[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]

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…”

[feel_human]

"It really will. Wait a second?"

She tugs him to a halt, then leans down to take off her sandals and set them neatly aside. "I've never had sand under my bare feet like this before."

[gavemea_45]

He’s absolutely charmed by that, and leans down to give her a quick, light kiss. Sam slips off his shoes as well and bends to set them by hers, then squeezes her fingers.

[feel_human]

She squeezes back, then takes the first step off the grass and onto the path of sand that leads to the beach ahead. The sand is so soft beneath her bare feet that it feels almost like walking on powder, and she giggles as it deepens and her feet begin to sink with each step. "It's hard to walk in!"

[gavemea_45]

“Even harder to run in,” he teases, but gently. “It slides under your feet.”

[feel_human]

She laughs again as she adjusts, feeling the way the sand is forcing her to stabilize with each step. "I bet it's tiring," she agrees. "And it's so warm."

Ahead of them, the sand stretches for maybe another fifty yards before it meets the water. The darker, wetter sand is easier to walk on, and she watches with fascination as water slowly seeps up through their footsteps.

[gavemea_45]

Carefully, watching for any signs of discomfort, he leads her to the edge of the surf where the waves break.

“Should be a nice place to relax.”

[feel_human]

"I think so, too."

And they'll need it. Not just for what they've already been through, but for everything they still need to talk about.

Her fingers tighten on his as they reach the water's edge. Cautiously, she reaches one foot forward, just letting her toes barely brush the water as it slides over the sand in a thin scrim as clear as glass.

[gavemea_45]

He holds on to her hand and lets her hold on to him however she needs, staying close by her.

“I’m glad,” he murmurs.

[feel_human]

She looks up at him, her smile crooked but bright as she pulls her foot back to the safety of the sand. "It's so warm. Almost like bathwater."

[gavemea_45]

“Uh-huh. I don’t know why, but the Gulf is pretty warm, where the Pacific’s a lot colder.”

He tugs at her hand to start them walking along the shore, keeping himself between her and the water.

[feel_human]

"I wonder why?"

It's still a relief to have him between her and the water, even though the waves as they come in are so clear she can see down to the sand beneath them. "And I wonder what makes this sand so soft and white?"

[gavemea_45]

“I wish I had an answer for you. I could look it up later?” he offers.