Apologies for taking a while to update! I wanted to get this just right and am happy with how it's turned out... for now!

Eyes Like Sapphires

Chapter One

"Bill, you can not be serious! We really can't afford that!"

Sookie Stackhouse turned to the scruffy-haired man who would soon be her husband and wondered, yet again, if she was making the right decision. She loved him, so surely that meant yes? Of course, that was the most important factor.

Yet... here he was once more, being reckless and commanding in that way he tended to be. They were going ring shopping, and any normal woman would be over the moon that her partner had suggested buying one of the most expensive pieces of jewellery on sale.

She had plenty of money herself, sure, but that was from a lucky inheritance that had taken her by surprise. But, despite the healthy balance in her bank account, she always tried to keep her life as normal as possible and still believed in earning her money. She even had a job in a local bar, something that Bill couldn't accept. If he had money, he'd be on constant holidays, living the rich lifestyle. He kept telling her that, and she would constantly shrug it off, hastily changing the subject.

"Why not?" he replied in his heavy Southern accent. It was laced with disapproval and a hint of impatience. "Sookie, you deserve the best. I keep telling you that."

She didn't exactly agree with that, but it was flattering nonetheless, and she looked down to the floor. "Bill, if we're going to do this right, then there are plenty of other things that we need to use our money for. An extortionate amount on a ring that I'll probably end up losing does not seem sensible."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Probably end up losing? Is that what you think of me?"

He was doing it again and Sookie had to resist rolling her eyes. He had a habit of being terribly insecure, of making her constantly remind him how much she cared, as if he kept forgetting. It happened regularly, the way he made her feel guilty, and in the end she often gave in to his protests.

It was beginning to drive her insane, but she couldn't stand the thought of being alone. She knew that was bad, but Bill did have his merits, so she tried to cling onto those with all her might. Every relationship had little problems, anyway. Of course they did.

"No. No, Bill. You know what I'm like," she shrugged. "It'd be an accident. Sorry! Let's just go for something more within our price range, yeah?"

"You've got plenty of money to spare, Sookie," he replied slowly, as if she were mentally incompetent. "I don't know why you're being so..."

"So what?" she asked when he trailed off awkwardly.

After swallowing and pausing uncomfortably, he finished his answer. "So... tight."

She took a deep breath to steady herself. "Just because I'm fortunate enough to have a large amount of money saved away, it doesn't mean I want to blow it all at any opportunity, Bill. There could be some disaster in the future that we need it for, and that's why I'm being reasonable. It's just a day after all, there's no use in going quite so mad."

His mouth dropped open, making his already thin lips look even smaller. Sookie had no idea why she noticed that. "Just a day? Sookie, it's meant to be the happiest day of our lives."

"Bill, please, you're making this really tiring... I don't want another argument."

After a long look, he moved off in silence. Sookie hurried to catch up with him and tried to clutch his hand, but he snatched it away moodily. Like a child.

Fantastic, she thought. I wonder how long this will last for this time.

They walked around the shops without a word being exchanged between them. Any passers-by would think that they couldn't stand each other, and Sookie hated that. She also hated how unreasonable he was being. Why couldn't things be easy and simple between them? Why couldn't their relationship be like she'd imagined as a child, all perfect and romantic?

In fact, just as she'd thought, within a few minutes it began to feel to her as though people were staring and judging them both from afar. She couldn't shake off the feeling and, sighing, she stepped in front of him, blocking off his path.

"What are you doing?" he muttered irritably.

"Bill, let's stop this. Come on, we're meant to be happy. We'll have another look."

He stared at her directly for a long time, then nodded reluctantly. "Alright. That never happened."

"No, it didn't. There are plenty of other rings, anyway."

"Hmm."

They tried to carry on for the rest of the afternoon with happy faces, blocking out the previous events from their mind. But they both knew what had happened, and it tinted their ability to truly enjoy themselves. Sookie kept getting distracted with questions she was always desperately trying to avoid, while Bill just sulked. He wanted to spoil his Sookie and do this right, but she just wasn't responding the way he'd hoped.

