Any author's notes from the person who wrote this gift fic have been removed to prevent any identifying information being revealed. The individual author can post this story to their own profile, complete with intended A/Ns, after the 26th December. We hope this gift fic is enjoyed by all – but mostly for the person it was written for. Thank you to this author for taking part in the first Sookie's Secret Santa fic exchange. Due to the number of participants it will be impossible to post all of the stories in one day - don't worry, everyone will get their gift before Christmas Eve :o)
Santa's little helpers
Blakes Boogie & Jan of Arc xx
Title: How to Build A Luxury Cubby
To: Daniel Rook
Summary: Eric employs Daniel Rook, Apple fanatic and construction expert, to build the perfect light-tight love nest. The only problem is, it's for his former high school crush.
"The Rookster!" yelled Jason as I hopped out of my truck onto Hummingbird Lane.
"Hey, Stackhouse, how's it hanging?" I replied.
"Well I gave it a good workout last night, so it's restin' right now," he smirked.
"I should hope so!" I laughed. "Because I know you like to be eaten alive, but I think these ladies would be too much even for you. Are we cleaning out this ditch again?" I hated this job sometimes. I liked working with my hands, but I preferred building with them. Luckily, the hazard pay made it worth it.
"Incoming – your 6 o'clock," said Jason, nonchalantly.
I hefted my shovel and swung it around sharply, sure to give it just the right upward angle. It caught the Walker right in the head, removing it from its body.
"I'll let this one bleed a bit so it'll be easier to move. How many we got in the ditch today? Any live ones?"
"Dunno. Don't think so," said Lafayette. "They's all been hit by cars. Not much left of 'em, but you never know. I'm giving 'em a good knock in the skull before I pitch 'em in the truck. This bitch here needs an extra hard knock for her fuckawful fashion…," he trailed off.
"Laf?" asked Jason. "Everythin' OK?"
"It's a good thing Hoyt's so mad at yo' ass that he quit the road crew," said Lafayette. "Daniel Rook, get yo' fine Canadian ass over here. You's the closest thing to a nice Southern boy we got. You call Hoyt and tell him we found his momma."
I was on the phone leaving a message for Hoyt when I noticed a pair of ugly Sunday shoes creeping up behind Lafayette.
"Laf! Mrs. Fortenberry is about to eat you!" I called over at him.
Lafayette ducked and rolled to the side, his shovel still in his grip. Mrs. Fortenberry's grey face looked stunned by his sudden disappearance, and she started reaching around with her broken, peeling hands as if she were blind, searching for something to grab. Her signature mumu was in tatters.
"Mrs. Fortenberry, looking better than ever," I jested.
"Her jowls and her tits are hangin' a little lower, but otherwise the zombie virus seems to agree with her," joked Lafayette.
"Jason? You want to do the honors?" I asked.
"Naw, man. I always hated the uppity bitch, but she was my former best friend's momma. I couldn't bash her in the head. I thought about it about a million times, but I couldn't do it."
"I could do it," said Lafayette. "Fugly here's been makin' my shifts at Merlotte's a little mo' like Hell for years."
He waltzed up in front of Mrs. Fortenberry's snarling, death-bloated carcass and started evaluating her. "Mmm hookah, don't you look fine today? Those shoes must be this season's from Walmart and that dress…no…don't tell me..." he mocked, "vintage, right? I knew it. So why's you spoilin' it with that fugly head on yo' shoulders? Here, let me fix yo' look." And with that he swung his shovel and sent her round, tangled beehive into the back of the truck, while her body fell to the ground with a sickening splat.
"Two points," I called. It was then that I noticed my iPhone still in my hand.
Shit.
"Uh, sorry about your mother, Hoyt," I cleared my throat. "Uh, bye." I touched 'End' and slipped it safely back inside my shirt. You didn't want to get caught without a cell these days. If you got into a swarm of Walkers, your only hope was to call the Vamp hotline that Sheriff Northman had set up. They were the only help that could arrive fast enough – that is, if you were lucky enough to get set upon after the sun set. During the daytime, the Weres did their best.
Ever since the virus hit, an alliance of necessity had sprung up. Vamps weren't willing to commit their favorite food source to doom; Weres weren't willing to become their second-favorite food source; and humans weren't willing to go down without a fight. Desperation seemed to overcome racism in a hurry.
And so we all worked together. They saved us, and we relaxed the public shifting and feeding rules, and I personally did what small part I could, on call for the parish road crew cleaning up the mess.
I had an appointment to meet with Sheriff Northman at the old Stackhouse place after my shift. He'd come into the new Apple store in Shreveport where I was working part-time, and we'd had a lengthy conversation about decking out his light-tight cubby. He wanted me to come and see it. I was a little nervous, especially when he mentioned that the property he'd like my opinion on happened to be owned by my high school crush.
