A/N: I've been toying with the idea of writing about how different TB characters are affected by the economic downturn. I made this AU and AH, because it worked with the stories I wanted to tell. Maybe one day I'll write about vampires and the global economy instead.

I started on this idea because I was thinking of how someone like Sookie might react to getting fired, or having to move back home. It's hard not to get your feeling of self worth tied up into job applications and how your life is turned out, especially if you are already worrying about money and unhappy about your body(ok, that is more a book Sookie issue). As strong as Sookie is, I see her as a character with the potential for a lot of self doubt.

I hadn't planned on writing in this style of narration when I set out, but they definitely took on a life of their own. These should be treated as a series of one-shots. I don't know how many I'll do, so if you have any character requests, let me know!

Sometimes she was convinced that the world was just out to toy with her life.

Sookie glanced over at the free weights area of the gym, as she upped the speed on the treadmill to 7 mph. Alcide was finishing another set of bench presses, each upward movement accompanied by a heavy grunt. As he sat up, sweat dripped down his face. He caught her staring and gave her a wink.

As if it was even possible, Sookie felt her face flush even more. She increased speed to 8 mph.

Debbie, Alcide's number one groupie, girlfriend and the gym's number one skank, pranced up to him to give him a kiss. Sookie looked jealously at the other woman: wearing a bright pink sports bra, and tight shorts, her thin and lithe body seemed made for a fitness magazine. Sookie's baggy t-shirt and Wal-Mart leggings felt dowdy by comparison.

Sookie increased speed to 10 mph, feeling her legs start to fail her. 30 more seconds, she pushed herself. Just 30 more seconds, and she could slow down.

Sookie had nothing against the gym's most attention grabbing couple, despite the twist in her stomach every time she saw them. In fact, when she had started coming, she had actually enjoyed Debbie's random locker room chatter, or her sarcastic comments during classes. For a while, she had thought she might become an unlikely friend with Debbie.

She had met Alcide a few weeks ago. The gym had been offering free CrossFit classes on a trial basis, and Tara had raved about the weight loss benefits. The group that turned up had been small: just her, Alcide, and an older guy named Mike. Alcide was cute, sweet, and while he was a bit of a workout junkie, she found herself making sure to go to the next couple of classes just to see him.

Debbie had spotted them one evening, as the class was finishing. Alcide and Sookie had been laughing so hard it hurt to breathe because of the ridiculousness of the exercises that they had been doing. With swift, determined steps, Debbie had marched up to Alcide, given him an R-rated kiss, and told him it was time to wash the dirt off. She looked pointedly at Sookie.

Sookie had gotten the message loud and clear.

Grabbing onto the side handle bars of the treadmill, she lifted herself onto the sides, and turned down the speed to a leisurely 3.5 mph. Breathing hard, she glanced back over at Alcide and Debbie. He was guiding her form as she was doing triceps curls. For a moment, watching them hurt. Not because of her former crush on Alcide, or lost a potential friendship with Debbie. It hurt because she could still feel Bill next to her, when they had worked out together. When they were still together.

You can't trust him, she reminded herself. It ended for a reason.

She grabbed her towel, and wiped her sweaty face, telling herself that when she got in better shape, her workouts wouldn't exhaust her as much. As she walked towards the changing rooms, her iPod changed to a song she didn't like, and she avoided looking at reflective surfaces. She knew that she looked like a beetroot after working out. Bill had confirmed it multiple times. Right now, she didn't feel like being reminded off it.

Taking a quick shower, she changed into blissfully clean and cool clothes. A nice v neck t shirt and a flouncy skirt that even had hidden pockets. Not her best outfit, but it worked. At times like this, she missed her old apartment in Atlanta, with the basement gym. She could work out, then take a nice long shower in her own bathroom. Back then, she didn't have to navigate the awkwardness of changing in front of girls who looked more like New York models than Louisiana everyday people. But that old apartment required rent, which was hard to afford without a job.

Economic downturn 1 - Sookie 0.

She changed into her sandals, swung her gym bag over one shoulder, her laptop bag over the other, and put her iPod to a new podcast episode before heading out. She avoided looking over at the free weights, but could hear Alcide's grunts nonetheless.

Screw it. Screw it all, she thought bitterly, smiling a fake smile at the attendant at the front desk.

The gym visits were really Jason's doing - he was a member, and had managed to flirt one of the sales representatives, a cute, petite brunette, into giving him 9 months free, and enough guest passes to last... well... a long, long time.

