigh running down the sidewalk in their robes and slippers. Halleigh was yelling,"Caroline!" Bill experienced a moment of terror thinking Eric had just backed over Caroline, when Caroline's little head popped up alongside the passenger door.

She waved . "Goodbye Uncle Bill!"

Bill rolled down the window. "Caroline! You know better than to run at a car! That's very dangerous!"

Halleigh ran up and checked her daughter. "She's fine! She's okay. She just fell into the door is all. Young lady you know better," she admonished her daughter.

"I'm sorry, mama," Caroline said, looking up at the set of her mother's mouth.

Reassured that his daughter was alright, Andy realized it was a Corvette his daughter had just run into. He ran his hand down the door and leaned over to address Eric. "It's fine! No dent, it's okay!" he said, the relief obvious in his voice.

Eric nodded.

Bill stared at Caroline. "You be careful young lady and listen to your mama…..and your papa," he lectured, nodding towards Andy.

Caroline nodded obediently. "Okay Uncle Bill. I will." Then her demeanor changed and she looked past him towards Eric. "You be nice to my Uncle Bill," she said, pointing at Eric, apparently having decided that Eric was a part of Bill's mission.

Bill was scared to turn and see the look on Eric's face on receiving orders to "be nice" from a three year old child.

"Caroline! Watch your manners!" Halleigh said. Looking at Eric she said, "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," Eric's deep voice murmured.

Bill rolled the window back up. If he was human, he'd be desperate for a drink of alcohol right now. "Okay, go ahead," he said.

"Is it safe? Will any other tiny humans be launching themselves out of the brush?" Eric asked, peering into the rearview mirrors and glancing around the driveway suspiciously.

"Yes, it's fine," Bill responded, waving at the little group on the sidewalk. They all waved back.

Eric backed out slowly, twisting his head around until they were safely in the street. He relaxed once they started making their way out of Bon Temps. When he spoke again it was with the voice of a vampire elder. "Bill Compton, I have a question to ask you."

Bill shifted in his seat at Eric's tone. He glanced over at the profile of his sheriff's face as they hurtled along Louisiana's dark roads. "Yes sheriff?" he asked, using formal address.

"Are you ready to leave this place and go forth on your journey?"

"Yes, I am."

"Very well….so be it," Eric replied. He perked up when they got out of the Bon Temp's city limits and onto the highway.

Bill did not look back.

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Bill arched his back, pushing his hips off the bed while he gripped Grace's tightly. The view was spectacular. Grace's large breasts had a light sheen of sweat on them, her head was thrown back and red hair cascaded down her shoulder blades. The hot wet insides of her gripped him as she climaxed and Bill could stand it no longer. He sat back up, pulled her to him and sank his fangs into her neck.

When he had heard humans describe taking drugs, the "hit" they received…he determined it must be a lot like this. As her throbbing heart pushed the sweet blood into his open mouth, he felt he would explode and die right there. And he wouldn't mind.

Afterward they cuddled together, limbs entangled. Bill enjoyed Grace's warm legs wrapped around his cooler ones. He reflected over the past several days. While he had gone back to his work, he had also made a little time to spend with Eric and the two women. The threesome of their initial encounter had not been repeated. Instead, a couple days afterward, Grace had shown up at his door wearing a long silk gown, a seductive smile and very little else. It had been a very pleasurable evening.

Later on, Bill had informed Eric of the time he'd spent with Grace, unsure if he was going over a line. Eric had shrugged and said he already knew about it. It became obvious to Bill, that although Eric had a relaxed relationship with both women, Paloma was his favorite. Unlike Grace, who was a pleasant, easy going woman who seemed to have a desire to make others comfortable; Paloma was more playful, and challenging. She was a very blunt, forthright sort of woman and enjoyed teasing Eric as much as possible. Sometimes, even Bill was shocked at some of the things that came out of her mouth and were directed towards the older vampire.