I hadn't seen Sookie one-on-one since I graduated. I'd moved to Bon Temps from Canada in my junior year and she'd been really nice to me. I'd kissed her once at a party Jason had thrown, and he'd just about killed me the next day. He didn't want her dating anyone on the football team. He knew football players too well. Well, he didn't really know me, but who was I to tell him that I wasn't a dog? In high school every guy wants every other guy to think he's one.
When the ditch was cleaned out and our shift was over, we pulled off our biohazard suits and chucked them in the truck with the dead Walkers to go to the incinerator. Jason took care of that part of the job. He always had a funny story for us about the ones that weren't dead enough yet that tried to claw through his windshield.
I got in my truck and headed towards Sookie's place. It was only a two-minute drive. I didn't like the thought of her being this close to a swarm. We figured it was the cemetery that was to blame. So many of the "dead" had been buried before anyone realized that they would eventually rise again. She had Eric to protect her, but he was only up at night. I wondered if she had daytime Were protection.
My hands were getting a little sweaty on the steering wheel as I pulled down the long drive. It was beautifully graded and graveled, and as I pulled around a bend I saw that the house bore little resemblance to the one I had visited as a teenager. It was immaculate and beautifully renovated. It also had a tall barbwire fence around it.
Smart move.
I buzzed at the gate and Sookie's voice crackled through the intercom, "Daniel?"
"Yuh –" I faltered. "Uh, yeah, it's me."
Brilliant, man.
The gate swung open and I stopped my truck in a new parking area in front of the house. I admired the changes close up as I bounded up the steps, trying my best to look composed. I had always wondered whether Sookie had thought I just didn't like her after our kiss. I had wanted to talk to her about it so many times. There were nights when I'd be drinking with the guys at Merlotte's and I'd sneak glances at her while she waited tables and run through all of the possible scenarios in which I could broach the topic. I mostly just pictured us already together, me returning from a hard day's work into a kitchen that smelled like pecan pie. She would insist I remove my damp T-shirt, and I…I had to cool the fuck down because otherwise when the Sheriff rose he'd wonder what the fuck was up.
She opened the door and was even more radiant now than she'd ever been. I got to see her plenty at the bar, but here at home in a sundress and with her hair down she looked like a fairy princess. I could still remember the feel of her lips, so soft. I'd always thought she'd make a really nice girlfriend. She wasn't like the other girls. We had a lot to talk about. She was pretty, but she was interesting, which was just as important to me. Oh well, no sense worrying about it now. It's not like I could compete with a Vampire like Northman— not that I'd try.
Sookie had her head cocked slightly to the side and her lips were quirked in a mysterious expression.
"Hi, Daniel," she said softly. "It's really nice to see you again. Thank you for coming."
"My pleasure," I said, wiping my boots on the mat. They were totally clean because I wore my bio-suit over them, but manners were important to Southern women and I was careful to mind them.
"Come on in," she said, gesturing inside.
I stepped over the threshold and took in the changes to the inside of her house, which were just as remarkable as those outside. It had been lovingly renovated, but care was taken to preserve the style that had always made it feel like such a comfortable home.
"So, how have you been?" asked Sookie. "I know I see you at Merlotte's, but we never really get to talk, you know, catch up."
Was she blushing a little? She was. A light flush was blooming across her collarbones and creeping up her neck. I looked at her face and saw that her cheeks were rosy, too.
Hmm.
Encouraged, I gave her my winning smile and said, "I've been very busy actually. Things are going really well. I do small-scale construction projects for people looking to renovate, but of course I put in some time on the road crew, you know, to help with the apocalypse. We all have to do our part. And I've picked up some shifts at the Apple store. It's a hobby. I'm kind of geeking out," I chuckled. "But the tech knowledge helps give my construction business an edge that's really marketable."
"You were always my brother's smartest friend," she said.
My heart sank a little. "Yeah, that's what most girls thought. The smartone." It was nothing to be embarrassed of, but in high school it was not exactly what I was going for. And I was only on the football team because I was fast.
"Well, now you have brains andbrawn," she said. It was said under her breath but just loud enough to catch. I wasn't sure whether I was meant to hear it or not.
"Did I hear someone calling for 'brawn'?" said a smooth voice as the doors of a beautiful antique cabinet opened and the Sheriff stepped gracefully out.
"Hi, Eric," said Sookie, a flash of embarrassment in her eyes as she realized she'd been overheard. "Yes, these days certainly call for 'brawn.' It's a good thing I have so much of it right here."
Was that a double-entendre?
"Mr. Rook, so nice to see you again," said Eric, civilly.