If someone had told her in high school that Jason would have a good job, a nice apartment, a steady girlfriend, and that Sookie would be practically jobless and living with her grandmother, she wouldn't have believed them. But, the fates had smiled on Jason, and he was becoming a better person for it. He had gotten a lucky break working for the parish road crew. Promoted to be a regional road inspection officer, and based in Shreveport. He started drinking less, took online classes, and even read stories to sick children at the local hospital. Well, his girlfriend said he did.

Jason had even become an even better brother and grandson. When he heard that their Gran and Sookie were getting testy being around each other so much, he started inviting Sookie to stay with him in Shreveport for weekends, or during the week, or random times. He always claimed that her cooking was why he wanted her there. Sookie knew it was a bald faced lie, since he'd go over and stay with Crystal and leave the apartment to her, but she appreciated it nonetheless. It was hard to be jealous of him, when he was this nice.

The truth was, she would have probably have gone crazy spending more time with her Gran. She loved her Gran, she really did. And she would be eternally grateful for Gran taking her back in after she lost her job. But it was hard adjusting to being back under Gran's roof. There was always something that needed fixing with the house. Gran didn't have internet. Gran's friends were always coming by, which inevitably meant a couple of hours of sitting politely with them. Gran was always finding things to "help" her in the job search, but her finds usually consisted of nice young men who wanted to date Sookie for her boobs, or cashiers jobs at drugs stores. The one small source of income Sookie had, her job at Merlotte's, paid barely anything, and left her tired and cranky. By the end of her shifts, she just didn't have the energy to listen to Gran's gossip anymore, or help clean the house. Sookie didn't want to ruin her relationship with her grandmother, and tried as best she could. But she was a different person than she was in high school, and she didn't want to change back. The situation just wasn't working.

After leaving her gym bag in her car, Sookie decided to walk the half mile to the coffee shop, her laptop bag slung across her body. The sun was beginning the beat down hard, and Sookie could see the heat rising from the asphalt. The shower at the gym was starting to feel pointless. Maybe she'd get an ice coffee today, a special treat. She mentally calculated how much she had left on the gift card Lafayette had giving her for her birthday. If she got a small drink, she could even get one of the day old pastries.

Bill would have chided her for having a pastry after working out. His sustenance of choice was one of those awful protein shakes. She had tried them, and every time felt like retching. Even the flavored ones tasted mostly like liquid cardboard to her, and the fake sugars made her gassy. He would counter that, as a man, he did prefer women to have a certain shape, and that she was dangerously close to being fat. A shake now and then, he used to say, would help her become more lean and beautiful.

Bill can take his shakes and opinions and find a dark hole, she thought to herself. She was could have a pastry, damn it.

The coffee shop was blissfully air conditioned, and she felt her whole body relax as she strode up to the counter to place her order. The owner had modeled the place on Brooklyn coffee shops and cafes, with exposed brickwork, blackboard painted walls, and quirky fedoras on all of the employees. The coffee was definitely better than anything else around, and everyone who worked there always seemed happy and genuinely excited to work there. Much friendlier than at Merlottes. Unfortunately, this place wasn't hiring - Sookie had asked enough times to know. Plus, the real reason Sookie came was for the free wifi.

Her favorite seat, on a long couch bench with a close power outlet, was open. Picking up her order: a small iced coffee with lemon pound cake, she sat down and started up her computer. The four year old dell creaked to life. The soft music in the background and low din of people was comforting, letting her mind finally slow down a bit. The knot in her stomach, a constant companion in her life these days, lessened a little bit. For the next couple hours, she could pretend that she wasn't Sookie Stackhouse, fired failure, and was someone else. A writer. A businesswoman. Someone who had a handle on their life.

Her email had five unread messages. Three were newsletters, which she glanced over before deleting. One was from Tara, sending a link for a cute J Crew dress. "You'd look great in this!" the message read, and Sookie had to agree. The dress was perfect for her. And on sale. But $143 was still more than Sookie could afford, even if she had a job. Who the hell could just spend $143 on a dress? That was enough money for food for a month or two.

The next email was another rejection letter. "We were impressed by your qualifications and enthusiasm, but regret that we will not be able to offer you the position of..." Sookie skimmed the message, her eyes not daring to settle on any one part of it. 143 rejections, and each new one still hurt. She had hoped that she would have at least gotten a real interview. She had been more than qualified for the job.

She opened her tracking spreadsheet, marking another x in one of the columns.