She was being an ungrateful bitch, he thought.

They ended up driving home earlier than planned, also with fewer shopping bags than they'd intended.

Sookie placed the plate of steak down in front of Bill, who responded by looking at her with a hungry expression. It was kind of strange, she thought, as though he wanted to eat her instead, but she took it as a compliment; she was a pretty good cook, and he often told her this. In fact, another one of the habits he'd developed was patting his (steadily growing) stomach after each meal and smacking his lips loudly. It really grated on her nerves and she kept telling herself that, one day, she was going to order him to stop.

"This is delicious," he moaned, meeting her eyes as she took her own mouthful. She managed a smile while she thought to herself. She was passionate about food, but it would have been nice to have it served for her every once in a while. She had work in the evening, but also had the responsibility of cooking a meal a few hours before she was due to turn up. It was another part of her life that she was secretly unhappy about, minor as it may seem.

They carried on eating in silence and Sookie soon began to notice the loud, squelching noise Bill was making as he chewed. She hated that so many things about him irritated her, but it was the same for many couples. She often heard Arlene at work complaining about her husband's snoring, so what happened between Bill and herself was completely normal.

Besides, putting up with a few annoying habits was surely better than living alone with no company at all?

Bill had soon finished and carried out his customary routine. Sookie winced at each movement. "Bill, I know and appreciate that you like it, but do you have to do that?"

He frowned, taking his plate to the sink. "Do what?"

"Pat your stomach and smack your lips," she replied, placing down her knife and fork. Her appetite had suddenly disappeared. "It's a little annoying."

The expression on his face quickly changed and Sookie knew she'd said the wrong thing. Again. Another lecture was coming, and she almost dashed out the room, but just missed her chance. "Sookie, is there anything you actually like about me?"

It was a poignant and demanding question. "Don't be stupid. I wouldn't be with you if there wasn't."

"Tell me, then."

"Fine. I think... you're handsome."

"It's not all about the looks."

"Okay, you've got a kind heart."

It alarmed her that she was struggling to come up with anything else. "Listen," she added before he could protest further, "I love you, okay? Isn't that enough? I'm just irritable today, I can't help it."

He looked a little more relaxed. "That time of the month, is it?"

She couldn't stop her eyes from widening. "No... I just feel irritable."

"Right."

The conversation dropped off and Sookie stood there, shifting the weight between her feet. "Right, I'm going to have a shower and get ready for work." She placed a quick kiss on his cheek, trying to ignore the disgruntled expression that clearly showed he disapproved of her working. "Love you."

"Hmm," he grunted, turning to start work on the dishes.

Merlotte's was like a second home to Sookie.

She adored her job, unlike many others in Bon Temps. People often gave her strange looks when she said this, but it was true. She loved the people, she loved the atmosphere, she loved the pay. Despite her healthy bank balance, she always felt pleasure whenever she got tips; knowing she'd worked hard enough to please the customers always gave her a warm glow.

Everybody seemed to like her, too. Some people liked her a bit too much, what with the shorts and T-Shirt uniform combination, but she knew how to deal with that. Besides, it was flattering in a way.

She was friendly, polite, and always made an effort with people. She knew that she was good at her job and took pride in that fact. That was something Bill would never be able to understand, and she told herself that she would never quit unless it was absolutely necessary.

If she fell pregnant, for example.

Bill and herself had been trying for a long time, as having children was something she'd always longed for. She was a few years older than her brother Jason and had always enjoyed looking after him whenever she had the chance. Obviously he was grown up now, but the maternal instinct was still there, and everytime their lovemaking was unsuccesful, Sookie had felt a wave of disappointment so strong that she'd often stayed in bed a few extra hours to sleep it off.

Thinking of Bill being the father of her children gave her a funny feeling, something that she assumed was excitement.

"Hey, Sam," she smiled, greeting her boss and best friend as he sat working in his office. He returned her smile with warmth. They'd always got along like a house on fire, able to confide in one another and talking about practically anything. Sookie had always felt affection towards him, something else that Bill didn't take kindly to.