While he and Grace snuggled next to each other, observing the Mar's morning sunlight creeping across the ceiling; they talked about her visit so far. She told him of the various touristy things her, Paloma and Eric had done. They had taken the official station inside tour and were planning on doing the external one in a couple days. Eric had adjusted to the Mar's gravity and was now walking pretty normal, but was still uncomfortable in the Mar's flat daylight. Since all the tours were conducted during the daytime, they were going to wait another day or two.

They had visited the various establishments including the official Mars Rocks! Jewelry store that had exclusive rights to selling jewelry made from Mar's rocks that had been ground, shaped, and polished on Mars. Each piece came with documentation, and engraving that announced it was "Made on Mars". Eric had purchased both women some pieces they selected.

"How did you meet Eric?" Bill asked. He had been working his way up to asking this personal question.

"Well, Paloma met him first, at a party I think. They hit it off right away. People get a little intimidated by Eric, as I'm sure you know." Bill nodded against her fragrant hair. "She said he liked the fact that she wasn't scared of him and spoke her mind, especially when he's being a jackass." Grace laughed lightly, her soft breasts shaking against his chest. Bill shifted a bit, wondering if it was too soon to initiate sex with her again. He didn't want her to think that was all he wanted from her. But she was so beautiful and smelled so good. It was difficult to not think about taking her over and over. The fact that she was actually a lovely person inside added to her attractiveness. Unlike some beautiful women he'd met in his undead existence, she seemed nonchalant about her appearance.

"Have you and Paloma been friends a long time?"

"Um….yeah….we met when we were teenagers and became friends later."

"What do you do?" Bill asked. He had been debating asking this, since he wasn't sure if Eric was taking care of these two women.

"I'm finishing up my schooling, so is Paloma." Bill had figured they were both fairly bright. He had a low tolerance for brainless women and so did Eric.

"What are you ladies studying?" Bill asked.

"I'll have my Master's in Geriatric Nursing by the end of the year, and Paloma will be studying to take her bar exam for interplanetary law when we get back. Since the terraforming has really started here, various governments are ready to carve up the planet already and they'll need lawyers I guess," she said, sounding amused by it all.

"Well, if Paloma can handle Eric, I'm sure she'll be able to handle anyone who disagrees with her," Bill commented. Grace laughed. Then he asked something else he'd been wondering. "What is the …nature of your relationship with Paloma, if that isn't too personal?"

Grace laughed again. "What are you worried about there Mr. Bill?"

Bill shrugged in the bed," I was just curious. I apologize if this is out of line."

"You're so polite, especially compared to Eric who just blurts stuff out without thinking about how it's going to affect the other person! It's amazing you two are friends, " she marveled. Bill didn't comment on her observation. "To answer your question, we're good friends. We have fun too sometimes, with other people. I wouldn't have tried half the things I've tried if I hadn't met her. She's just fearless and will try just about anything once. I'm not that brave," she added, squeezing Bill's torso and cuddling closer.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Bill said warmly.

"Hah! You're such a flatterer."

"Not at all."

"Anyway, once we're done with school, I'll get a job somewhere and she'll travel off to wherever. I doubt it'll be the same. And besides, I think Eric is going to turn her. "

"What?" Bill exclaimed, sitting partway up and looking down at Grace's face. At first, he wasn't sure if she was joking, but from her startled expression it was obvious she wasn't. "Has he said this?"

"Well, he and Paloma have discussed it and they've even filled out the application for it," Grace explained, still looking concerned regarding his reaction.

Bill lay back down, pondering this. Eric hadn't turned anyone for a few hundred years. Why now? And why hadn't Eric even mentioned it? Laws now required prior notification of the intention to turn a human into a vampire. The human had to be at least 24 years old, of sound mind, and there was a one year waiting period to avoid any second thoughts. The exceptions would be a human who was dying of an illness or some disease that would cause them to be less than able bodied later. And there were limits to how many children a vampire could have currently "alive" at any one time. This had actually been established by the vampires themselves after an especially tyrannical vampire tried to create his own personal vampire child army.