She had always known that she needed to be prepared for the economy going bad. In college, she had worked hard to double major in psychology and economics, hoping that it would give her an added edge. She worked every campus job she could get, and worked overtime at Merlottes. After college, her job out in Atlanta had been perfect: a junior research assistant for the venture strategies consultancy, her job had been to help produce evaluations on various new investments. She loved learning through her projects, meeting new people, and putting together the final product. There had even been talk of a promotion. She saved, but treated herself every now and again. She wished she had saved more.

She wrinkled her brow, and waved in acquiescence as a tall figure said something about sitting down next to her. Her eyes were trained on the screen, willing herself not to look away. The last email was from the university admissions office in Chicago.

As the job search was still proving unsuccessful, Jason, of all people, had urged her to think about grad school. He had even offered to help her pay for it. Jason, the guy who barely finished high school. She couldn't help but smile at the thought. And said a small thanks to God for giving her him as a brother.

The admissions office said that she could transfer up to 4 credits from an outside, reputable institution. She looked again at the wording. Industrial organization was a methods intensive degree. It was the perfect combination of econ and psych, but was still uncommon enough to make it different than your standard MBA. If she could take a couple of courses at LSU, she could save some money before transferring to a better school.

She wished she could talk it over with Bill. He always had an opinion or insight. Granted, often she disagreed with him, but she still always felt like she could talk to him. It had been eight months, she reminded herself. He didn't want to be with you. Being with you was too much compromise from how he wanted his life to be. She knew Bill would never change, but the knowledge that it was over still clawed at her. They had been good together. For most of it, she had been happy. If she had just gone along with what he wanted...

She didn't want to be that person though. Resolved, for the third time that week, to get out of the post breakup rut, she focused.

The inbox unread count flashed to (1) as she was re-reading the final part of the email. Without thinking, she started moving her mouse towards the inbox button...

"Sorry, do you mind?" the stranger next to her asked, leaning forward with his laptop charger. His voice shock Sookie out of her bubble, and it took her a second to understand what he was asking. Oh! Of course. He wanted to plug his computer in, and the outlet was right next to her. She was an idiot. A rude idiot at that.

"Sure. Of course. I mean, let me just move a bit..." she shuffled over a bit, moving her bag, trying to give him room to move. He was a big guy, at least 6'4". His jeans clad legs stretched in front of him, and Sookie found herself thinking that he'd probably not even fit in her bed.

She caught herself. Remember Alcide. Remember Bill, she told herself. Cute guys usually have pretty girl friends. Even if they are unattached, they probably don't want to be with her.

"Thanks," he said, smiling broadly at her. Involuntarily, she found herself smiling back. His face lit up when he smiled, she noticed, and little crinkle lines appeared around his eyes.

"I'm Eric," he said, extending his hand. Her southern belle training kicked in, and she reach out to shake.

"I'm Sookie. Nice to meet you."

"Cookie?" he asked, and she frowned. She hated when people called her that.

"No, Sookie," she corrected, turning back to her computer.

"No," he said, laughing. "Sookie, would you like a cookie? Sorry. Should have been more clear. I got an extra chocolate chip hidden fortune cookies. Do you want one?"

She blushed, and was sure her face was crimson red. He was just offering her a cookie, not messing with her name. A cookie would be nice. Granted, she had already finished her lemon cake. Then again, the shop's chocolate chip hidden fortune cookies were supposed to be delicious. More like a cookie sandwich, the small, macaron sized confection was two parts chocolate chip cookie, one part a creamy vanilla filling, and a secret message poking out the side. She did want to try one...

"Please: if both don't get eaten, Pam is going to be annoyed. And I just came from a huge brunch. You'd be doing me a favor."

His eyes seemed genuine. While Sookie wasn't sure who Pam was - a girlfriend? - a cookie couldn't hurt. She could always save it as a treat for later.

"Sure," she replied, annoyed at her own lack of eloquence.

"Thanks. Pam knows that sugar is my vice. I think she is deliberately trying to get me so stuffed that I one day just barf."

Sookie giggled, wrinkling her nose as she imagined the scene.

"Hey - don't laugh! There is a reason why I don't go out getting hammered or eating until I can burst. Me, throwing up, is a pretty awful thing." He made a mock wounded face at her giggling, which made her smile even more. He was getting under her shields, she knew, but for now, it felt nice. So what if he had a girlfriend? She could just be friends with him. She could just enjoy these moments with him. The world didn't have to end.

