AN: Sorry it took so long to get back to the story. I was so devastated by Dead and Gone that it took me a while to even want to write and then I had to decide if I wanted to just carry on ignoring all but chapter one of D&G or if I wanted to rewrite starting from the end of D&G. Obviously, I've decided to carry on as if I'd never read the rest of D&G. Updates will be more regular from here on.

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Sam sighed as he sat down at his desk. He didn't realize how much he'd miss this place until he was away from it. Merlotte's was his livelihood, of course, but it was more than that to him. His whole world centered around his bar. It was where he interacted with the other people in Bon Temps, his entry to the local society in a way. Most importantly, if not for his bar, he might never have met Sookie.

Ah Sookie… He took a deep breath in through his nose. The office was infused with her scent. She must have spent many hours here while he was gone. His fingers roamed across the stack of notes she left for him detailing what she had done while he was gone. Her script was delicate and neat, almost as beautiful as the woman herself. He read through the notes and marveled at how well she had filled in for him in his absence. She really was much smarter than most of the locals gave her credit for.

He turned his thoughts to Claude and his offer to help him win Sookie's heart. His mom was right, of course. There's got to be something in it for the fairy but Sam couldn't imagine what it would be. There was only one way he was going to find out, he supposed. Sam opened his cell phone and dialed Claude's number. The phone rang three times and was answered.

"Yes?" The voice on the other end of the line said. Sam chuckled to himself over the fact that the fairy's phone personality wasn't any warmer than in person.

"Claude?" Sam asked. After confirming that he was speaking to Claude he informed the fairy that he was back in town and ready to discuss his plan for wooing Sookie. It was arranged that they would get together after the bar closed tomorrow since the bar closed early on Sundays.

Sam almost called Sookie to tell her to take the day off since he knew she'd been working so hard in his absence, but he really wanted to see her. He'd wait until she got here and then offer to let her go home. That way he'd at least get to spend a little time with her. He felt guilty about being so sneaky, but not guilty enough to change his mind. He probably didn't have enough time to catch her before she left the house anyway. Sookie usually came in to work ten to fifteen minutes before her shift started and given the time it takes for her to drive to work, she was probably already on her way. No sooner had Sam finished the thought than Sookie walked in the door a full half-hour early.

"Sam!" She yelled when she saw him. She dropped her purse on the chair by the door and ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're back! This place just isn't the same without you. When did you get back?"

"I've been here just long enough to read your notes. I was going to call you and tell you to take the night off but I figured I'd have just missed you. As it turns out, I'd have missed you by a long shot. You've been working so hard, chère, and you did such a great job. You deserve a break," Sam hugged her back. With her this close her scent was overpowering. Something was different. He sniffed more obviously and Sookie pulled back, obviously irked.

"Let me guess, you smell Quinn and want to know if he and I are back together", she said while rolling her eyes to express how much she enjoyed being sniffed. "For your information, he just came by to get some closure. We talked things out and parted as friends, just friends". She emphasized the just.

"No, that's not it. I'm sorry chère, I know how much you hate it when supes do that to you. You have to understand that with us it's instinctive. We don't mean to be invasive; it's just the way we get information from our environment. Anyway, I'm not sure what it is, your scent is different, sweeter. Have you changed soaps or shampoos or something?" He said.

"Nope, same old stuff I always use", Sookie replied.

Sam shrugged, "Probably nothing. I'm glad you and Quinn were able to talk things out. I had a feeling that you were still a little raw about the way it ended."

"Yeah," She said. "I do feel a lot lighter, somehow."

"I'm glad. It's been a rough couple of years for you and I hate it that you've had to go through so much. Any peace you can find is a blessing." He stood up and hugged her again and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Now go home and get some rest. That's an order. I don't want to see you back here for work until Monday." He smiled at her.

Sookie allowed herself to acknowledge the weariness that she had been holding at bay. "Thanks Sam. I think I'm just going to go home and sleep for two days."

"You do that, chère. I'm back now, so you just catch up on the rest you've been missing out on." Sam handed her purse to her and shooed her out the door.