Our lovebirds return from a (pleasurable) honeymoon to little Bon Temps, and find a few surprises waiting for them. The title song is about how life throws you curve balls and you have to keep on going. Most of the surprises are happy, but one is bizarre.

Sounds Like Life to Me

Through thick sunglasses, the Monroe Airport is a dark and distorted place. But Sam and Sookie Merlotte were all grins. He was in a loose beach shirt, khaki shorts, and her curves were hidden by a flowing sundress. She smiled and kissed his fingers that had so recently given her such pleasure…

Tara and Jason were at the gate waiting. Sookie hugged her friend close as the guys patted shoulders, and a round of "heys" and "welcome backs" went up. Tara scanned Sookie up and down. "Damn girl, you're glowing. What'd Sam do to you?!" Sookie grinned and winked, and Tara raised her eyebrows. "Whoa, gal, no details."

The telepath cocked her head. "How'd life back here go?"

"Good" said the friend a bit too curtly. Sookie gave her a strange look and reached right for her mind.

Don't mention I'm sleeping with her brother—ah fuck I know that face, we're busted.

Sookie turned to the guys, who were watching puzzled. "Jason? When did you and her start up?"

He had a brief guilty look before he figured out Sooks meant Tara. "The reception."

Sam piped up. "So you hooked up that night?"

Jason looked around and whispered, "No, we, uh, snuck off right aftfer you two snuck off."

Sam let out a little whoop. "Both Stackhouses were having fun, then." He grinned at Sookie's glare. "Hey, a double date anytime?" he wondered out loud.

Tara shook her head. "I don't know what this thing with Jason is, but we aren't on dates—"

"Yet," Jason piped in, and Sookie arched her eyebrows. Her brother was thinking about going out on actual dates with the same woman on different nights? I'm impressed!

"We better get going," Sam gestured. "A round at the bar for us all?"

Arlene was holding bar when the couple came in. She waved her hands and everyone broke out in cheers and more than a few wolf whistles. It was bright day out, so Laffy was asleep, but Terry was in the kitchen. "Hey S-sam, Sookie. How'd i-it go?"

"Good, Terry, really good. Hawai'i's gorgeous." She rolled her eyes and sighed as she thought back to the islands."

"Yep, did a little rolling on the beach as a dog," Sam said as he got the bottles. "Best five days of my life.

Arlene hugged the newlywed with a big aww. Wish Terry'd think about a vacation. Our kid is driving us nuts and--- Sookie zoned her out (Arlene was always ragging about something) and focused on Tara. "So gal, if you and Jason ever want a double date…"

"We'll see, Sooks. Besides it's probably too quick after your wedding for us to—"

Sookie knew Tara was worried about something by the way she talked. "Come on Tare, let's talk in the office." She slid the door closed and took Tara's hand.

"Honey, tell me what's wrong. I'm bound to hear it anyways."

Tara leaned in and whispered. "He's a werewolf, right?"

"Were-panther, but that's nothing to be afraid of."

"So at the full moon—"

"He does shift but he has an enclosure he spends the night in. He's never attacked anyone, Tara, and Sam's been around him at the full moon."

"Sam has?"

"Remember Andy's toast?" Sookie smiled. "Besides, Sam can turn into basically anything, not just a panther."

"I guess I'm leery of the whole supernatural thing. I mean, Maryann, then Franklin Mott…"

"I understand, gal. I've gone through some awful things out there, vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches, it's a weird world we're in. But life is all about taking the next step, figuring out what you want and going for it. I want a stable life with a man who loves me, and well…" She held up her ring.

Tara cocked her head. "Holy hell, Sam screwed some sense into you!"

"Tara!" The two friends hugged, laughing at Tara's boldness. "So don't be intimidated by the whole werepanther thing. Aside from the full moon, he has to concentrate to shift. It's a lot like Sam, although Sam for some reason hates werewolves."

"I've had some awful experiences with them, love," Sam said as he came in to get a key. "Jason's the first good were I've really known. Hey, Tare, seen the storage key?"

Sookie reached in a drawer. "I set it in—here!" She gave him the key. "If you want, I could try ordering your desk, hon."

"Sure, Sooks. Besides, it's our desk now."

"I know."

"I'm getting back to the bar, let you lovebirds be." Tara slipped out.

Sam watched her go, and spoke up. "Everything's coming full circle, you realize? Jason and Tara have had this chemistry for as long as I've been here, and now they're striking something up. We clicked the day you walked in here, and now my ring's on your finger. I spent twenty-three years running from myself, and now the town knows I shape shift."

"Yeah, it's like fate," Sookie teased. "But seriously, Bill has found a new love, Jess and Hoyt are considering turning, Arlene and Terry have a kid, Andy's sheriff, this whole town's changing."

"Makes you wonder what the future holds for us."

"Yep," Sookie said. "And there's something else I'd like sometime." Her brown eyes fixed on his.

The little light swung uneasily. The group pulled chairs out and sat down. There was a chill in the barren room, the floor unyielding concrete. The one window showed a blasted landscape, vast and empty. The leader was a tall, graceful woman with a cold gleam to her eyes. "So, any updates on the target?"

"He has wed her," said the informant. "So there's the risk of a pregnancy. That'll complicate things."

"Fuck," muttered the woman. "We need to act before that happens. How soon can we put the plan in implement?"