She ignored that, though, most of the time.

"Hey, Sook. Good day?" he asked, putting down his pen and giving her his full attention.

"Not too bad," she said honestly. "Bill and I went shopping for the wedding."

"Great. How did that go?"

"Well, we had a disagreement over the ring, but I think we're okay now."

He looked at her with a frown that clearly said 'explain.'

"Bill wanted to get this really expensive ring," she said. "But I protested and said we should go for something sensible, y'know."

He nodded. Unlike Bill, Sam understood her need to keep money saved away. He knew how precious it was and, from past experience, was now a furious believer in being careful. "Good for you. Did you find another one?"

"Not yet. But there's still time. Anyway, I'd better get started. I'll probably speak to you when it quietens down."

"Okay, Sook."

She headed out and quickly over to a table that demanded service. It was a pretty busy night and her feet began to ache after the first hour, but she persisted onwards, knowing that Bill would probably offer to massage them when she got back home.

He always waited up for her to get back safely, something that she loved and appreciated.

People came and went continuously, and her section of the bar was almost always full. She kept up conversation, served drinks and food, spoke to the resident cook Lafayette, laughed and joked...

As much as she loved her job, it sure did exhaust her, and she found her energy was quickly beginning to drain away.

At around ten, it finally quietened down a little, and Sookie headed gratefully towards the bar to talk to Arlene, her flame-haired fellow barmaid. As soon as she approached her, though, there was something suspicious in her green eyes. Sookie frowned. "Is something up?"

"There's a man in my section," she started, "and he keeps asking to see you whenever you're free."

Her eyes drifted over and Sookie followed, seeing a blond man with glasses in the distance. He was quite far away, so she couldn't exactly make him out very well, but it was clear he was staring at her.

"Okay, that's a little odd," she said slowly.

"Yeah. But he says he needs to talk to you. He knows your full name."

Sookie couldn't help being intrigued. "Should I go over?"

"I don't think he's gonna leave until you do," she replied, juggling talking to her and serving a bottle of beer. "But if he starts bothering you, I'll get Sam straight away."

Sookie loved Arlene. Even though sometimes she could be a little self-centred, she was always looking out for those closest to her, and that was a quality Sookie really admired. "Thanks, Arlene." After quickly checking her area - everybody was satisfied as far as she could tell - Sookie took a deep breath and straightened her uniform. "I'm gonna go over."

"Good luck! And be careful."

The walk over there felt incredibly long, and Sookie stupidly imagined everybody's eyes to be on her. Of course nobody was interested, but she kept glancing curiously up at the man. As she approached closer, she began to see him more clearly, and she was ashamed to note that he was particularly good looking.

Although, she thought, it was a natural thing to see and judge how people looked. It wasn't like she was doing anything that was bad.

But still, his appearance really did stand out to her. His blond hair was messy, as though he hadn't really bothered brushing it before he'd come out. Either that, or it had been incredibly windy outside. But, she countered, he'd been sat there for a while, so why hadn't he made an effort to tame it? Did he really not care about how it looked?

It then occurred to her that she was over-thinking and needed to concentrate on walking without tripping over something.

She found his glasses oddly attractive, too. They made him look intelligent, but also hid some of his face, something she found intriguing.

His skin was enviably clear, too, but there was a light trace of stubble across his cheeks.

She thought all of this in under ten seconds and, when she reached his table, she hovered awkwardly by the side. His bright, blue eyes looked up at her expectantly, and she stammered through her words. "Um... I... my friend said you wanted to speak to me."

"That's right. I do." He left it at that, and Sookie inhaled nervously.

"Um... right. What do you need to speak to me about, then?"

"Take a seat."

"I'm working, I can't."

"Alright, then," he said, somehow managing to make Sookie feel guilty. "I guess I'd better make it quick."

She had never felt more curious and excited in her life.

It took a while (sorry!) but finally here's chapter one! I hope you're still interested, but I now know where the story's going, so the updates should be at least fortnightly. Thanks for reading!