For: Orsinoslady
Summary: Sookie and her friends have always had a tradition on Christmas Eve. Eric decides to come up with a new tradition. AH
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la," Sookie Stackhouse sang as she hung up the last of her garland on the mantle above her fireplace.
She was doing a little last minute decorating in her house for the Christmas party she and her friends held every year on Christmas Eve. They have held it at her old farmhouse every year since their junior year in high school. Every year they would come over and Sookie's Gran would make cookies and pie and they would sit around the fire singing Christmas carols. They also had a Secret Santa gift exchange each year. It was a little more difficult now that they were no longer in school, but she loved coming home to find a package on her back porch or a note waiting for her when she came into work.
This year whoever her Secret Santa was, they were doing an excellent job at spoiling her. Last year, her brother, Jason, had pulled her name from the hat, and he had given her a few Christmas themed gifts that she was pretty sure he found from the dollar bins at Target. The big gift he gave her on Christmas Eve to reveal his identity had been a basket of goodies from Godiva Chocolate he picked up from the mall in Shreveport. While she had appreciated the gift, it just felt so impersonal coming from her brother.
This year, however, the gifts had taken on a much more personal nature. She came home the other day to find the most recent book in her favorite series on her porch. Last week she walked into the bar where she worked to find a card with a gift certificate to a tanning salon. Yesterday, flowers were delivered to her door.
She smiled as she looked at the holiday arrangement of flowers on her table. She was fairly certain whom her Secret Santa was, because only one person knew her well enough to get her just the things she needed, and she didn't even have to ask or hint.
Eric Northman. He had been her best friend since high school. He had come to their small town in Louisiana on an exchange program from Sweden their junior year. Even though he was outgoing and incredibly good looking with his Nordic features, he chose to hang around with their small group of friends rather than the popular crowd who flocked to him. He fit in perfectly with their group and he and Sookie became really close. Even when he retuned to Sweden at the end of the year, they remained in contact with a close relationship. He finally moved back to the States permanently a couple years ago and opened the most successful bar in Shreveport.
Sookie turned to go into the kitchen to get he snacks ready, when she heard the back door open. She glanced at the clock. Someone was really early. She made her way into the kitchen and smiled when she saw Eric standing in her kitchen, holding a small box, smiling.
"You're early," Sookie said.
"I know," Eric replied, setting his gift on the table so he could shrug out of his coat. "I wanted to spend some time with you before everyone got here."
"Well, why don't you help me arrange cookies on trays then? It's the last thing I need to do."
Eric moved through the kitchen and pulled out the Christmas platters. He knew exactly where everything was after coming early the last couple years to help Gran set things up.
"Feels weird doing this without Gran," Eric said as he began arranging cookies on a snowman platter. "Are you doing okay?" he gave her a meaningful look.
Sookie gave him a small smile. "I had a good cry this morning as the last pie went in the oven. I'm doing better now."
Eric stopped what he was doing and moved around to where she was standing, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close. Sookie relaxed into his embrace. It felt nice being held in his arms. She snuggled into his chest as his embrace tightened around her.
"It's all right," he murmured. "I'm missing her too."
Gran had passed away in her sleep this past summer. It had taken them all by surprise and the only person who took the lost as hard as Sookie was Eric, since he thought of Gran as his family here in America. Gran had adored him as well; always hoping Eric and Sookie would wake up and realize they were perfect for each other.
Eric pulled back from Sookie, looking down into her eyes. She looked up into his crystal blue eyes and smiled as she saw how much he cared for her.
"Sookie," Eric said quietly.
"Yes?"
"I'm your Secret Santa," he said smirking.
She smiled. "I had a feeling you were, but you weren't supposed to reveal until everyone got here."
Eric shook his head. "There's a reason I came early to reveal to you. Open the box," he gestured toward the small box sitting on the table.
Sookie looked at the box and then back at Eric, confused.
"Just go open it," Eric said, releasing her from his arms.
Sookie walked over to the table, picking up the small box and giving it a little shake. It was very light and didn't feel like there was anything inside. She unwrapped it and opened the lid. Nestled inside the box was a small, folded piece of paper.
