For Sookie (Late November)

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Sitting herself on the floor in front of the clothes box was a decision she had already come to regret. There was no possible way she was getting up on her own. Had she been alone, she would've been stuck there until some kind stranger walked by and took pity on her

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[justsookie]

Even when she'd been on her last dime, keeping herself in time with the latest fashions was something Sookie had always strived for in her life. A part of her had long come to realize that being able to hear people's opinions of her appearance probably played a strong hand in it. Sometimes, coaxing a good mood out of a teacher took no more than a carefully chosen sundress and a twirl on her toes, and so Sookie had been conditioned to look for bright colors, for fashions that would encourage the happiest of moods. That afternoon, however, was teaching her a new lesson: the only thing more enjoyable than shopping for her own wardrobe was, apparently, shopping for a baby's.

Her love of all colors pink, gold, and green was evident in the piles of clothing by her side of the box, flower patterns common among dresses and bonnets, even embroidered onto a bib or two, as Sookie glanced up to catch a glimpse of the one-piece Nina held up for inspection.

Sookie couldn't stifle a laugh.

"Oh god," she giggled, shaking her head. "It might, but I don't think that should keep you from adding it to the pile. If she does get George's ears, you've gotta help your baby girl just learn to embrace them. I always think they look charming on George, really."

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"They do, don't they?" Nina say, her nose wrinkling with a gleeful smile, rare and brief, but genuine.

"Never know. I keep hearing I ought to prepare myself for snow, coming up," she said, putting the tiny, monkey-eared one-piece aside in one of her To Keep piles.

Letting out a huff of displeasure, she tossed a monstrosity of neon orange and lime green frills back into the box.

[justsookie]

Seeing a smile as honest and open as Nina's was a rare thing on the island, even among those who were more optimistic than either of them, and Sookie couldn't help the grin that spread over her face as she reached into the box, pulling out a pink and black polka dotted dress in the style of Sally Brown. Some part of her couldn't help but wonder if George and Nina would ever hang their reservations and be spontaneous for once, sail on the happiness of having a child together- they certainly seemed to be short no amount of affection for one another. Glancing briefly over again, Sookie set herself to thinking.

"You should definitely be preparing yourself for snow. Last year, December brought Whoville over to the island. All of the houses were these funky shapes and bright colors- kinda weird, honestly, but I loved getting to curl up by the fireplace. Who knows." Her lips curved mischievously. "Maybe one night, George and you pull a bit close... crackling fire keepin' your toes warm..."

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"Oh, who knows. I've always wanted our relationship reduced to the plot of a silly romance novel," Nina said, her voice lifting to tone just slightly mocking, but still good-natured.

"I'm... I don't know what's going on with the two of us. Right now, all I care about is that the baby's healthy, and that I don't screw it up right out of the gate."

[justsookie]

"Oh, come on, don't knock the romance novels. For decades, that was pretty much all I even have in the way of romance, and from where I'm standing, they still seem pretty darn ideal. I mean, the things that they think in romance novels may not always be so deep, but it's still leagues better than what any of my dates thought back in the day," she sighed. "If I had to listen to one more person wonder if the drapes matched the carpet." Shaking her head vigorously, Sookie picked a tiny white sundress from the box, adorned with cherries, giving it an instantaneous grin before folding it for the keep pile.

"I don't really see how either of you could be anything but great parents for the baby, though, I've gotta admit. You've both got pretty good heads on your shoulders. And you both want desperately to make sure that she's got a good life, which to me seems like half the battle."

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"Good lord," Nina winced, "I can't think of anything worse than being able to read a man's mind on the first date."

It must have been utterly revolting. No wonder soap operas and romance serials seemed the better option.

"George was born to be a parent. A very high-strung, overprotective parent, but a wonderful one, all the same," she said with a warm smile, "I'm not certain I can say the same for me."

[justsookie]

"It's all about the way you look. Guys say that they really wanna know who you are and all that, but the only one I've ever come across who actually seemed somewhat interested in me? Turned out to be homosexual. Did a good job of distracting himself away from such thoughts, I'll give him that, but I'm not exactly in favor of people avoiding what they are just to gain wider acceptance, and less so when I'm unknowingly used in the process," Sookie shrugged, heaving a soft exhale. Not that it mattered anymore; she wasn't dating then, nor was she considering it too seriously. What there was with Mathias was... well. Too fledgling to be judged yet.