"Throwing up is pretty awful for most people. I don't think you are special in that regard," she told him. His face dropped.

"Are you telling me my mother lied? I'm not super special and completely different from everyone else?" he said, wounded. "And here I thought that everything about me was unique. Oh Sookie, slayer of dreams and illusions..."

"Oh, you're special alright."

He raised an eyebrow. "See, that's a much sweeter thing to say."

She raised an eyebrow back. "Not especially."

Eric broke first, a grin plastered itself on his face. "You're different. You from around here?"

Sookie hesitated, her uncertainties rushing back. She wasn't exactly from Shreveport, but Bon Temps wasn't far away. "I grew up not too far from here," she vaguely replied.

"Very nice. I'm just here for a couple of weeks visiting Pam. I'll admit, its much nicer here than I was expecting. People are really friendly." He gave her a long look, which made her feel warm and unsure all at the same time. She couldn't figure him out.

"It's the South," was all she could think to reply.

"No kidding. And here I thought I was in Canada."

"A common confusion in these parts."

"I can see why. This place, like Canada, has a lot of loons."

"And," she added, "like Canada, we like our fried dough. Beignets, meet doughnuts."

"I'm going to die from a diabetic coma here, aren't I?"

"Only if the gators don't get you first."

They did talked for a while. Eric had apparently just been in Montreal for a couple of weeks, "better than Paris", had lived in New York, had recently gotten out of investment banking, and had come to this particular coffee shop because Pam had told him to stay here until she came. Plus, he explained it was the only place that served decent tea. He didn't even like coffee, much to Sookie's amazement. She told him the story of how she had brought an extra large travel mug of coffee to her SATs, and the proctor had threatened to make her leave it outside, lest it somehow help her cheat. It wasn't until her homeroom teacher came by and explained that Sookie had to have coffee to function that she was allowed to start.

They settled down into an amicable silence, and but Sookie couldn't focus on her computer. She found herself wondering how much she should tell him. Should she tell him that she was unemployed, well, underemployed, waitressing to make ends meet? Then again, who cared? She'd probably never see him again. Might as well just enjoy the friendly conversation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted them. Bill's parents. Shit.

Bill's parents had always been very sweet to her. Wealthy in an area where most people didn't have a rainy day fund, let alone a retirement fund, they spent half their time at the family estate in Bon Temps, and half in New Orleans. At first, the family had welcomed her with open arms.

It was during their first Christmas that the cracks started to appear. Sookie had left from her Gran's on Christmas morning to spend the day with Bill and his family. As the time neared for the annual Compton Christmas Day family photo, Bill pulled Sookie to the side. Softly, he explained that the photo was for family only, and that his family would be more comfortable if she waited in the kitchen. The photo was for family only, after all.

If Sookie hadn't seen the three earlier Christmas photos in the photo album that Caroline Bellefleure-Compton had proudly shown her, it wouldn't have stung so much. But in that moment, all Sookie could think of was the smiling face of Lorena, Bill's ex, in each picture. The ex he still kept in touch with. The one that she had never met.

Sitting in the Compton kitchen, she tried to rid the anxiety and sense of disappointment from her body. She grabbed one of the Christmas cookies from the tray. When she had helped Mrs. Bellefleure-Compton make them, the old woman had told Bill, "she's a keeper, this one."

The faint voices sounded almost like whispers at the time, but with the stress in her system she could hear them loud and clear. She moved closer to the kitchen door, and heard Bill's parents in the hall in animated discussion. It didn't take her long to figure out that they were talking about her. Her dress made her look fat. That it was unfortunate that Sookie came from such a low status family. That Bill could do better, but they might be able to mold Sookie into something a bit more refined. That if only she would move from Methodist to Baptist. We still pray to the same God, she had wanted to yell, but instead found herself reaching for another cookie.

Almost in tears that evening, she told what she had heard to Bill. He listened carefully, before explaining to Sookie that she must have misinterpreted his parents. That they loved her. They gossiped, sure, but they did it from a place of affection. Bill's warm embrace had comforted her that night. However, she never felt like she could trust his parents again. Whatever nice words they said to her in person, there could be a hundred less flattering things said behind closed doors. Sookie couldn't bear the idea of that.

She definitely didn't want to see them today. This wasn't her best outfit, and her hair was in a messy bun. They'd inevitably ask what she was doing these days, and she'd have to tell them that she was out of work. No, she didn't want to talk to them. She couldn't hide in the bathroom, and the coffee shop's open layout didn't exactly leave any hidden corners...