"Is something wrong?" Grace asked. "Is there something I should know?" Bill realized the concern in her voice was for her friend. He quelled that immediately.

"No, not at all, forgive me. I was just surprised that Eric hadn't mentioned it."

"They haven't told anyone else but me. Paloma is worried about what her family is going to think."

Bill could understand that. Grace reluctantly pulled away from him and out of the bed. Bill had been with enough human women over the years to know what she was going to do and not comment. Sure enough, she made a beeline for his bathroom. After a few minutes he heard the hand washer hiss, then she walked back out. He enjoyed watching the sway of her hips as she strolled across the carpet.

She stopped in front of his desk. He had three visual panels mounted and a large control pad for them. He could operate them orally through Caroline, but because he was a vampire, it was sometimes quicker to use the pad. That way, he could multitask and operate all three panels simultaneously. Right now, they were in "art/décor" mode, so they were slowly flipping various pictures, photographs, and designs across their screens. It was similar to the antique digital photo frames that some people still owned. Surrounding that area were shelves and cabinets with equipment, various items he'd collected and old fashioned large LED tablets with operations manuals and journals he'd kept. Most of their data he'd already loaded into Caroline and had sent back to Earth to be stored in the Mar's Explorer archives. But he couldn't bring himself to throw them out since they still worked. He reluctantly realized he may have finally turned into his father after all.

"I'm sorry. I'm being nosy," Grace said, pulling away from the display.

"That's alright. It's not top secret or anything," Bill joked.

Reassured, she leaned back in watching the display slowly flip, flip, flip…then she touched the pad to freeze them and leaned even closer. Bill saw she was looking at a photograph taken of him before he left Earth. He was kneeling on the grass, in front of a large bush with huge white moonflowers, and little Caroline Compton Bellefleur was hugging him with one arm while placing a daisy into his hair that appeared already full of them. Even though the picture was in color, the combination of Bill's pale complexion, the white flowers in his hair and the background gave it a black and white appearance. The middle screen was a child's scrawling drawing of two astronauts, one tall, one short , holding hands.

Grace smiled and pointed at the drawing. "Did the little girl do this drawing?"

"Yes," Bill answered, smiling back.

"How did you know her?"

"Her family were my descendants. I was her great –grandfather, 3rd generation."

Grace's eyes got big. "Wow," she blurted. She pointed at the third screen of an older woman, standing very straight, wearing an old fashioned dress and a large gold medal around her neck. "Who is this?"

"The same little girl, but older"

"What's that around her neck?" Grace asked.

"A Nobel prize medal in medicine"

Grace gasped. "What was her name?" she asked, peering even closer.

"Caroline Compton Bellefleur"

"You're related to THE Caroline C Bellefleur! Oh my god, I did a school report on her when I was a teenager!" Grace exclaimed, clapping her hands.

Bill laughed again, charmed by Grace's reaction. He was pleased she knew his Caroline. And it made sense given her studies. Caroline had been one half of a team that discovered how to halt Alzheimer's disease, which had revolutionized how humans aged. She had already been involved in neuroscience, studying brain chemistry and function, but when her father had come down with the disease, she switched fields. Someone else had already figured out what caused it , but it took her and her research partner another 20 years to discover how to halt it. They couldn't reverse damage already done, but if caught early enough the quality of life for the patient was increased dramatically. Unfortunately, the treatment came too late for Andy Bellefleur and when she showed him the medal and diploma presented to her by the current Swedish king, he thought it was a pretty coaster she made for him in arts and crafts and tried to put his drink on it.

Bill had made his peace with these memories centuries ago since all the family and friends from that time period had been dead for so long. It pleased him that some of them were not forgotten to time.

Grace must have caught something in his expression. "You loved her very much didn't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Bill replied. "My relationship with each generation of my family has become more distant than it was when I was on Earth. Now, I have only a passing acquaintance with some of them."

