Look Before You Leap [True Blood]

38: Losing Forever

But I had to admit dressing up made me feel better, applying makeup and fixing my hair was practically therapeutic. I walked down stairs, and found the party was in full swing. People were dancing in the living room, eating in the dining room, and drinking practically everywhere.

Everyone looked at me, but no one said more than a cheerful hello. It felt nice to not have to talk to anyone. I took a seat next to Nicole in the dining room. "Hey Rachel!" Arlene said, grabbing my shoulders. "You want a drink?"

"Can't."

"Oh yeah, Lafayette told me. Kids are a handful, but you'll love 'em to death. Let me at least get you a Coke." Arlene stumbled as she tried to walk towards the kitchen. Then stopped, cursed, and kicked her heels off.

"I feel your pain, girl," Nicole said. "This'd be a whole lot better if I was drunk."

OoOoO

Just when I'd had about as much of drunk Arlene as I could take, Sookie pulled me into the kitchen. "I thought we could have a little, um, memorial service for Alcide. Would you like that?"

I looked around the room Bill, Lafayette, Jason, Sam and Nicole. Just about every person I'd become friends in Bon Temps stood around, plus Jackson and Jenny. "Yeah, I'd like that."

They all looked at me expectantly. "I'll start," Jackson said, giving me a chance to gather my thoughts. "Alcide could be an arrogant little shit, even when he was a kid. You'd tell him to go left, and he'd go right just to piss you off. He questioned everything. Fighting was a way of life where we came from, but Alcide didn't fight just for the sake of fighting. He said he'd fight when he was good a ready, when he found something worth fighting for. You were worth it, Rachel."

I sniffed and Nicole handed me a paper towel to dab at my eyes so I wouldn't mess up my makeup. "You know when you meet someone and you just feel like you've found the thing that's always been missing from your life? That's how I felt when I met Alcide ages ago back in Jackson. I don't believe in love at first sight, hell I'm not even sure I believe in true love. But I know that Alcide and I made each other better. I wouldn't trade a single moment I had with him for anything in the world. I wish more than anything we'd left Bon Temps when we'd had the chance, maybe he'd still be alive. He saved my life over and over again from the day we met. When it came time for me to save him, there was nothing I could do."

"My boy died a hero, but you can't die a hero without a righteous cause," Jackson said. He raised his cup, "To Alcide."

OoOoO

I was sitting on the couch with Lafayette when Sookie came in the room followed by Andy and Jessica. "Well they sure is acting weird," Lafayette commented. Jason ushered Adilyn and Holly's son into the room. Andy walked past us, towards Holly and I noticed the box he was hiding.

"Hey, um, can we kill the music?" He asked. Holly looked confused. Jason nodded to our DJ, and the music cut out. Andy dropped to his knee.

"It's about damn time, he grew a pair," Lafayette mumbled to me. I laughed quietly.

"Holly, I have been waiting a long time to do this. I was trying to find the perfect time, but I'm beginning to realize there isn't one. The only thing that's kept me from doing this was me. I don't deserve a woman as beautiful and kind as you. I know this timing is weird, and you've got a lot of healing to do, but will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Holly said. She bent down and kissed him. Everyone else cheered and raised their drinks to them.

"I think I need to go upstairs," I told Lafayette.

"You okay?"

I nodded but made a dash for the stairs. When I got to my room I realized Sookie and Lafayette had followed me. "Are you alright, Rachel?" Sookie asked, startling me.