"My pleasure, and please call me Daniel," I added. I was surprised at how anxious I felt. I guess I was so used to being around zombies, which were stupid and lethal, that I had forgotten how unnerving smart and lethal could be. And that's exactly what Eric Northman was – smart and lethal. I wasn't afraid exactly, just on edge.
"You can relax, Daniel. I understand you're an old friend of Jason's. And we have need of your expert services in both construction and IT. If you could follow me, I'll show you what I have in mind." He was motioning towards the cabinet.
I followed him and Sookie followed me. Just as I was climbing down, I gritted my teeth, promising myself I would not chance getting caught looking up Sookie's skirt as she descended in a sundress. I heard her feet above me and the sweat prickled on the back of my neck.
"Tsk, tsk," said Eric, a terrifyingly mundane sound to hear coming from a Vampire.
Adrenaline coursed through my body as I realized he must have sensed my conflicted emotional state.
"Stay upstairs, Lover," said the very large Vampire.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
Eric swaggered slowly over to the ladder and peeked up. "How can I surprise you if you're in on the plans?" His voice was light and teasing but his face was earnest.
He really loves her.
I couldn't blame him. I took a deep breath and let it out in a puff.
Eric quirked an eyebrow at me.
"Small spaces," I lied, taking another breath for show. "Not my thing."
"Well, with the Zombie apocalypse upon us, I recommend one. Though perhaps you have a point. This one is rather small. I was hoping to liven it up a bit with a 3D flat screen and one of those Apple TV units you told me about…" He tapped his finger against his lips in thought. "And perhaps a Bose docking station for my iPod nano…and then, just in case Sookie is down here for a while, another computer…can we have it on a network so it has access to all of the same things as the computer I'd like to buy her for upstairs?"
"Just get her an iPad," I suggested. "I'll hook you up with an AirPort and then with Air Sharing, she'll be able to view and move her files from the upstairs computer no problem…same with the iPhone. You don't want to try to squeeze a computer down here."
This space is very cramped, isn't it?"
"Mmm hmm," I mumbled, turning around to take in the room. It was Spartan. The cinder block walls were painted gray, of all colors, with glass blocks simulating windows set into them. The cement floor and ceiling were sealed and polished. It looked like a car fanatic's dream garage. The only appointment of any comfort in the room was a king size bed with a fur throw and another fur on the floor. I had heard Eric's prowess was legendary – Jason was more than a little put out by the fact and wondered how he'd prove himself superior in a competition – but unless they planned on spending all of their time in that bed, which I didn't want to think about, the room had little to recommend it.
Eric's face was impassive. He was waiting for my professional feedback.
"Let me ask you something, Sheriff –"
"Eric," he interjected.
"Thank you, yes, Eric. Let me ask you, what kind of vehicle did your previous contractor drive?"
Dear God, please let him still be alive.
"Well, for professional purposes, Alcide drives a company truck, a GM I believe, but he has quite a collection of restored vehicles he tinkers with in his spare time. Why do you ask?"
"Can I be blunt?" I asked. It would be the death of me, or a year's paycheck.
"I expect nothing less," said Eric.
"This is a garage…with a bed in it. Sure it's manly, but it's a garage and I don't know many women who are keen to spend their time in garages…no matter who else is in them," I added with a nod.
Eric regarded me for a long while and then asked, "So, what can you do for me, Daniel?"
Confidence bloomed in me. I was lucky I really knew my stuff. He followed me around for the better part of an hour as I explained how I would expand the room, add a full bathroom, and finish the space with heated wood floors and proper walls. The drywall would hide the cinder blocks, but it would also hide wires from the TV and Bose and anything else, and it would allow me to build specially recessed nooks for each item. Some built-in bookshelves as a final touch would lend a feeling of additional warmth and make Sookie feel more at home down here.
Eric surprised me with his knowledge of current IT. He still needed guidance, but he knew what to ask. By the time the hour was up, we had plans for me to bring him half the Apple store and begin construction as soon as materials were available.
He stayed down in the cubby to take some measurements and I made my way back up the ladder to the main floor. Sookie was waiting for us in the living room.
"All done?" she asked brightly.
"Yep," I said. "I'll get started as soon as my orders come in."
She beamed. "Here, I'll walk you out." Her sundress swished in a way that fit her personality perfectly as she walked ahead of me.
She's his.
Do not think about that kiss.
Donotthinkaboutanykiss.
When I got to my truck, Sookie looked awkward and my attempt to look cool left me fumbling with my keys.
"Sook – Dan," we both said at once and broke the tension with a laugh.
"Ladies first," I said.
She bit her lip. It was adorable. "I always wondered where our kiss might have led us. I know now that human men aren't for me, but if they were…"
She stepped towards me, placed her hand on my cheek, and pressed her lips gently against the other in a chaste kiss.
"Build yourself your own apocalypse cubby and find a nice girl," she said. "You deserve it."