"Why haven't you gone back?" she asked, genuinely curious. "It doesn't take so long now, once they invented the ion propulsion."

"This is my home now," Bill stated firmly.

Sensing Bill's discomfort, Grace changed the subject. "We hear you have a regular watering hole….O'Tooles?" she asked, sliding back into the bed with Bill. "How about we meet you there later tonight for a few drinks? Can you get some time off work?" She gazed at him hopefully.

After considering his schedule for a moment, Bill replied, "That sounds like a plan."

"Great! " She snuggled closer, under the blanket. "I think I need a little nap after that workout you just gave me."

Bill chuckled, rubbed his nose into her fragrant hair and let her drift off while he pondered this recent information about Eric.

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They were already on their first drinks when Bill arrived at O'Tooles. Eric appeared to be telling a story that had Harold and the girls laughing. Bill slid next to Grace, kissed her gently on the cheek and greeted the bartender with a nod.

"Your usual Bill?" the human asked.

Bill took a pause and considered. "No, I think this calls for something special. Let's get my Royalty out of the locker." O'Toole's had private temperature controlled lockers that were rented out for personal collections of alcohol. Bill's room lacked even a small refrigeration unit since he had no need for one. And it was safer to keep the valuable blue bottle in one of Harold's lockers since they had been built similar to safes with constant security.

He and Harold walked over to the back corner where the lockers were. They each put their hand upon the sensor, Bill punched in the "open" command and the door of his locker popped open. As Bill carried it back to the bar, Harold rummaged around his glasses. "I've never served this before," he said. "What would be the best type of glass to use do you think?"

Bill replied," A wine glass should be fine. Get two Harold." Harold nodded. Eric glanced at Bill with his eyes widened in surprise. "Don't look so surprised Eric. It will be pleasant to have someone enjoy it with me."

"That's so sweet," Grace interjected, squeezing Bill's arm. The two women watched Harold curiously, since probably neither of them had ever seen a bottle of Royalty served.

"Thank you Bill," Eric replied smoothly. "Harold, the glass needs to have a large enough bowl so the scent can be picked up as well."

It said something for Harold's experience as a bartender and dealing with people, that he didn't react to Eric's statement about the glass that Harold was carefully pouring right now. He poured the rich, red liquid, then glanced at Eric, who nodded when he'd poured enough. Popping the glasses into warming units, he put the top back on the Royalty and slid it into a temporary locked cooler behind the bar.

Bill felt his fangs starting to slide down in anticipation of this special treat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had Royalty. It was a good thing there were only a few regulars scattered around the bar, since he wasn't sure he would be able to totally suppress his reaction. He accepted the warm glass from Harold and held it close to his face so as to better inhale the rich, complex scent.

"Bill!" Eric chided. "You're not going to drink without a toast are you?"

Bill thought for a second. He was drawing a blank, so he asked," What shall we toast?"

"I've got it," Eric declared. He held his glass up and tilted towards Bill, so Bill held his up. The two vampires clinked glasses.

"To one thousand years," Eric intoned, looking directly at Bill.

"To one thousand years," Bill repeated. The girls clapped, as they clinked again and drank. It was hard not to shudder with the pleasure of it. Bill's fangs came down completely and he shut his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. When he reopened them, Grace was staring at him.

"That good huh?" she asked. Bill nodded a little, almost embarrassed. "I'll try not to get jealous," she smirked.

Harold walked to the other side of the bar, satisfied they were alright for the moment. He was serving a couple tourists who had just walked in.

They passed a companionable hour, chatting about the station. The girls laughed about some of the other tourists on the ship they'd come in on. Harold regaled them with funny stories about previous visitors. Then Bill mentioned going back to work.

"Would I be allowed to accompany you?" Eric asked, finishing off his original bottle of True Blood Classic.

