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

[feel_human]

She coughs a short, stunned laugh. "Sam, I just found out vampires are real and that, apparently, one of 'em has some kinda business with me! No, I'm not okay!"

She's mad and scared in equal measure, and she fists her hand tight to keep her keys from jangling in her shaking fingers. "Is there a safe place? You said... they need an invitation to come into my home, right?"

[gavemea_45]

"Stupid question, I know. I'm sorry."

He shakes his head and keeps scanning the area. "Right. No invitation, no entry. It doesn't work for public places - like the bar - but a home's protected. If there's anything that can break it, I've never heard it."

Sam glances over at her. "I can get you there, if you're not okay to drive."

[feel_human]

It doesn't work for public places, he says, and she feels a stab of fear.

"What about motels? Does it work for those?"

[gavemea_45]

"Not really. It has something to do with things being more permanent than temporary." Sam darts another fast look at her. "But there's things you can do to help protect yourself. I'll explain, I swear I will. But right now we need to get out of the open. Please let me see you somewhere safe, okay?"

[feel_human]

"Sounds to me like I'm the one oughta be seeing you somewhere safe," Sookie points out, and huffs out a breath. "Well, you better come along with me. I don't think Bill took too kindly to you interferin', and Gran'd have my hide if I let a nice young man like you get eaten by some vampire."

She glances around and looks back at him. "You got your bike? You can follow me."

[gavemea_45]

"It's in the bushes over there," he says, startled. He wants to protest that she doesn't have to worry about him, but figures it'll be better to leave that argument until after she's safe in her home.

Besides, she's not wrong. He's pretty sure that Vampire Bill's gunning for him now.

"Here." He tries to hand her the knife. "Hold on to that, just in case. Silver's effective where steel isn't."

[feel_human]

"You think he'll stand still and let me try to stick this in him?" she asks, dubious, but accepts the knife. She'd learned long ago that sometimes it's just easier to let the men get their way.

"Well, go on, get it. I better call my Gran and tell her to expect company."

[gavemea_45]

"Probably not, but he might not expect it, either." Sam looks around once more and goes to retrieve the bike from its concealment, canteen at the ready.

[feel_human]

She watches him move off, then retrieves her cell phone from her purse and flips it open with trembling fingers. It takes her twice as long as usual to make her call, even with speed-dial, her hands are shaking so badly. When Gran answers, she forces the tremble out of her voice. "Hi, Gran."

Glancing in the direction Sam went, she shakes her head. "No, I'm fine. Well... there was a little ruckus at the bar tonight. No, I'm... I'm okay, Gran, really. One of my customers jumped right in and made sure I was fine. He was amazin'."

She listens, and nods. "Right. So... I was thinkin'... it just doesn't seem right to have him stayin' at the motel. Least I can do is offer a roof and a home-cooked meal or two. Is that okay?"

Adele Stackhouse is a lady of true Southern gentility; she could no more cast someone out than she could learn to fly. So of course she agrees, and Sookie closes her phone back up with the satisfied feeling that, whatever else happens, at least Sam can be kept safe by whatever magic means her house is impenetrable to vampires.

[gavemea_45]

It doesn't take him long to reload his arm sheath with a backup knife and wheel the bike back out and over to Sookie. Sam's so on edge that even the slightest sound gets his attention, but it looks like Bill - and any others he might be hanging out with - are either not around or waiting their chance.

"Ready?" he asks, as Sookie hangs up her call.

[feel_human]

She nods and opens her car door, forcing her hands not to visibly shake. "Just follow me," she tells him. "Shouldn't be too many other people on the road, this time of night."

With that, she slides into the driver's seat and buckles up, then starts her little yellow car.

[gavemea_45]

The bike's engine purrs to life, and he follows Sookie out of the parking lot and along the road, careful not to ride her bumper too close. Things look pretty quiet as they go, but that could change at any moment.

At least he'll have the jump on the vampire after dawn.

[feel_human]

Sookie doesn't turn on the radio, and she doesn't take her eyes off the road, not even to glance at the silver knife in her passenger seat. Her thoughts are all a-tumble, and the thing that annoys her most is the thread of self-pity winding through them.

Of course a guy like that is hanging around town for an actual reason, even if it's a crazy one. She knows better than to let the fact that she was a good excuse hurt her feelings, and yet –

She shuts that line of thinking down right quick, and slows to turn into the lone, grass-lined drive that leads up to the Stackhouse home, an old and graceful farmhouse. In the daylight, it would be easy to see both the age of the place and the care that's obviously been taken with it; without sunshine, it's a pale-painted, woods-backed building with a long, sloping lawn and a wide porch, set about with rocking chairs. A light's on in the kitchen, and, despite everything, Sookie can't help a wry smile as she gets out of the car and shuts the door. "Well," she says, as Sam pulls up behind her. "Welcome to my home."

[gavemea_45]

"It's beautiful," he tells her, earnestly, as he shuts off the engine and swings off the bike. "Like something out of a movie."