Drawing her eyebrows together, she lifted the paper out of the box and unfolded it. Written in Eric's uneven scrawl was one sentence:
Will you go out with me?
Sookie looked up from the paper at Eric, who wore a nervous expression rather than one of confidence like he usually did.
"Eric?" Sookie questioned.
Eric swallowed. "It's not a coincidence that I drew you for Secret Santa. In fact I traded JB for your name." He took a breath and closed the gap between them. "I've liked you for a long time, a really long time, and I have hesitated acting on these feelings because we've been friends for so long. But after Gran passed, I decided fuck it. Life's short and I didn't want to waste any more time, so I planned all this out so I could finally tell you how I fell."
Sookie smiled. "Okay," she said.
"Okay?"
"Okay, let's give it a try. I've liked you for a long time, too."
Eric's smile widened as he closed the gap between them, capturing her lips with his.
One Year Later…
"Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh," Sookie sang as she arranged cookies on the snowman platter.
Eric walked into the kitchen, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "All the garland and lights are hung. I think we're ready for everyone."
The two had been dating for a year, and in the last couple months Eric had moved from his small studio apartment in Shreveport into the farmhouse.
Eric reached around Sookie and stole a cookie off the platter. Sookie playfully swatted at his hand. "Hands off. These are for our guests."
Eric just shrugged and put a small box on the table next to the platter. Sookie looked at the box and then whirled around. "You didn't swap someone for my name in the gift exchange again, did you? Because I'm pretty sure based on what I've been getting that Pam pulled it."
Eric chuckled. "She did, but act surprised when she reveals it later. This is just a little something I wanted to give you early."
Sookie smiled, giving Eric a quick kiss on the lips before turning around to open the gift. Just like the year before, the box felt empty and there was a piece of paper inside the box. Sookie unfolded it and found two words scrawled there:
Marry MeTears sprung to her eyes as she whipped around to face Eric again. He was kneeling on the floor holding a white god ring with a single diamond, looking up at her with expectant eyes. Not trusting her voice, all she could do was nod her head. That's all he needed to see as he sprung to his feet, slipping the ring onto her finger before pulling her to him for a kiss.
They pulled apart and Sookie smiled. "You realize you've just raised the bar for next year, right?"
Eric just smirked. "How do you feel about a Christmas Eve wedding?"
Sookie smiled and pulled Eric down to her for a kiss. "Sounds wonderful."
Two Years Later…
Eric finished hanging the rest of the lights around the window in the living room before climbing down the stepladder. He could hear his wife singing Silent Night off key in the kitchen as she finished the snacks for the night.
It was their one-year anniversary, but Sookie insisted that they didn't break the tradition. She wanted to spend this special night with all of their friends, just like they had for several years. He smiled as he made his way into the kitchen to see Sookie wearing a Santa hat and arranging the cookies. He made his way to the table and tried to reach around her to steal a cookie, but she reached out and stopped him.
"No stealing cookies," she said with a smile. She reached across the table and gave him a small box. "Here, keep yourself occupied, and open this instead."
Eric looked down at the box he held in his hand. It was small, and it felt empty. "Are you my Secret Santa?" he asked with a smile.
Sookie shook her head. "No, Jason is, but act surprised later. This is a just a little something I thought my husband might enjoy."
Eric smiled and looked back at the box. He carefully unwrapped it and took off the lid. Inside there was a piece of paper. Very reminiscent of what he had done in years past. He pulled it out and written in his wife's elegant script were two words:
I'm pregnantEric looked up from the paper to see Sookie smiling at him. He gave her a questioning look, and when she nodded he dropped everything in his hands and moved to scoop her into a tight embrace.
"Are you happy?" Sookie asked.
"Incredibly happy," Eric said as he held her. He pulled back, placing a hand on her cheek. "You realize you just raised the bar for next year, right, Mrs. Northman?"
Sookie laughed. "I'm sure you can figure something out to top this."
Eric pulled Sookie into another embrace and held her. Both of them thinking about Christmas, traditions, the baby and what the future would hold.