The Beginning of the Rest of Our Lives

Flight 283 to Chicago will be departing gate 12 in 10 minutes

Sookie was standing at Shreveport Airport, getting ready to go onto her first flight to Chicago. Sam and Nicole had called and invited her up to see the baby and she couldn't pass it up. She had her bags checked, her carry-on in her hand and apprehension in her chest.

~~4 hours later~~

She got off the plane and took a deep breath; it wasn't natural to be off of the ground like that. And she made note to tell Sam that the next time she visited that she was going to ride on a bus. There was not going to be another plane ride in her future unless she was knocked out. She gave a shaky laugh at the older man that greeted her as she walked into the terminal and then looked around. Sam was supposed to be here, somewhere.

He spotted her and smiled bigger, rushing up to greet her with a hug. Swooping her up, he spun her and laughed. -Sookie Stackhouse! I have missed ya, cher.- He smiled and set her down on her feet before looking her over. -You haven't changed a bit. How are you? I uh...heard about Bill.- he said and quickly regretted bringing him up. -Sorry, I didn't mean to....-

She shook her head and laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. When she let go, she kept her hands on his shoulders and stared at him. "It's okay. Really. I'm... I'm doing better. I mean, I miss him. But... he's happy now. Ya know? I gotta believe that he went somewhere after he died. He's not just gone. He's just... elsewhere." She smiled at him and gave him another hug.

"Forget about me, though. How are you? How's the baby? Nicole?"

He smiled and nodded, -He was a good man, I'm sure he did, Sook.- He took her hand and pat the top of it as he led her towards the baggage claim. -Nicole and the baby are well, she was born October 19th weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces. 20 inches long. She's beautiful. We've been home for a few days and Nicole has caught up on her rest. She was so excited to hear you were coming.- He smiled and lifted her bag off the baggage claim and turned. -I never thought my life would turn out like this Sookie. I lost my life in Bon Temp but what I gained was so much more.-

She grinned at him and gave his hand a squeeze. "Of course she's beautiful. She has beautiful parents. I can't wait to see her. And I can't wait to see Nicole, either."

She linked her arm with his and motioned towards the baggage area with her head. "Wanna help me get my bags so we can head out? I don't like flying, and could really use a drink." She grinned at him and gave his arm another squeeze.

Sam nodded and led her to the car. Once her luggage was in the trunk, he got in the driver seat and proceeded to drive towards their home in the outskirts of the city. They'd purchased a nice home and he really began to like Chicago. He was working at a restaurant now, managing it and considering purchasing a bar or something. He needed to make this feel like home did. Home was anywhere Nicole and their daughter were.

He pulled into the drive and smiled, -Ready? I know Nicole is ecstatic. Go on inside and I'll get your luggage brought to the guest room.-

She grinned at him as he grabbed her bags, and she headed up the steps to the front door. She gave it a quiet knock before opening the door and slipping inside.

"Nicole?" she called quietly before heading down the hall. She heard a soft voice call from the last door on the right and she walked that way. There, sitting in the rocking chair with a tiny bundle in her arms. "Hi!" she said softly as she stepped through the doorway and walked over to where Nicole sat. She laid her hand on the womans shoulder and looked down at the baby.

"Oh my goodness. She's perfect."

-she looked up at Sookie and grinned as she felt the hand on her shoulder. The young woman looked tired, but content. She had heard from Sam what happened to Bill, and wanted to convey her condolences, but didn't want to bring up any bad memories for her. So she kept her mouth shut on the matter and looked back down at their daughter. She shifted her arms and stood so she could hand the baby over, smiling down on her as she did so.-

Sookie, please meet Clara Adele Merlotte.

-she grinned at the look on Sookie's face and gently brushed her hand over her daughters cheek.-

A strong name, for a strong little girl.

She grinned at the name of the baby and looked up at Nicole, tears in her eyes as she held the baby close.

"I love it, Nicole. Thank you. I... I'm honored."

She kissed the babies forehead and watched her as she slept, a small grin on her tiny lips. "She's so tiny." Her heart ached; she wanted a baby, so bad. And she knew that she was getting older, that her time to have a child was getting shorter and shorter.

"She's beautiful. Absolutely stunning."

Thank you.

-she looked down at her baby, and felt her heart grow. It amazed her how quickly she had fallen in love with the tiny thing. And how deeply she had fallen in love with Sam. As soon as they had lain eyes on their daughter, it was as though their souls had been welded together.-

She is something else. She's made everything we've gone through completely worth it. I didn't know love until I saw her.

-she heard Sam coming down the hall and smiled towards the door-

"You're beautiful. Yes you are, you're perfect," she muttered to the baby, grinning when Clara's eyes opened and she stared up at her. She had deep blue eyes, and a beautiful little smile. Her tiny lips were puckered as though she were waiting for food, and she turned to Nicole.

"I think she might be hungry," she said with a chuckle. She heard Sam and turned her head towards the doorway, grinning at him as he came into the doorway.

"Sam, you guys did a wonderful job with this baby. She's absolutely precious."

He smiled and stood in the doorway, watching them coo over their daughter. -I take it Nicole told you her name?- Smiling, he gave Sookie a hug and looked over at Nicole who was about to feed Clara. -You must be tired from the trip. Care to rest or would you like to help me get dinner on?- He offered her a chance to relax or hang out and catch up. Either was fine with him, he was just glad to have her there.

