saturday night and the moon is out

[feel_human]

Tucked away off the road in Bon Temps, there's a road house. Warm light spills from its windows, and the sound of a jukebox playing drifts out into the muggy Louisiana night. The regular assortment of trucks and Hail-Mary-please-keep-this-lemon-goin'-just-a-little-longer cars sit in the dirt parking lot; what amounts to about half the town's small population... or, at least, of those of the 'drinking age and above' persuasion.

Inside, it's a bar of the type scattered all across the American South: homey, no-nonsense. Booths and tables. A man in a plaid flannel shirt wiping the bar; a crossdresser in the kitchen singing Gospel hymns and rolling his hips in time with the words just to scandalize the prep cook. A handful of waitresses, bustling about.

Sookie makes her way briskly through it all, a tray balanced on her palm and her eyes kept stubbornly front, as voices swarm around her. Aloud, and... less so.

...I’m just going to have one beer tonight Jesus one beer that’s all...

...better not gripe about me eating fries not after what I did for him last night...

...I cannot wait to get the hell out of this podunk town...

 

 "Well, make sure you do, and before it’s too late," she responds, thoughtless, to the young man. "Because every year you wait? You just get more and more stuck here. Believe me, I know."

He stares at her. So do his parents.

So does the other table. And she realizes, too little too late, that he hadn't said that out loud, not at all. She laughs, uncomfortable. "I’ll get y'all some ketchup," she says, brightly, and flees, ponytail swinging against the nape of her neck as she goes.

Stupid, Sookie, she chides herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

Comments

[gavemea_45]

Sam draws a careful breath and flicks a fast glance at Sookie before meeting Adele's eyes.

"Because one of those things killed our mother when I was six months old," he says, as gently as he can. "And my family's been hunting them ever since."

[feel_human]

Adele and Sookie both look at him with identical shocked expressions.

“Sam,” Sookie manages, finally. “I’m so sorry.”

[gavemea_45]

"Thanks. I didn't tell you to make you feel bad for me, though," he says. "Just to explain why I know the things I do. Sookie, it's like I told you last night - usually people don't find out about these kinds of things unless something bad happens."

Sam shrugs, very slightly. "When it does - some people go on to become hunters, like we did. There's more of them - us - out there than you'd think. We try to make sure that people are safe, as much as we can."

The corner of his mouth turns up in a wry smile. "Call it a family business."

[feel_human]

Adele looks at her, and she nods, keeping her gaze level. “So you see he knows what he’s talkin’ about,” she says.

“But the reason we’re tellin’ you is so you know to be safe, when I’m at work tonight.”

[gavemea_45]

"Three things, Mrs. Stackhouse. Just three and you'll be safe, okay?" Sam says, easy and warm.

"First, if a stranger shows up after dark, don't let him in. No matter what. A vampire can't come inside unless it's invited. If they do get in, they say that invitation can be revoked, but the best protection is not to let them inside at all."

[feel_human]

This goes so against Adele’s breeding that she opens her mouth to protest, but Sookie shakes her head. “Please, Gran,” she says. “I know it feels wrong, ‘cause you want to be hospitable, but will you please do it, for me?”

Adele looks at her for a long moment, then pats her hand and looks back at Sam. “All right,” she agrees. “No invitations in after dark.”

[gavemea_45]

Relief surges through him, but he tries not to show it. "Thank you," he murmurs. "Second thing. If a stranger shows up after dark, don't look them in the eyes. They can get people to do things, that way."

[feel_human]

Gran looks unhappy, but nods. Sam might as well be asking her to stand on her head or learn Chinese, this is so alien to Gran’s nature, but Sookie’s happy to see she’s taking them seriously.

“All right,” Adele agrees. “And the third thing?”

[gavemea_45]

"Stay inside between sunset and sunrise." Forestalling a concern that he's expecting, Sam adds, "I'm going to go to Merlotte's while Sookie's at work, to keep an eye on things there. But I know she'd feel a lot better knowing you're safe here at home."

[feel_human]

“Well, I don’t go out so much after dark as I used to, anyway,” Adele murmurs, and nods before she sighs.

“My stars. I almost wish you two were lyin’ to me, though for what reason I couldn’t say.”

“I know, Gran,” Sookie says, soft. “I’d have a hard time with it myself if I hadn’t seen what Bill can do last night. I just want you to be safe.”

[gavemea_45]

He'd give a lot to be able to tell them that none of it was real. Unfortunately, he can't, and Sam curses Vampire Bill in the silence of his own mind, just for a moment.

"I know," he murmurs. "I really do. I'll get things taken care of as soon as I can, so you don't have to worry about it any more."

[feel_human]

“How, exactly, are you plannin’ on doin’ that?” Adele asks, as Sookie stands and goes to plug in the iron. She glances at Sam, but holds her tongue, choosing instead to set a pillowcase over the ironing board.

[gavemea_45]

He wishes that Adele hadn't asked that question, wishes it with a near-desperate fervency, but she did and there's no help for it.

"If he's killing people," Sam says, softly, "I'm going to make sure he doesn't have the chance to do that any more."

[feel_human]

“Oh, my.” Adele’s hand goes to her chest, shocked.

“But we don’t know that he is,” Sookie points out, glancing at Sam. “We don’t know much of any thin’ yet, except that he’s here. So please, just… do as Sam says, Gran. Okay?”

[gavemea_45]

He barely manages to stifle the wince, but nods at Sookie's observation. "That's right."

[feel_human]

“This is all so much to take in,” Gran murmurs. “I think… I ought to go have a little lie-down.”

Sookie sets the iron safely to the side and comes to help her out her chair. “It’ll be okay, Gran,” she says, soothingly, and tips her head toward Sam with an encouraging smile. “Luckily Sam here showed up in time to help out. Sam? Would you walk her upstairs, please?”

[gavemea_45]

"Of course." Sam comes off the chair and to Adele's side in an instant. "Lean on me, Mrs. Stackhouse. I've got you."

[feel_human]

Adele takes his arm with a smile of thanks and pats it with her other hand. "Oh, you are such a good boy," she says. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about a thing, Gran," Sookie tells her. "I'll finish up the laundry. You just take a little rest and think it all over, okay?"

[gavemea_45]

“I know it’s a lot,” he says, as he starts helping her upstairs. “You can ask me questions later if you have any. For now, don’t you worry about a thing.”

[feel_human]

"But I am worried, I admit."

She's not so frail, despite her shock, and she takes the stairs easily enough with his aid. "Mister Winchester – Sam. Tell me the truth. Is my granddaughter in danger?"

[gavemea_45]

“He’s taken an interest in her,” Sam admits, reluctantly. “But I’m going to look out for her. Make sure she’s safe.”

[feel_human]

As they come to the door of her room, Adele turns and takes Sam's hands in her own. "I admit this is all a good deal beyond anything I know," she says. "So I will trust that you know best. Keep her safe, Sam. Please."

[gavemea_45]

He lets her hold on to him and looks down at her. She's frail with age, but not fragile, and has a deep strength to her - she must, for how well she's taking the shock. He can't help but admire her for it.

"I will," he says, earnestly.

[feel_human]

She reaches up to pat his cheek lightly, then smiles and releases him. "Go on, then," she tells him, as she goes into her bedroom. "I'll be down again in a little while."

[gavemea_45]

"Yes, ma'am." He waits for a second, then retreats down the hall to the floor below and finds Sookie with the laundry. Sam raises his eyebrows and blows out a breath.

"She took it okay, I think?"