Bill pondered that for a second. His first impulse was to say no, but in truth there was no specific regulation against it. As long as Eric stayed with him at all times. "Alright," Bill replied. "We'll go to my office so I can get you a visitor badge to wear in the restricted areas".

Eric nodded agreeably. Paloma and Grace debated for a moment, then decided they'd stop by the gaming establishment before heading back to their room. Each vampire received an affectionate kiss, then they split up. Bill watched Harold put the royal blue bottle back in his locker before he and Eric left.

Once they were back in the Operation's offices, Bill wondered whether allowing Eric to tag along was a good idea. "This won't be very interesting," Bill warned.

"I've been in business meetings before, Bill," Eric replied, obviously amused. "I'm just curious what your position entails….how a typical work night progresses…that sort of thing."

It sounded simple. A typical night could be quite varied given Bill's unique position on the station. He was proud of his team and the work they accomplished. Displaying this to Eric could be interesting. He shoved his misgivings aside and agreed, as he handed Eric his large yellow visitor pass to wear.

Eric behaved himself. He kept quiet, and observed Bill's various meetings with his team. They trekked around the station discussing the numerous minor repairs that never ended. Eric stood still and silent behind Bill at each location. The only time he reminded Bill he was there was when they were checking a pumping station in the horticultural dome. He inhaled deeply. "This section smells so different from the rest of the station. It's less…..," he searched for the word.

"Artificial?"Bill queried.

"Fake," Eric declared.

A dead being appreciating the most living part of the station was a lovely irony that amused Bill. "I enjoy this section as well," Bill explained. "But, I don't get to do it very often. I rarely take days off."

Eric tsked, tsked for a minute, then said," You know the old saying Bill. All work and no play makes a vampire a lousy l…"

"Stop," Bill interrupted, shaking his head. "Besides, I don't recall you being very good at taking nights off."

"Even an old dog can learn some new tricks," the older vampire answered. He paused for a second. "Don't you get bored?" You've been imprisoned in this place for centuries now."

"There are always things to do and I go outside the habitats regularly," Bill answered.

Eric stared down at Bill. "Show me," he said.

It was rather late in the Mars night as the two vampires drove a ground vehicle across the sandy surface. Visibility was poor, even for them since the wind had picked up a little and dust blew past. Bill was utilizing the sensors to make sure they didn't drive into a sand trap or off the edge of a cliff. His sense of direction on Mars was no better than a human when it was full dark and the sand was blowing. The lights from the control board illuminated his vampire companion's face. Eric seemed to be quite excited.

"This is amazing!" he declared. "We're driving across another planet!"

Bill grinned in agreement, then gripped the steering mechanism more firmly as the vehicle hit a rough area, causing the vampires to bounce in their seats a bit. They were both wearing space suits designed specifically for working on the Mars surface. Eric had balked about wearing it at first, since they were inside the vehicle. But Bill had insisted. Planning for worst case scenarios was how one survived on Mars. Murphy's Law seemed to work overtime here, so they also had a case of the dried blood mix in case they got stranded and had to wait for help. The helmets were sitting on the seats behind them. Bill had shown Eric how to put it on and lock it in place in less than five seconds if he had to.

What he hadn't told Eric was that they were going to leave the ground vehicle and walk on the surface. He was beginning to get the idea that Eric was less than impressed with his life here. It was close enough to dawn that they would be able to watch the Mars sunrise. Bill wanted Eric to see how amazing this planet really was. And watching a sunrise for the first time in a couple millennia ought to make an impression on the older vampire.

They hit another rough spot and bounced again.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" Eric accused.

"No, of course not," Bill retorted, just as they hit another one and bounced again.

This time both vampires laughed.

"Maybe I should drive," Eric suggested.

Bill pictured the two of them careening off the edge of a massive crater. "No"

"Pretty please?"

Bill tried to remember if this was an expression he'd ever heard Eric use before". "No," he replied.

"Spoilsport"

Bill snorted in reply.

"Will we see any of the factories?"