No telling where the Compton place is from here, if the vampire even meant it about holing up there. He looks around anyway, just to be safe.

[feel_human]

Her smile flickers, more out of habit than anything else, and she sets her purse more securely on her shoulder and turns toward the house. "Come on."

As they walk up the lawn to the porch, she points out in the direction of the churchyard, unseeable past the trees at this time of night. "The Compton house is just over there," she tells him, and indeed if he looks closely, he might be able to see a few window lights in the distance.

The wood of the porch steps squeaks as she walks up them, and the screen door creaks: the house is old, though well cared for. "Gran?" she calls as she heads in to the front hall. "I'm back."

Adele Stackhouse comes quickly out of the kitchen, wearing her dressing gown with her gray hair down around her shoulders. "Oh, Sookie," she gasps, and comes to hug her granddaughter. "Oh, honey. I am so happy you're all right. Was anybody hurt?"

Sookie hugs her back, closing her eyes for a moment and breathing in the warm, comfortable scent of her. "No," she says, shaking her head. "It was after most everyone had left. Gran, this is Sam."

Letting go, she steps back and looks to Sam. "Sam Winchester. He's the one I told you about, who helped me out."

Adele comes toward him with her hands outstretched to take his, her eyes full of earnest gratitude. "Mister Winchester," she says. "I cannot even begin to thank you. Why, who knows what might have happened, if you hadn't been there?"

[gavemea_45]

He throws Sookie a startled look before letting her grandmother take hold of his hands. Just what did she tell her, anyway?

"Don't think about that," he says, earnestly. "I'm just glad I was there."

[feel_human]

Sookie lifts her eyebrows at him and goes to hang up her purse, throwing him without regret under the speeding bus of Adele's gratitude.

"So am I," Gran tells him, and squeezes his hands, smiling up at him. "Well! You must be plumb tuckered out. I've made up the guest room, and there's plenty to eat. You ought to have a little something before you turn in."

[gavemea_45]

Sam's eyes go wide with surprise. "Guest room? Ma'am, uh, Mrs. Stackhouse, there's no need -- I just thought I'd see Sookie home--"

[feel_human]

"Oh, nonsense!"

Adele waves any argument away without giving it a thought. "I'd like to see the day I'd turn a Good Samaritan out to sleep in a motel! Mister Winchester – Sam – I absolutely insist. You've done me and mine a great favor and I simply will not hear of you spending good money on a shoddy room when you could be much more comfortable here."

[gavemea_45]

He feels a little like he's just been run over by a truck. A very nice, kind truck, but still.

"Um." Sam tries to look to Sookie for help, even as he realizes she might have been the one to put her grandmother up to it. "I really don't want to be any trouble--"

[feel_human]

Sookie only gives him a mild, blandly innocent look back, even as she feels a small twist of triumph. "No trouble," Adele is assuring him. "It'll be nice to have some company, won't it, Sookie?"

"Sure," Sookie says, easily, and smiles at her grandmother. "Gran, why don't you show him up to the room? And then you oughta go to bed. I'm sorry to keep you up so late."

Adele pats her cheek, fondly, and looks at Sam. "I'll just show you where everything is," she says. "And then you should come down and have a bite to eat. My, but you're a tall thing! I imagine you have quite an appetite."

[gavemea_45]

"Yes, ma'am," Sam murmurs. "Thank you. I really appreciate this. This is really kind of you."

He moves to follow Adele upstairs, but shoots a look over his shoulder at Sookie, trying to convey that she shouldn't go anywhere.

[feel_human]

She leans against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over her chest, and gives him a slight nod when he looks over at her, then pastes a bright smile onto her lips for Adele. "'Night, Gran," she says. "Sweet dreams."

Adele leads the young man up the staircase, still fairly spry, even for her age. "I hope this nastiness won't put you off our little town," she tells Sam. "Bon Temps really is a nice place, though I suppose we get our share of trouble, just like anywhere."

[gavemea_45]

"No, ma'am," he tries to reassure her. "I just got into town this afternoon, but it seems real nice so far. Don't worry about that, please."

She's got a will of iron, it seems, and a sweet sort of kindness about her that's the kind of thing he used to dream about when he was a kid, trying to make up imaginary family members to fill in all their missing pieces, before he gave up.

[feel_human]

Adele gives him a crinkle-eyed smile. He seems like a real nice young man, and his manners leave nothing to be desired. "This was Jason's room," she tells him, showing him up the second half-flight of stairs to where the guest room sits, neatly made up, windows open to the mild night air. "Before he moved out. There's a bathroom and a shower just there – "

She points, showing him. "And plenty of extra blankets in the chest just over by the wall.

The room isn't large, but like everything else in the house, it's sparklingly clean and arranged by someone with more of an eye for comfort than for style. The old wooden bed is spread with a handmade quilt, and the windows look out over the smooth expanse of lawn, fireflies visible at the edge of the woods beyond. Adele leads him into it, then beams warmly at him. "I hope you'll be comfortable."