Epilogue:

It was amazing what tools had come out of her Gran's old shed, things Sookie couldn't recall ever seeing before, some that she didn't even know what use they had, but Eric did. Most had been her Grandfather's. Back then, as Gran liked to tell it, you knew how to fix everything in your house, and in your barn, and neighbours helped neighbours with such things. Well, Grandpa's tools certainly were helping out. During the day Eric had been loading them up, along with his own power tools and heading into Shreveport to work on the bar. Not one to take on more debt than he needed to, Eric was doing the balance of the renovations himself. Code stuff, like the electrical and plumbing he had had to hire someone for, but building the bar, and the dance floor, and changing up old office space for new, and storage space for bottles instead of video tapes was something he was well able to manage. Besides, as he had told Sookie, it was easier than trying to explain his vision to a contractor.

During the evening Eric had been fixing loose floorboards and rails around the house. And building a ramp up the porch steps for Gran to use with her wheelchair and walker. She still wasn't quite strong enough to go without the wheelchair for long trips, but could use the walker around the main floor of the house (she'd practiced in hospital). Besides, the doorways of the old farmhouse were a little narrow to manoeuver through with the chair, and she was still a bit stubborn about such things.

He'd also fixed the stairs up to the second floor, where his bedroom was, so they didn't squeak so much anymore. Gran wasn't daft, Sookie knew that, but she at least wanted to keep up the appearance that she was sleeping in her own room at night. She'd packed up her little apartment, which hadn't taken more room than the back of Eric's truck to fill, and moved home when the doctors had told them that her Gran was going to be able to come home from the hospital within a few weeks. Sam hadn't minded, and he'd forgiven her for all the work she'd missed. (And told her to stop apologizing, and that family always came first, numerous times.) She didn't quite have it sorted out how she was going to do her shifts, and Eric was going to manage the club after it opened, and someone was going to be available for her Gran. But funnily enough, it didn't bother her that she hadn't. Her little white pills had gone untouched for almost two weeks; as if the activity, and being home, and having Eric all sort of got bundled up together to relieve the anxiety she'd lived with for as long as she could remember.

She was arranging flowers in vases in the kitchen; so that the house would look alive and homey, when she heard Jason's truck pulling up the lane. He was being unusually slow in his approach so Sookie just knew that he must have had some precious cargo. Making sure to dry her hands, and tidy away all the stems she went out the porch and saw Jason unloading the walker from the back of the pickup and her Gran just stepping out of the passenger side.

"Wait for me Gran!" she called out, and went to help. "Last thing we need is for you to get tangled up and have a fall." She scolded, with a huge smile on her face. She got the portable oxygen tank tucked into the basket at the front of the walker, and made sure the tubing was clear so that Gran could slip down to the ground and get herself settled.

"I hate this blasted thing." Adele cursed at the tank.

"But you still have to use it Gran, all the time, or the doctor will be very cross."

"Well we certainly wouldn't want that would we Sookie?" Gran had developed a little bit of a sarcastic side during her time in hospital. To Sookie it meant that she was prepared to hang on, even if she'd already ensured herself that Sookie had someone else to look after her. One might be given to think that her Gran had planned the whole thing. But of course, she hadn't, had she?

With the little shuffle step common to navigating a wheeled walker, her Gran made her way up the new ramp; Eric had installed some grips on it so that if she did happen to stop or fumble, that things wouldn't all roll away. Sookie saw to getting her settled in her old chair, turning on the television for her, and getting her a glass of sweet tea and some cookies.

"Well you certainly have been busy around here Sookie." Her Gran remarked.

"Well I wanted everything to look nice for you when you got home." She crouched on the floor beside the arm of the worn chair. Her Gran put a hand over hers and squeezed gently.

"Thank you Sookie. I'm sorry to have caused you all such a fright."

Sookie just smiled, she didn't want to admit to her Gran just how lost she'd been when she'd hadn't known, and she didn't want to cause her Gran any more distress by letting her see it on her face. It was time to move past those things, so many of those old things. It wouldn't do anyone any good to bring them up. Sookie finally felt strong enough to do those things the psychiatrists had been talking to her about for so many years. It wasn't quite forgiveness, well, it was with her Gran, but it was acceptance. It probably helped that she knew now that if her Uncle ever showed up again that Eric would beat him bloody. It was petty, she admitted that, and prayed about it (a little), but that was okay too. (Why shouldn't he live with some fear?)

The back door opened: the screen didn't squeak so much anymore thanks to Eric. He wandered into the living room with a cookie is his mouth and one in his hand.

"Mrs. Stackhouse." He waved, with the cookie free hand and smiled.

"You had better call me Adele from now on young man."

"Of course Adele." Stepping closer he leaned over and gave Sookie a quick kiss on the forehead; then seemed think better of it, looking between Sookie and her grandmother, popping the second cookie into his mouth and chewing slowly.

"It is all right to kiss my granddaughter under my roof young man. This house needs to see more of that."

"I agree Gran." Sookie gave her Gran a kiss and excused herself to finish up in the kitchen. She wasn't quite out of earshot when she heard her Gran and Eric begin to talk.

"You've been a godsend young man."

"You should call me Eric too, especially if we are going to be living under the same roof. If that's okay with you Adele?"

"You've looked after this house and Sookie while I've been gone. And you make my granddaughter very happy Eric."

"She told you that?"

"She didn't have to. I can see it all over her. And we, the both of us need your help around here. So I expect you stay."

Sookie could just picture the sweet little smile her Gran was probably giving Eric right then, probably patting his hand as well. Working on getting her way, just like she always had.

"I'll do my best to earn the trust you and your Granddaughter have placed in me."

"You already have my dear."