Chapter 4

The next two weeks was filled with absolute chaos. Sookie seemed almost rattled to the bone from all the antics that her child had caused her. First it had just been little things, items moved where they were not supposed to, objects tending to burst (a pie Sookie had made Sam had exploded with apple chunks sailing everywhere), and then the big stuff started.

Adele began crawling by Wednesday, and then started floating all over the house by Thursday. Sookie had nearly screamed her head off when she was giving the little girl a bath and turned to get the shampoo, only to find her little girl gone. The only way Sookie had known she was floating above her is because she heard the tale tell giggle of her babe. It had taken nearly two hours and a lot of coaxing to get Adele to come back down.

Friday, little weights were strapped around Adele, who though try as she might, still managed to float a few inches in the air before plopping back down on the ground with a wine. Bill and Eric were at her house every sundown and if they couldn't make it, Pam or Alcide took their place. Adele warmed up to the vampires quickly, as she did Alcide, but when Jason came over to see his new little niece, Adele crawled away whining as light bulbs above her exploded and popped out.

Feeding Adele had it's trifles too. She ate like a horse, or more correctly an elephant or some large mammal. Every day Sookie had to go to the store at least three times, and the one day she decided to stock up, Adele had another growth spurt and ate everything they had, literally. She ate all the steaks, all the beverages, all the fruit and baby formula, she even floated her way into the spice cabinet and proceeded to gum down spices for half an hour before Sam could get a chair and reach her.

After Sunday, like clockwork Adele had grown overnight into almost a ten month old, her speech more of a babble as her limbs began moving like a tiny adult. They tried putting baby gates up, but with Adele's little floating technique, they were deemed useless.

One night while Eric and Pam were over, Adele decided that Pam's hair needed a trim and promptly set it on fire with the touch of her little hand. Pam of course panicked but soon after a good water to the hair the fire died down.

"You little rascal!" Pam said scooping up Adele and play rocking her "You aren't supposed to set me on fire!"

Adele squealed with delight and tried the little firebug trick again but Sookie stopped her and told her that was a bad thing to do to Aunt Pam. Adele immediately started crying and Pam's hair then grew six inches in a heartfelt apology.

Sookie enjoyed Adele though, despite her supernatural abilities that she could hardly control. Adele had proven to be a smart baby, figuring out all the toy puzzles she had been gifted and reading through all the baby books. She could now slowly identify animals and people with just simple vowel sounds, but it was still better than most children her age.

When Sookie came through the door she heard a loud "MOOOOOMMMMMA!" from down the hallway, and when Sam entered a room it was a high pitch "DAAA DAA!" but then again, Eric, Bill and Alcide were all Da Da, just in different pitches.

Pam had been dubbed "Am" and while she constantly tried to get Adele to pronounce the "P" Sookie knew it was going to take a while.

Everyone loved Adele. Bill had bought her a toy piano that Adele took extreme delight in smashing her hands against, while Eric simply talked to her in Swedish, sending Adele into a fit of giggles.

Alcide though, was always wrestle buddy. Adele would hear his big booming knock at the door and immediately start growling as her little chubby legs stood up and wobbled towards the door. Then, like a big hulk, Alcide would bust through the door with a loud growl. Adele would shrilly laugh and growl back, then charge at his big legs that always ended with a big hug.

Sookie, through all of this, simply smiled, knowing her daughter was getting all the love a child could ask for.

Sookie had eventually gone back to work, the staff of Merlottes eating out of Adele's hand by the slightest movement. Sam would sit her up in a high chair behind the bar, a coloring book in front of her or various toys, and customers would always compliment on how she was such a "well behaved little thing" and how she looked "Just like her momma."

Nobody once questioned Sookie on who the parent was, or how she all of a sudden was pregnant last month and now had a ten month old this month. When she thought about how people didn't know, Adele just gave her a knowing look, and it reminded Sookie that Adele wasn't just an ordinary baby.

But always, at the end of the night, Sookie and Adele would have their "Special Time."

"Bear" Sookie would say with her mind as she tucked Adele into her crib.

A mild image of a brown bear hit Sookie's mind as Adele stared at her.

"Fox" Sookie said.

An image of a bright red fox came with a small "Fock" sounding through her mind.

"Duck" Sookie said.

"QUACK QUACK!" She heard loudly.

"Good job Adele" Sookie said kissing her cheek.

"Momma" Adele said slowly with a smile on her face.

"That's right baby girl" Sookie said "And tomorrow you'll wake up and be a big strong girl, right?"

Adele simply smiled and Sookie smiled back. Today was Sunday, and tomorrow would be Adele's third week on this earth, and her due time for her change.

"Just promise me you won't grow up too fast" Sookie said stroking her daughter's honey golden hair "I wanted to be a mom for a reason, so I could have time to give you love and help you learn all about this world" she said as Adele sleepily kept her eyes open, wanting to hear every word her mother spoke "I just want you to grow up to be a good person, for us to have time together" she said "I don't want a twenty year old when I myself am only 27, just give me some time to be a mom?"

Adele simply smiled, yawned and closed her eyes. Sookie smiled, bent and kissed her daughters head before returning downstairs to her own room. Sam was sitting on the couch with a beer, his own two weeks being hectic with taking care of Adele and getting back to running his restaurant.

"Long day?" Sookie said smiling as she looked at the man who had taken a role she had never asked him to take.

"The usual" Sam said shrugging his shoulders "Hows butter butt?"

"Asleep" Sookie said coming over and sitting down beside him. Sam automatically wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she comfortable leaned in to him. His scent had become her rock, his smile her anchor through this whirlwind she had been tossed into.

"Your exhausted" Sam said quietly "Why don't you get to bed?"

All of a sudden a overwhelming feeling drifted over Sookie and she raised her head to Sam's. Her head tilted and brushed his lips, the soft rustle of his goatee hitting her face gently as his lips formed against hers. She felt his arm slip around her, letting the beer bottle hit the end table softly before coming back and letting his fingers drift into her hair. Sookie pulled back and looked back at Sam with only one intention in her mind.

"Come to bed with me" she said softly.

And Sam did.

It wasn't like Sookie had never thought about sleeping with Sam, but she had always drawn up the excuse that he was her boss and it wasn't right. But now Sookie was a co-owner of Merlottes, and Sam had been staying with her for two months now. He had taken a burden that he was never asked to take, shown support for her when she needed it most. And he loved Adele like his own, and on several occasions when he was asked, he had claimed to be her father.

He loved Sookie, and Sookie, without realizing it till just a few hours ago when she had laid her head on Sam's chest, loved him.

While Sookie laid naked with Sam wrapped around her, she knew this was his place and hers. No more vampire drama, no more werewolf wars, no more of anything like that. Just Sam, just her and him and Adele, nothing else.

She was getting something she had never really had before. She was getting a lover and a friend, she was getting a support system, a rock against the ocean her life had become. And she was giving Adele the one thing Sookie had lost a long time ago until her gran had taken her and Jason in.

A loving family.