[AU] down to the Gulf

[feel_human]

Recuperating is a long, wearisome process, but she steadily refuses Bill's offers of his blood. "With everythin' that's been happenin', I just need to feel human for a while," she tells him, and he accepts it, if reluctantly.

Sam and Dean keep her swaddled in blankets, ply her with ice cream and soup and oatmeal and eggs, food soft enough not to hurt her bruised throat, and sternly keep her from doing pretty much anything at all but resting, eating, and healing. It feels like ages before her throat has healed well enough for her to eat solid food, but after that point, she gets better faster and faster. After a couple of weeks, she's nearly back to her old self, and the bruises have mostly faded away. She celebrates by baking Dean the long-promised apple pie and by telling Sam Merlotte that she's taking another week off.

There's no chance her little Honda could make it all the way down to the Gulf, even after Dean fixes what René had broken. Jason surprises her by offering his truck – she doesn't take him up on it, but she's touched – but a rental's a lot easier to manage when she's not the only one paying for it.

She leaves the house in Dean's care, warns him that Tara will be stopping by to make sure the place is still in one piece and asks him not to stake the neighbors, then slips into the passenger seat, her bag in the back with Sam's backpack. And then they're gone, gone, cruising southwards away from Bon Temps and vampires and everything that's happened. It's perfect, and that's even before they get to the Gulf.

She's not prepared for the crystalline water, the massive arcing expanse of sky, the soft white sand. It's the most beautiful place she's ever seen.

Comments

[gavemea_45]

He’d been keeping a watch out of the corner of his eye to see her reaction to the ocean, and can’t help but grin at how dazzled she looks. “What do you think?”

[feel_human]

"It's so beautiful."

There's awe in her voice as she looks out the car window at the curving beach, damp sand marking the tideline. Even from the road, she can feel the warmth of the sun seeping into her, soothing all the places that are still sore or bruised from the attack. She closes her eyes and sniffs, then grins at him, delighted. "I can smell the salt in the air."

[gavemea_45]

“The sand’s really nice here,” he promises. “Warm and practically white and soft.” Sam takes the long curving road that leads down toward the series of small beach cottages he’d found online for rental.

[feel_human]

"It sounds like heaven. I bet the water's warm, too."

Maybe here, where the water is so clear, she might be able to face her fears and go in. But if not, she'll have just as nice a time baking on the beach and watching him swim. She reaches to turn off the car's AC and rolls down the windows, her grin flashing again as the warm, salt-scented breeze floods through the car and tugs at the loose strands of her hair.

[gavemea_45]

“It is,” he promises. “You might like wading in the edge of the surf.”

He plucks his phone out of the cup holder and hands it to her. “Text Dean that we made it? Close enough anyway.”

[feel_human]

She flips open the phone and carefully types out the message –

Arrived safe, just getting to cottages now. Be nice to Tara when she gets there – Sookie

– then sets the phone back into the cupholder before she smiles over at him. "Maybe if I've got you there to make sure nothin' pulls me under," she says, half-teasing, half-serious. But the water she's looking at is so different from the dark rivers and black mirror bayous of Bon Temps that she thinks she might be willing to give it a shot.

[gavemea_45]

“Only if you want,” he promises. Sam slows the car and pulls in to the slightly overgrown drive, then up in front of the cottage marked ‘Office.’

“Hang tight and I’ll be right back - or come in with me if you want?” he switches to, fast. It’s not been long enough for him to feel comfortable leaving her alone, even though he knows she should be perfectly safe now.

[feel_human]

"I'll come," she says, unbuckling her seat belt. She's been like a moon in orbit around Sam – or Dean, if Sam's had to go do something – ever since she felt well enough to get up and walk around. The smallest things make her jump, and she's been terrified of being alone. She's clung to Sam like ivy twining around a house, unwilling to be without him.

But he seems to need it just as much as she does, so she doesn't feel all that bad about it. She pushes out of the car and steps onto the driveway, shoes crunching the white shells under her soles, then holds out her hand for his.

[gavemea_45]

He twines his fingers with hers and draws her close to his side before walking with her to the office.

“Hello?” Sam calls out, over the sound of the bell chiming above the door.

[feel_human]

A bored teen with heavy eyeliner and a tan to rival Sookie's own glances up from her magazine, then stows it away before the desk. "Help you?"

