Ummm, ok. So I am fail in every sense of the word! This is late because of me, well of course it is, it's my story. But this time it was stupid… I forgot to send the email with the attachment to my Beta. Then this weekend when I realized that, I also realized I had left the thumb drive in my desk drawer. UGH! So sorry people!

This is an all Sam chapter. I seem to have made some serious Sam converts and I love that this is a "guilty pleasure" for some of you. Can't tell you how much I like that.

I don't own any of it, but I kinda love my Arlene too Pixiegiggles *wink*

PS – thank you to Pixie who whipped my sorry excuse for comma's into shape, and to Zeewriter who let me know that this chapter wasn't a complete disaster.

May 3, 2004

"Remind me again why I agreed to this?"

"Because you don't have a choice."

"Right. How silly of me."

Sookie and I were at the Men's Warehouse in Chelsea, I was getting fitted for a tuxedo. A tuxedo that I didn't want, would never wear again, but was being forced to endure for Sookie's wedding. Wedding … shit. Just thinking about it made me all antsy. She was actually going through with it. She and Eric were getting married in front of 400, that's right 400 of their closest friends and family. Now, I use the word their and closest loosely. I happened to know for a fact that Sookie knew exactly 42 people, all of whom were invited. The other 358 were all Eric's people, and other than Sookie, Pam, and that maid of his, I didn't think he had any close friends. Followers sure, but friends? Don't think so.

The whole thing was Eric, Eric, Eric. Don't get me wrong, it was Sookie's day too, but something told me that left to her own decisions, the event would have been 100 people, a really nice garden someplace, and cupcakes. Instead, it was 400 people, the Puck building, being catered by some hotshot chef, and her dress was some specially made couture number that I can only imagine cost as much as most people's entire weddings.

Sookie just went with it because it was what Eric wanted. And whatever Eric wanted, Eric got. At first it was funny, but now it was getting sad. I saw Sookie slowly turning into Eric's version of Sookie. Gone were her funny yellow shoes and cherry pajamas. Her accent was fading slowly but surly, and he hair had gone from Southern Belle Blonde to some darker shade with all these highlights in it like all the women in New York had.

I couldn't do a damn thing about it, either. All I could do was be Sam, the friend, and Sam the friend was currently being measured for a damn tuxedo. After my fitting, we were meeting up with Amelia and Pam for Sookie's final dress fitting. I don't know how I always get wrangled into these things. Sure I do – I can't say no to her. Never could, never will.

We were finished with the fitting early, and our appointment at the couturier (I had to be instructed on how to say that damn word too!) wasn't for a few hours, so I treated Sookie to some lunch. She had to fit into her dress later, so she ate like a damn mouse, nibbling on lettuce and ice tea … without sugar!

If I wasn't sure that Sookie was 100% happy, I would have spilled my guts out on the table right then and there. I would have told her to leave Eric, choose me, we'd be happy. Of course, she was beaming. All she could talk about was the wedding, how happy they were, their two month-long honeymoon around the world, and on and on and on. Not that I thought that she cared about a trip around the world exactly, but I'd never be able to give her that. She deserved it though. She deserved being shuttled around the world in luxury - seeing the most beautiful places, being spoiled. I couldn't do that for her, well, not the way Eric could.

"So Sook, when you gonna start having kids?"

Silence. Nibble, nibble on a cucumber slice - sip, sip of tea. She wasn't getting away with that. Not on my watch.

"Sookie …."

"Can we talk about something else, Sam?"

"Okay. How many kids do you want?"

"Four," she answered immediately. Her head snapped up and she looked at me in shock.

I just smiled. Sookie and her brood – I could see them all too. Three boys, one little girl - one perfect little copy of Sookie.

Sookie laughed nervously. "Did I say four? Where did that come from? I meant one."

I looked at her non-convincing expression. "I think you meant four, but you've been trained to say one."

"What does that mean?" She snapped at me.

"That means that Eric either doesn't want kids, or only wants enough to be able to ignore."

"Careful Sam," she warned, a little glimmer of the real Sookie shining through. If I weren't so damn glad to see her in there I might have shut my face.

"Why? Sookie, I know he's a looker, I know he's all glitz and glamour …."

"You know I don't care one lick about that stuff!"