She grinned at him and shook her head. "I could cook. I'm starved, actually. It's just nice to be out of the hustle and bustle of the airport. I don't care to ever really do that again. I may just get a rental car and drive back home after my visit. I don't wanna fly again." She shook her head no and chuckled before turning to Nicole.

"I'll leave you to feed the baby, and go make some dinner with Sam. Is that okay?" Nicole nodded and Sookie grinned at her before looking to Sam.

"Lead the way to the kitchen, sir."

He chuckled and moved over to kiss Nicole, then Clara's forehead as he whispered. -Love you my little love bug.- It was a nickname he'd given her after the flutters in Nicole's stomach became full out punches. It was love punches he called them, but she didn't see it that way. Leading the way to the kitchen, he pulled out the groceries and told Sookie what he needed her to do. -Look at that, you're a guest and I'm putting you to work.- He laughed.

~Three hours later~

-Smells amazing. I definitely miss Lafayette's gumbo but my version comes in close second.- He smiled, looking over at her putting the finishing touches on the potato salad. The door bell rang and he remembered that he invited Blake over to talk about the final paperwork on the bar. Blake had became a really good friend to him after moving to town. He was his friend as well as his lawyer. -Oh, must be Blake. Be right back.-

Opening the door, he smiled and stepped aside to let Blake come in. -Hey man!- He shook his hand and Blake followed him into the kitchen where Sookie was placing things on the dining room table. -Hey Sooks, this is my good friend Blake, Blake this is Sookie. She's a friend from Bon Temp. Funny he was just there a few weeks ago to finalize some paperwork for me.- He chuckled.

Blake was thankful that he had taken the day off but it seemed that even then it wasn't meant to be. His father was constantly calling him to discuss the Braun case but Blake had it all in hand. With a meeting scheduled for first thing tomorrow his father did not need to worry. Blake knew that his father was preparing him to take over the family business but he hoped that it would be a few more years before that happened.

With a bouquet of flowers in his hand that he brought for Nicole. Knocking on the door he waited for an answer "Sam" he grinned as Sam answered the door. "These are for Nicole" he handed Sam the flowers as he placed them on the side.

Entering the house he was assaulted with delicious smells that made his stomach grumble. He was instantly stopped in his tracks when he saw her "Hi Sookie" he grinned as he shook her hand. She was beautiful, how come Sam had never mentioned her before.

She stood behind Sam, smiling as he opened the door and then swallowing slowly. She eyed the man that walked in with a grin and reached out to shake his hand when he said hello.

"Hey. It's nice to meet ya! Hard to believe you were in Bon Temps and I didn't see you. Normally when someone new comes to town the news travels fast." She looked him up and down, definitely not hating what she saw. He was a good looking man, with a strong grip, something her Grandaddy had insisted was a good thing. If a man didn't have a good handshake, you couldn't trust him. Which seemed fitting, seeing as how this man was a lawyer.

"Too bad you didn't see how it was before everything went down. It used to be a much better place." She shook her head sadly. "But it's getting better."

"My father actually visited Bon Temps when we were kids" he grinned. Sam excused himself whilst he went to go and check on Nicole and the baby. Not really sure what to do or say to her, he couldn't keep his eyes off her "Maybe next time I am there, you could show me around?" he suggested with a smirk.

'She is beautiful...Those eyes' he thought to himself.

"So how do you know Sam?" he asked her hoping to start up a conversation with her. What was wrong with him? He was acting like a teenage boy.

She grinned and felt a slight blush come to her cheeks.

"I'd be happy to show you around town. I lived there my whole life. Sam was my boss, and one of my best friends. He's helped me through so much. He's a good man."

Her eyes went up to look at him again as she shuffled her feet against the floor.

"Have you lived here all your life?"

"Most of my life yes, my folks liked to travel when we were young. My mother always wanted to live in Chicago. So my father bought a run down old building and now its Harding Law" he smirked softly. 

'What is it about her? I want to know more'

"And I look forward to that. I can't believe I was blind to not have met you in Bon Temps. That smile it's kinda hard to miss" he flirted.

She blushed slightly and gave a soft laugh while shaking her head.

"Don't let anyone there hear that. They might...." She shook her head again, not finishing her sentence. Probably wasn't a good idea to scare him off with the whole angel of death thing. "I don't have much luck in the relationship department," she said with a chuckle.

"Harding Law. I don't know anything about Chicago. This is my first time really being out of my state. Well, this far out of my state anyways. I've been to Dallas, but that's about it." She heard Sam and Nicole talking in the nursery, and heard Clara give off a bit of a whine, before turning towards the kitchen. "I think that dinner might be almost ready if you wanna come help me set the table?" she asked quietly, then turned her face back to him with a smile. "We can chit-chat about life."

Dinner was the last thing on Blake's mind, now that Sookie was standing right in front of him. She was unlike anyone he had ever met before "Sure, I would love to" he grinned as he followed her through into the kitchen.

Blake didn't know if it was fate or not, but he wanted to get to know Sookie more. Maybe tonight was going to be better than he thought it would be.