"Hi," Sookie says, falling into her own waitress-bright smile by reflex. "We have a reservation?"

[gavemea_45]

“Under Ford,” Sam says, casually. “Mark Ford.”

The teen looks something up in a computer that looks older than she is, then nods. “Cottage six, for the week. You can pay now or when you check out, whichever you want.”

[feel_human]

He'd warned her ahead of time, so she knows to school her expression, but it's still so strange to pretend that's his name. She supposes she'll have to try and remember to call him 'Mark' if they're around any of the rental employees.

"Let's just take care of it now," she tells him. "Not have it hangin' over our heads all week."

[gavemea_45]

Sam’s smile for her is warm. “Okay.” He turns back to the girl behind the desk. “Mind if I use cash?”

She eyes him, but shrugs. “Spends okay. I’m still gonna need ID and a card for incidentals, though.”

“Of course,” he assures her, and pulls out his wallet.

[feel_human]

She smiles back at him, happy, and releases his hand so he can access his wallet. Arlene had browbeaten about everyone in town to send her some cash as well as food to make up for lost shifts and hospital bills, and a fair amount of that money had ended up right there in Sam's wallet for expressly this occasion.

While she waits for them to conclude the business of checking in, she looks out the window, which has a line of sight straight to one of the white sand beaches below. "This must be a pretty nice summer job," she says, friendly, to the girl. "You get to use the beaches?"

"Yes, ma'am. It sure is, ma'am." The girl flashes her a slightly more real smile back, then peers at Sam's ID and runs his card.

[gavemea_45]

He knows Sookie wouldn’t have felt right about him using any fraudulent sources to pay for this, so he’d loaded this card as a pre-paid with enough of a balance to avoid any problems. Still, he’s going to have to pick up some side work soon; he’s burning through his reserve faster than he’d like.

But that’s a problem for later. The card passes inspection without trouble, and the girl prints a receipt for him to sign and gives back his change.

[feel_human]

"Cottage six, you said?" Sookie asks, brightly. The girl nods and leans over the desk to point to Sookie's right. "It's just down the lane here. It's a nice one," she promises. "Good view. And all the cottages have wrap-around decks. Nice for cooking outside, if you like to barbeque."

"That's so nice of y'all," Sookie says, and turns her smile on Sam. "Want to go get settled in?"

[gavemea_45]

“You bet,” he agrees. Sam takes their keys and smiles at the girl behind the desk. “Thanks a lot.”

He moves to hold the door for Sookie.

[feel_human]

She heads through the door and back to the car, then turns a brilliant smile on him. "C'mon, Mark," she teases. "I'm so happy to finally be here I could just about fly to that cottage."

[gavemea_45]

He gives her a patient look as he slides into the driver’s seat and starts the engine. “I had to use something.”

Sam pulls out and follows the drive between the cottages to theirs.

[feel_human]

The cottage isn't far, but each of them is spaced enough to give a fair amount of privacy, and the rental company had grown discreet, tall hedges between each for even more. The little building is flush with the ground at the front, but as the land slopes away, it's supported by stilts.

She gets out once Sam stops the car, then goes around to take her small bag out of the backseat, her eyes never leaving the horizon line. "It's so beautiful."

[gavemea_45]

“Let me get that for you.” Sam reaches to take the bag from her. “Want to put our stuff inside and go out to the beach?”

[feel_human]

"Okay," she says, happily, and holds out her hand for the keys. "Trade you."

Inside, the cottage is simply but comfortably furnished. There's a large central living room and an attached kitchen, and a bedroom and bathroom down a short hall. "This is nice, huh?"

[gavemea_45]

“A lot nicer than the places I usually stay.” Sam smiles at her. “But I wanted this to be different.”

He sets their things inside the bedroom door and does a quick check of doors and windows before coming back to her. He holds out a hand. “Ready?”

[feel_human]

She wouldn't care if it were a rundown old motel, as long as he was here with her, but he'd wanted to make this nice and she feels a swell of affection for him.

Sookie beams back at him and takes his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Ready."

The beach is just past the sliding French doors that lead to the deck; she tugs his hand and starts heading that way.

[gavemea_45]

Sam draws the door shut behind them and leads the way down the short flight of stairs from the deck to the sandy path below. “This’ll be pretty at night,” he observes. “Lots of stars, the sound of the ocean…”