feel_human | [AU] down to the Gulf

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

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…”

From:

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."

From:

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.

From:

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!"

From:

gavemea_45

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

From:

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.

From:

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.”

From:

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.

From:

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.

From:

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."

From:

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.

From:

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?"

From:

gavemea_45

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

From:

feel_human

"Okay."

Why not? They have a whole week and nothing to do aside from hash out some plans, talk things over, and relax. She can read; he can research. It all feels too impossibly perfect to be true. "You know what, I bet we can find some real good seafood here."

From:

gavemea_45

“I bet you’re right.” Sam grins at the thought. “And you won’t have to make it.”

From:

feel_human

She wrinkles her nose at him in a teasing grin. "Gettin' tired of my cookin' already? You've hardly even had it at all, the last two weeks."

From:

gavemea_45

“Never,” he swears. “I just thought you might like the break. For good reasons this time.”

From:

feel_human

"Well, you're not wrong," she admits, then laughs as a thought strikes her.

"How long do you think it'll take Dean to eat that pie?"

From:

gavemea_45

“Three days if he tries to save it.” He doesn’t even have to think about it. “Two otherwise.”

From:

feel_human

"That's longer than I would have given him," she says amused. "Think he'll share with Tara?"

From:

gavemea_45

“… that depends.” He sounds dubious about it.

From:

feel_human

"Well, as long as the house is still standing when we get back, I don't care," she decides.

And she'll make Dean as many pies as he wants. "I'm glad he decided to stay for a while."

From:

gavemea_45

“I am, too.” Very soft. He and Dean haven’t talked much yet about what’s coming in just a few weeks now, and Sam hasn’t talked to John, either.

“He’ll take good care of the house, you know.”

From:

feel_human

"I know he will," she says, with certainty. After everything, she'd trust Dean with her life, let alone her house.

Besides, he'd taken to the mundane chores of housekeeping with a surprising alacrity and delight. He seems to genuinely enjoy fixing faucets, mowing the lawn, and everything else she'd asked him to do. She supposes he, unlike Sam, has a few memories of a time before, when he used to do all those things for his mother. She gives Sam another smile, warm and sweet. "He and Jason can tear up the town together. Might be good for them."