Author's note: This is set pre-season 5.

Making It Work: Chapter One

Alcide turned the radio down. "Sookie."

"Yeah?" Sookie glanced over at him.

"What are you over there thinking about? I know it's not about me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she furrowed her brow. "Am I supposed to be thinking about you?"

"It would be nice." He muttered.

"You're over there thinking about Debbie."

"I am not." He shot back quickly.

"Alcide...don't even play with me about your thoughts. I can hear them, remember?"

"I thought we agreed you would stay out of my head."

"And I thought we agreed that we were friends. And now you're jumping down my throat about not THINKING about you."

"I know you're still hung up on Bill. And Eric-," she opened her mouth to argue. "I'm not commenting on that, I'm just sayin'. Maybe I'm still hung up on Debbie. But I'm done with her, and you're done with them. So why don't we try this thing, the two of us?"

"What...thing?" she asked gingerly.

"Actually trying to date. Making this work. I'm not a bad guy, Sookie. We could have something if we worked at it. We could have a relationship, a house, kids...all of it. Somethin' normal. Somethin' stable."

She looked out the window, but all she could see was darknees. He has a good job, she thought to herself. He doesn't have an ex-wife or kids. He doesn't care about the mind reading thing.

And he's hot as hell.

"But we don't love each other," she thought aloud.

"That could change. And even if...we could still have a good life."

She nodded slowly. "You're right."

"That's the first time you've ever said that."

"Maybe it'll become a habit. Let's try. Try to..."

"Make it work?"

She smiled.