"Then why! Why the hell are you marrying this guy?"

"You've got some nerve, Sam Merlotte. Don't tell me how to live my life!" she whispered angrily, trying not to make a scene.

"He doesn't want kids at all does he Sookie?"

"No. But he's going to and he's doing it for me, because it's what I want."

"That's generous of him Sook, real generous," I said as sarcastically as humanly possible.

"Ya it is. You don't owe anyone anything, and you don't get it. In a relationship you make sacrifices for people. This is one of them. What have you ever sacrificed, huh?"

When I couldn't answer her, she stood up and walked away from me, leaving her lettuce and ice tea in her wake. I watched her leave, and when I was sure she was gone, I said to no one at all: "You. I sacrificed you."

))((

May 15, 2004

I hadn't seen Sookie since she'd walked out on me. But it was May 15th, 2004 and at 6pm Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman were getting married. I couldn't leave things the way they were, though. So the day after our little fight, I sent Sookie a bottle of Mama's BBQ sauce and a note, apologizing. She called me, but I missed the message. She thanked me for the sauce and apologized herself. She blamed it on stress and nerves, it made sense … I guess.

Showered, trimmed and as groomed as I could ever be, I showed up at the Puck building at exactly 5:30pm. What a fucking spectacle. There was security at the door checking invitations and ID's, a coat check, champagne was being passed by waiters in black ties, chocolates covered every surface, and there were more white flowers than I had ever seen in my life. I couldn't even tell you what they all were, but every single flower was white. Between the flowers and the amount of perfumes all the ladies were wearing, it was obnoxious.

At 5:50pm, a bell sounded over the loudspeaker and a gentle voice ushered us into the now open ceremony room. More white flowers, everywhere, absolutely everywhere. But in the ceremony space there were hundreds of white chairs, covered in white pillows, with white fabric billowing from the ceiling and walls and yet more white flowers hanging from the ceiling, climbing down the walls, and of course, thousands and thousands of candles and twinkling lights.

I was seated in the bride's section. Of course, I didn't need to be ushered there; the ladies in their finest Sunday hats and dresses gave it away. They were the only splash of color in the whole place. All the rest of the guests were in black, gray, muted tans and silver. Absolutely everyone looked like they stepped off the pages of some fashion magazine. Thank god for the fuchsias, teals, and yellows of Sookie's corner.

At 6:00pm on the dot, an older gentleman stepped through the doors and made his way to the front of the room, the officient. A moment later, four perfectly dressed, tall, mostly blonde and blue eyed men stepped through the doors and made their way to the front. They were followed by Eric, who by the way, wore a tux without a bow tie, a bright pink flower on his lapel, with his hair slicked back. He looked like a class A douchbag from a Miami Vice rerun. I had to suppress a laugh as the theme song ran through my head.

Then things got quiet as some soft, vaguely classical music started playing. The doors opened again, and this time I recognized the face. Pam walked through the doors, wearing some avante garde overly complicated gray dress that I thought was hideous but probably cost a fucking fortune. She was followed by some woman I don't remember, then came a tall blonde woman, who was definitely beautiful, kinda looked like one of the groomsmen actually, then came Amelia all smiles. She winked at me as she passed, and I smirked back.

The music changed, everyone stood, and all I heard were gasps. Everyone was standing so I couldn't see, but when Jason and Sookie came into view, I knew what they were gasping at - Sookie. She was a different woman. She was tall, ram-rod straight. Her hair was pulled tight off of her face, her lips were bright pink, her dress was long and architectural. She was dripping in pink jewels; a massive bouquet of bright pink flowers were in her hands, another placed at the nape of her neck where a long sleek ponytail was resting. She wasn't my Sookie; she was some sophisticated and modern Sookie – all slick and styled. It was not the Sookie I loved, but even I would be blind if I couldn't see how absolutely stunning she was just then.

I don't remember the vows, I don't remember them talking or saying a damn thing. All I remember was a collective "awww" followed by a lot of clapping and hollering. I snapped out of whatever trance I was in long enough to see Sookie and Eric pull apart after their kiss, turn to all of us and start walking down the aisle away from me. And that was it. That was the moment I realized it was over. She was his now. It was official. It was time to wake up, move on, and let them be - let her be.