"But that's not even what I wanted to talk about- I'm afraid I'm still missing something. I mean, I can see getting jitters about the baby, but... if George is allowed to panic twice as much while still keeping faith in him, why aren't you half as confident in yourself?"

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"It's... complicated," Nina admitted, not knowing where to even start. Nina had never been very good at opening up. It had been literally like pulling teeth, with George, and she hadn't had many girlfriends throughout the years she felt close enough with to confide in. With Annie, even, there were certain things they simply didn't talk about.

"I haven't... very many fond memories of my mother."

[justsookie]

She'd stumbled across something, it seemed, something sharp and unsure, a crack in the ice that splintered with every second she waited. Never in her life could Sookie proclaim to be a neglected child, or a child abused from love gone violently awry. (Even now, a chill could so easily slide up her spine at the thought of great-uncle Bartlett, but the fact of the matter was that he'd never really intended to hurt her as such, at least. The comfort from that fact might have been marginal, but it stood nonetheless.) Glancing down, Sookie wasn't sure what there was to say, or if it was right to press for details at all.

"Not all daughters take after their mothers," she decided at last, voice muted and soft.

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"Thank God for that," Nina said, because the very idea that she was like her own mother made her skin crawl.

"It's all right, Sookie. It's in the past. Motherhood isn't something I let myself think on, too closely, but it's happening now, and we'll be fine."

[justsookie]

"You have the rest of us here too," Sookie reminded gently, reaching out to squeeze Nina's hand. "I mean, I know that kids are daunting. No one really goes into parenthood completely prepared or whatever, and definitely not their first time. But you've got a lot of friends perfectly willing to help you figure it out. It'll be wonderful."

Smiling, Sookie bent over the box again, fishing out another one-piece, red polka dots on black. "Besides, if you try to combine your personality and George's together, I get the feeling that your little girl is going to be the sweetest thing. Maybe a bit overexcited at times, but... if she takes after her parents, she'll have it made."

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"If she takes after her father, I agree with you. I don't know if you've noticed, but I can be a bit harsh," Nina said with a wry quirk of her lips.

"But you're right, we're not alone. I do plan to use you shamelessly for 'sitting. I hope you don't mind."

[justsookie]

"I don't know about harsh. Digging in your heels in now and again isn't a bad thing, especially when you've got enough else in the world stacked up against you," Sookie pointed out with a tilt of her head. "You can combine sugar and spice, as the saying goes. Actually, it'd be heck of an advantage if she learns how, and I can't imagine her having a better role model."

Grin widening, Sookie's shoulders pulled higher in a shrug. "And, trust me, you can invite me over to sit all you like. I have such a soft spot for kids, seriously. My friend Arlene used to pawn her two off on me all the time, but I enjoyed every second of it."

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"I have no doubt you're suited for it," Nina said with a knowing smile, deciding not to argue further with Sookie's assessment of her.

Sookie, she believed, would be a wonderful mother, and seemed to want it for herself, but considering how things had gone with Mitchell, she decided now wasn't the time to broach the subject.

"I honestly can't believe it's all happening so soon. It seems like I only just found out I was pregnant."

[justsookie]

"I'm sure that the rush of being here on the island didn't help things," Sookie pointed out, deciding not to speak further on the matter of children. Not yet. As much as she wanted to have children of her own, there wasn't a reason to discuss any of it when Sookie didn't have any ideal candidates for a father. The last thing that she wanted to do was to raise children on her own, not because that she felt she wouldn't love them enough for two, or that all families had to be whole and complete. But when people stood a chance of losing so much on the island already, why take risks so great?

"I mean, it's been one thing after another since you've gotten here, hasn't it? Time always pasts so quickly here. Doesn't feel like I've been here for about a year and a half at all." Her stomach turned at the thought.

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"I can hardly imagine it," Nina admitted, going cold at the idea of being trapped in this place for so long, no matter how close she'd become to some of the people she'd met.

Funny thing, no matter how much she wanted to put her life on hold until things went back the way they'd been, time kept hurdling her forward.

"Given the choice, would you go back?"