"No, we're not close to them. The day tours visit them though." The factories Eric was referring to were the second major stage in terraforming the planet. Begun a couple hundred years before, they pumped out the same gases that had caused Earth to warm so quickly centuries before. The goal was the same. Warm up Mars by creating a layer of gases that would hold what little warmth the planet possessed. Once there was some semblance of an atmosphere, they would move to the third stage. The Mar's soil could already support several different types of Earth plants, each with varying degrees of genetic manipulation and did in the horticultural dome. Once the temperature was high enough, and the atmosphere thick enough to block some of the radiation, the plants could go into a structure with minimal protection and support. At first, they would be variations on the plant specifically designed for Mars, then genetically modified Earth plants that already had a tolerance for high Ph soil, like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, various lettuces, carrots, beets etc. And that was just the beginning.

It had taken so long to get to this point, and so many times it had seemed a pipe dream. Bill was thankful he was immortal and had lived long enough to see it get to this point. That reminded him of his previous decision to visit the gravesites of settlers. He would consider that later.

"So, where are we going?"

"The Victoria crater"

"And then?"

"We'll wait for sunrise."

There was silence as the older vampire digested this information. "Is it safe?" he asked, then paused in an embarrassed manner. "Never mind, that was a ridiculous question."

"We'll be perfectly safe," Bill responded, calmly. "We're too far from the sun for it to harm us directly."

Eric sat back in his seat, like he was listening. "Why can't I feel the sunrise approaching? How long?"

"We can't sense the sunrise approaching, but it will be up in approximately one hour. Would you like some blood?"

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

They sat in silence, bumping along. When the instruments told Bill they were within fifty meters of the crater's edge, he stopped the vehicle. He put the vehicle into power save mode after making sure all the exterior spotlights were on. The blackness outside hovered over the brightly cutting swathes of light shining upon the orangey red surface.

After ten minutes, Bill broke the silence. "Grace tells me you are going to turn Paloma."

Eric twisted his head and stared at Bill. "She shouldn't have told you that."

"Why? Why keep it a secret from me?"

"Because, I don't need to hear you pontificate about destroying her humanity or some other nonsense."

"It doesn't bother you that she won't be the same woman she is now?"

"And so it begins"

"Well? Doesn't it?"

"Bill, in a couple decades she will not be the same person she is now anyway. Humans change as they get older. You know this. She is not doing this under duress. We have discussed it many times. And If she changes her mind and backs out, I will not force the issue," Eric stated with great patience, but he was dropping his contractions which was a bad sign. "She is willing and it really is not your concern is it? If you had ever been a Maker you would understand the rewards and the benefits, to both Maker and Child."

Bill sat silent. Eric seemed willing to let it drop and they sat silently for another fifteen minutes.

There had been a tiny shift in the light outside the vehicle. It was time. Bill picked up his helmet, put it on and locked it into place.

"What are you doing?"

"Put your helmet on. We're going outside."

"What?"

"You heard me"

"You didn't tell me that!"

"It's perfectly safe. Come on Eric! Where's your sense of adventure?" Bill challenged.

The older vampire scowled, but he popped his helmet on and locked it into place as Bill had shown him. Bill went through the depressurization lock first. When Eric stepped outside the vehicle he touched his toe onto the sandy Mar's surface like he expected it to turn into quicksand. Awkwardly, he lumbered after Bill like Frankenstein's monster. Bill wisely held his tongue on that observation.

"Follow me," Bill requested, as he turned on his headlamp.

Being inside a suit removed a lot of the senses that vampires relied on automatically. Their sense of smell was eliminated, their hearing reduced, besides the com relays next to their ears, only their eyesight remained unaffected. Bill walked carefully and paid attention to Eric walking behind him. They weren't that far from the crater's edge and he didn't want to go tumbling over it.