That being said, I needed whiskey, and I needed it immediately.

))((

We were all ushered into another massive room where all 40 tables were set up, the dance floor was lit up, and a staff of waiters were at attention. I sat down and immediately a guy in a waiter get-up was at my side, getting my drink order.

"Whiskey, and keep them coming okay?"

"Of course sir, straight or …."

"He'll have a ginger ale, make that three in fact, and keep those coming instead," said a voice I knew.

The waiter looked between me and Terry for several confused moments before I gave the guy a break, "fine, ginger-ale. Keep them coming."

"You'll thank me when you haven't made a colossal ass of yourself, you know."

"Maybe … Where's Arlene?"

"I dunno, doing something girly in the bathroom."

A moment later our ginger-ales arrived, followed by Arlene.

"Caught him in time I see! Hi Sam," Arlene said as she leaned over to kiss me.

"In time? You two had this planned?"

"Well, I figured you'd want something strong to get thought the night …"

"…and I figured you'd rather not be the drunk dude at the wedding," finished Arlene.

They were right, of course they were right. I didn't want to be that guy, you know that one really drunk guy at the wedding? I couldn't be the drunk guy at the wedding, but being a drunk guy at home? Now that was a different story. Of course, fate has a funny way of stepping in at just the right moment.

))((

"OW! Shit. Arlene. That hurt."

"If you would get your sorry head out of your sorry ass, you would have noticed that a very pretty bridesmaid has been looking at you all night. This was just my subtle way of waking you up!"

"A pretty who?"

"Oh for Christ's sake!"

With that, Arlene stood up and walked across the room where the bridesmaid I had noticed during the ceremony was sitting … alone. Shit, I did have my head in my ass. I have no idea what Arlene said to her, but no more than five minutes later Arlene was back with said bridesmaid in tow, a satisfied look on her face. She was nothing if not subtle, huh?

"Sam, Claudine, Claudine, Sam," I stood up, Mama didn't raise a caveman. "Sam is originally from Texas but moved here who knows how long ago. He owns a bar downtown and a crazy dog who like to run in circles. Claudine is Mrs. Bjurstrom's cousin's daughter from Sweden. She's been here for four months and is a nanny for a set of seven year old twin girls on Park Avenue. She'll be finishing her masters in education at NYU this fall. She was also a model back home, if you hadn't guessed that already. Okay, my job here is done. You two kids play nice."

With that, Arlene was off and I was standing in front of a seriously beautiful Swedish girl who was smiling from ear to ear trying very hard not to laugh. Her smile got me smiling and then I was trying not to laugh as well and when we couldn't hold it in anymore, we started laughing like hyenas at the whole thing. It was … refreshing. I hadn't laughed in a while. It felt good.

"She's a real character," said Claudine after we had calmed down.

"She's a firecracker, that's for sure."

"Is she your sister?"

"Arlene? Nah, she's my best friend's wife. That's him over there trying not to look like an idiot on the dance floor."

"Ahhh."

Silence. Shit it was awkward. Think Sam, think. What to do? What to say?

"Will you dance with me?" asked Claudine, holding her hand out for me.

"Shit, Claudine. That was supposed to be my line."

"Okay," then she walked away. My jaw hit the ground. What the hell just happened? She went back to her table and sat down. I had to shake my head a few times before I realized that she was staring at me and tilting her head. Huh? I felt like Bill, running around in circles, confused. When she finally looked at me, laughed and beckoned me over with her pointer finger, I finally got it. She was giving me the chance to be the guy I should have been from the get-go.

I straightened my bowtie, took a breath and walked over.

"Hello, my name is Sam. May I have this dance?"

"Hi Sam, my name is Claudine. I'd be honored."

I led her to the dance floor. We danced for a solid hour and I only looked at Sookie twice.

))((

A/N

Ok, so maybe things are looking up right? As always, 25th review gets their reading suggestions posted her in the next chapter. A next chapter, by the way, that will be posted in a timely manner… I PROMISE!

Link to Sookie's dress and Jewels on Polyvore in my profile too.

http(colon)/www(dot)polyvore(dot)com(backslash)till_now_chapter_sookie_eric(backslash)set(question mark)id(equal sign)22978493

So please leave a review – it really is the FF writers' lifeblood.