"Soon, ma'am. We need to get the necessary supplies for a holding up here. Right now, everything is mud. We must wait for the heavy freezes so the planes can land. Two months till then…we're looking at early November?"

"Sounds reasonable. And is he still at the bar?"

"Yes, and she is still a waitress. They personally close up as well."

The woman cackled. "Good boy Sam. Revenge is almost ours. He's playing her right into our hands."

A few weeks later, Jess poked her head around the corner. Sam had a nicer shirt on, and Sookie was in her longer blue dress. "Up to something…" she muttered and walked forward.

"Hey guys, what's happening?"

"Jase and Tara are double dating with us," Sam explained as he grabbed the checkbook.

"Ooh fun, can Hoyt and I come?"

"Chère?" Sam looked to Sookie.

"Get ready quickly and you can, I guess; never had a triple date before."

"'Woohoo!" the eternal teenager cheered. She sprinted to the basement door and yelled down. "Hoyt, get ready right now! We got a date!"

"I thought we were going out tomorrow!" yelled the distant voice.

"Nah, tonight! Hurry up!" The redhead shook her head. "Darn mortals—sorry guys. I'll go freshen up." And she sped down the stairs.

"How does a vampire freshen up?"

"I don't know; neither Bill nor Eric ever did anything they called freshening up." Sookie flipped her phone on to see the time. "Oh crap, we're supposed to be there in twenty minutes. Jess!"

The red blur shot back up. "Yep? Hoyt's coming up." The heavy footsteps came up and Hoyt nodded to Sooks and Sam, still dragging a comb through his hair. "We're ready," Jess said.

"Good. We're running late," the shifter grumbled.

The date started off smoothly, the three couples idly chatting about customers at the bar, how the summer wasn't as hot as most, the election…

"VRA's about to pass," Tara remarked. "One more state. So what'll that do for you, Jess?"

"It means Hoyt and I could get married if we wanted to. But we're probably going to pass on the whole shebang. Besides, Maxine and a wedding? We'd never ever get a moment's peace. Besides, we don't want to be an old married couple," the teenager ran on.

"Sooks and I do just fine," Sam pointed out. "Although the whole mortality thing's different…"

Jess took a drink of the TruBlood. "Yeah, speaking of that, Hoyt and I decided I'm going to turn him." She touched his neck, the gesture becoming common for a turning. Sookie smiled and Tara scowled before catching herself.

"Sorry, didn't mean to frown. I've just seen the bad side of vampires without any of the good Sooks here has had. Jase here and I, we're both a little shook up from everything still." Sookie knew she was referring to the whole Crystal mess with Jason. Tara shook her head. "But come on, we're having a triple date. Let's have a good time. How about the old married couple?"

"Life's good," Sam said and Sookie smiled.

"Any news?" Tara asked, and Sookie gave her a quick you hinting at something? look.

"Uh, I swatted a fly one day, couldn't find Sam, and about flipped," she said. A chuckle went through the table. "We're going to go with things, nothing specific in mind. I might be reorganizing the bar office, little things like that."

Jason leaned forward. "Any kids someday, Sooks?"

"Jason, we've been married a month. Not any time soon." As she spoke the words though, Sookie knew that wouldn't be the case. She and Sam had been discussing this sort of thing. At 28, she still had a good ten plus years, but both she and Sam wanted to settle down to a life—with kids. The main thing worrying her was Sam's admission that shifter mixes didn't carry well. But she had done some research on her own, and found out the fae blood in her would protect a child. When she had told him, he'd grinned, and the pills had gone in the trash, so she guessed they were trying…

"Uh oh," Jess said, snapping Sookie out of her reverie to caught sight of him. Eric Northman was striding towards them, a prominent envelope in his arm. Sam stood up. "Everything all right?"

The Viking gestured. "Sookie, shifter, I need to discuss something in private."

Sookie looked worried and Sam took her arm. "All right."

Eric took them outside, around a corner, and slid a piece of paper out. "There is a group that has come to my attention. Jessica brought me the shifter union's letter, and I did some investigating on my own. There is a rogue shifter group that seems to be out of Thunder Bay, in Ontario."

"Canada?" Sookie was getting more and more confused.

"I'll cut to the quick. There are signs this Canadian group is planning something in the American South. Where, I could not discover. But as they have sent a vaguely menacing letter to you, and Sam's a shifter, I am worried for their intentions. Sookie, stay sharp until I find out what is happening. I have dispatched Chow to Thunder Bay to find out more. I do not have a good instinct about this. Stay close to each other, and I will carefully watch over you both." He gave the folder to Sam.

"Good luck." And he was gone. Sookie looked at her husband, fear on her face.

"What the hell?"

"I'll read this when we get home. For now, we keep our heads up." He hugged her tight. "I will never let anything happen to you. Hold on to that."

The days went by, then weeks. Eric stayed quiet, occasionally sending little notes like "no news." Slowly, the couple's anxiety faded. Jason and Tara were dating now, and the bar busy with the summer crowd. And at night, Bill would sit on the Stackhouse porch, his eyes watching, protecting….

Sookie decided quickly that this group be damned, she was living her life. Sam was a bit more hesitant, but a few long talks with his wife, and they agreed to move forward. Their pasts had enough pain for the both of them, right now they had each other. They had their future in their hands.

Next chapter: Quickie, joy, shock. This story's about to take a somber twist...