The shift in the light had grown greater, so the area around them was more visible. They were approximately twenty meters from the edge. Both vampires stopped and stood silently as the light from a distant sun weakly bled over the horizon and across the bleak Mar's landscape. The orangey peach light grew slowly, casting shadows across the crater.

"This reminds me of the Grand Canyon," Eric commented over the com relay.

"Only this wasn't carved by water, but from meteors plummeting down," Bill responded.

Eric shuffled ahead of Bill, getting closer to the edge to get a better look at the vast open space beneath them. His stiffness in moving was the only clue to his discomfort out here in the open with the sun peeking over the horizon. Vampires much younger than Eric hadn't been able to do this. Too many decades or centuries fearing the sun took their toll. Bill grudgingly admitted (to himself) that it was remarkable one so old could do this. He was proud of his old sheriff.

Not that he would tell him that.

Bill watched as Eric drew closer to the edge, gazing downward. It suddenly occurred to Bill, that he could push Eric off the edge and the older vampire would fall. The fall would likely be fatal since the suit wasn't designed for that level of damage. It would tear open and…..

Bill shook himself out of this flight of fancy. He wasn't sure why his mind had drifted this way. The tall figure in front of him half turned around. He saw a curving smile behind the domed facemask.

"What?"

"You were thinking about pushing me off the edge weren't you?" Eric asked.

"No! Of course not!" Bill replied.

"Yes you were"

"No! I wasn't!" Bill insisted.

He heard snickering over his com relay.

Eric faced towards the growing light. "This is rather freeing isn't it?" he said sounding almost giddy, gesturing towards the rising sun. Bill flinched as Eric suddenly took off running across the sand, jumping over large boulders in his way. He couldn't levitate or fly, but the lower gravity meant he could jump really high. Bill watched the sand blow behind Eric as the tall figure raced across the sand, periodically leaping into the air. It was like watching the super hero holo action dramas. Bill was old enough to remember when such stories were still written on cheap paper.

Then as suddenly as it had started, it was over. Eric stood silhouetted by the sun for a few moments. He looked like he was searching the ground for something. He reached down and picked up a rock about the size of a baseball, and strolled back briskly with it.

"A gift for Pam?" Bill asked. Tourists had a kilogram allowance for Mars rocks. Many of them didn't want to buy a rock. They wanted to find and pick up the rock themselves from the surface, much like people taking seashells home from the beach.

"I'm ready to head back when you are," Eric replied, passing Bill towards the ground vehicle.

They got back in the vehicle, removed their helmets and were on their way. After driving for an hour, Eric realized they weren't heading back towards the habitat. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"I need to make a stop before we go back."

"Very well"

They drove for another hour, then came upon some large rock faces over 30 feet high sticking out of the surface.

"What's here?"

"Settler graves," Bill answered.

"I see"

They pulled up to the rock face within view of a space craft that had obviously crashed into it. It sat forlornly half covered in Mar's dust. Next to it, there were large stones lined up in an orderly fashion with writing on them. The two vampires prepared to leave the vehicle again. This time, Bill reached into a locker and pulled out what appeared to be a bouquet of flowers made from plastic wrappers. It was rather colorful, contrasting with the interior of the vehicle and the bleak exterior.

"Where did you get those?"Eric asked.

"There's a woman on the station who makes them."

They spent about twenty minutes walking amongst the graves. Each rock had one side shaved flat facing upwards with a name and date on it. Bill would bend down and brush the encroaching dirt away, so each rock remained readable. When he got to the one closest to the wrecked spacecraft, he carefully placed the plastic flower bouquet next to it.

"Sally Carpenter," Eric read aloud. "Was she something special to you?"

"She was my friend," Bill responded quietly, kneeling down next to the rough stone.

"I'd say she was more than that," Eric commented.

Bill didn't answer. Eric wordlessly followed him back to the vehicle and they drove back to what little civilization this planet possessed. When they were going through the airlock , Eric asked another favor. "Could I use your tub? A bath would be quite pleasant. The steam showers are fine, but it's not the same thing, as I'm sure you are aware."

Bill heard himself saying yes.

It was officially "morning" so the humans were stirring on the station. Eric quietly followed Bill back to his room. "Good ahead," he said, pointing towards the bathroom's open door. "The operation should be clear enough and there are towels in the cabinet."

"Thank you," Eric replied politely, stripping off his clothing as he went.

Bill sat down at his desk, giving Caroline instructions on messages to send to his various team members from the walk the night before. He could hear Eric's groan of satisfaction from the other side of the door when he immersed himself in the small tub, and a bit of splashing.

By the time Eric finished, the sun had fully risen outside. Bill's quarters were filled with the peachy light. Bill was feeling a little sleepy. Once Eric left, he would do a bit more work than go to bed for the afternoon as was his custom. He heard the soft padding of Eric's feet behind him.

"Feel better?" Bill asked, turning to observe Eric.

"Yes indeed, I do, thank you again." Eric had dried himself off and was brushing his hair as he walked naked over to the settee and dropped into it. "How did you manage to snag such a luxury here?"

"Seniority," Bill smiled.

"Well, being immortal helps with that doesn't it?"

"Yes"

Eric brushed his hair with a slow studied air, gazing around the room observing the sunlight's shadows upon the walls.

"I never get tired of looking at it," Bill offered.

"I'd imagine not" Eric stretched his long legs out. "It was nice getting out of here and stretching my legs." He seemed to be done with the brush and leaned back against the settee, his arms relaxed against the back, extending past either side. The large blue eyes observed Bill, the face was still.

"What?"

"When was the last time you shared your bed with a vampire, Bill?"

Bill tried not to show his surprise. It had been some time actually given the few vampires that visited the station each year. And Bill hadn't lost his caution regarding intimacy with other vampires. Humans were safer. He thought of a few sarcastic retorts, then discarded them.

"Is that a proposition?" he asked lightly, like Eric was joking.

"Yes"

Bill was still. It simply hadn't occurred to him that Eric might desire him as a bedmate. He tried to buy time.

"Why?"

"Why not? When was the last time you were with someone older and more accomplished than you?" The white teeth flashed in an amused grin, and Eric displayed his fangs slowly poking out. The long legs were casually spread out. The owner's tall, powerful body on display. "Well?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why don't you admit you want to?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because if you were totally against it, you would have thrown me out of your quarters by now." Eric grinned. "Why don't you just admit you're curious and would like to try it?" The Viking slowly leaned forward, his muscles tense, one of his hands drifted down between his legs absentmindedly. Bill thought about it. Eric would be returning to Earth, and likely never come back to Mars. A one night stand could be exciting. He'd been hearing about Eric's prowess since he was turned. Why not try it for himself? But he wasn't sure what the big Viking would desire. As if reading his thoughts, Eric offered," You can fuck me first if you'd like. Or not. We won't do anything you don't want to do." The broad shoulders shrugged in slow motion.

Why not? "Alright, bed or no bed?" Bill asked, cocking an eyebrow at Eric.

"Bed please. Rug burn hasn't gotten more pleasant over the centuries," Eric replied, his large eyes blazed with excitement.

Bill felt a subtle thrill at the opportunity to try something new and unexpected. It had been so long. He went over to the closet, and pulled the bed down.

For some reason, his long dead Maker's face popped into his mind. He had loathed Lorena, but she had honestly tried her best to instruct him on being a vampire and protecting himself. Dulled by living amongst weaker humans on Mar's for hundreds of years, he ignored what his instinct was trying to tell him.

By the time he realized Eric was attacking him from behind it was too late.

The long legs and arms wrapped around him in a vise grip. One hand covered his mouth to stop him from calling Caroline for help. And fangs almost two thousand years old buried into his neck.

TBC

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It's my fervent desire that you all not have to wait an insane amount of time for the final chapter of this story, not to mention my getting back to my other stories. All I can say is I'll try my best.