Taking the only option, she bent down, pretending to look for something in her bag.

"Need a pen? I've got one here," Eric said, extending a black ballpoint pen to her. "I've even got paper."

"No, I'm good. Just... looking for something," she said lamely. What could she say she was looking for? She hadn't brought her library books. And she had just turned down his offer for a pen. Her phone was on the table.

"Need help?" he said, his face coming down to her's. Nose to nose, and bent down, she huffed a piece of hair out of her face.

"No. I'm fine."

"Yes, you are," he said with a slight leer and a wink. "But seriously - do you need help?"

"No, I'm fine," she said again, getting annoying. One person digging through a bag is normal. Two people draws attention. Couldn't Eric just go back to whatever it was he was doing?

"Sookie," he said in a voice that made her breath catch. "If you want to bring your bag up and take things out, I can clear off my table."

"I'm fine," she whispered harshly. "Just... just let me be."

Instead of being annoyed by her rejection, his smile grew even wider, like that of a Cheshire Cat.

"You're hiding from someone," he said confidently.

She glared at him.

"Who is it? That big fat guy over there, with the beer belly? Or, on second thought, that might be a pregnant woman. Hm. How about those teenagers? Did you make fun of Justin Bieber or something, and now they are out for blood? Or the Snoop Dogg wannabe by the window, who is rapping along with his iPod? I think someone forgot to tell him that he is, in fact, not the shit."

She stifled a giggle at his descriptions, until she could tell his eyes were on Bill's parents. His entire body stilled.

"Those old timers? They've got you playing hide-and-go seek? What did you do, help shove that stick up their asses?"

"Shhh!" she shushed him, but he was determined to continue.

"They look like their faces are filled with plastic. At some point, isn't it the plastic surgeon's duty, as a doctor, to tell the person that they are going to look like shit?"

She bit her lip.

"Let me guess, you dented their overpriced car, and while they never got your license plate, they saw you. Ever since, you have been on the run, changing your name, never staying in one place too long..."

"Will you be quiet?" she practically begged, yanking on his t-shirt.

"Why of course. If you tell me why you are hiding from them."

She weighed her options. She'd probably never see Eric again, so why not tell him? It was far better than being discovered by Eric's parents.

"Fine."

He grinned.

"Their son is my ex."

He looked at her confused. "That's it? That's why you are hiding? Mr. and Mrs. Stick-Butt managed to procreate, and you were smart enough to get rid of him? Sookie, that isn't something to hide from. In fact, that is something you should be proud of."

"It wasn't like that." She had to make him understand. Most of all, she wanted Eric to understand. "Bill was... We were planning on getting married. But his parents wanted me to change... and I wanted to have my own career. It was long distance. It was... Well, it didn't work out the way I wanted."

Eric looked at her seriously, and Sookie wished she knew what he was thinking.

Eric slowly guided her back up to a sitting position, and brought his lips close to her ear. For a second, Sookie just enjoyed the feeling of another human being so close. One of his hands grasped hers. On some basic level, she closed her eyes, hoping that if she couldn't see anyone, they couldn't see her.

"Sookie, I'm going to do something. And I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" he said softly, his breath ghosting across her skin.

Sookie nodded, her eyes still closed.

Eric's hand reached forward, touching her face lightly. His other hand came up, and gently cupped her face. Sookie felt like she could barely breathe.

His lips were soft, she realized as they touched hers. Firm, determined, and with a hint of a smile. He slowly kissed her, his hand around her face bringing her closer. Her arms instinctively reached around his neck, pulling him towards her.

He nipped at her lower lips, let his tongue dance forward. She opened her mouth, feeling like she was drowning and he was the only thing keeping her afloat. He threaded his fingers through her hair, her messy bun coming undone, and before she knew it, he parted, panting in front of her.

"That was definitely not Sookie. Did you see that man she was with? Never would I ever..." their words faded away as the door closed.

"You were distracting me," she stated, still afraid to open her eyes. What had just happened? Wait, didn't he have a girlfriend?

"More like obfuscating the situation. People don't want to look too closely at a couple kissing, so it seemed the most effective method for you to hide in plain sight. And," he said, running a thumb over her lips, "I can't say there wasn't something in it for me."

Sookie opened her eyes, and found him gazing intently at her. It made her feel bold, and confident. She liked Eric, and that kiss was something else. Something about this messed up situation made her feel like Sookie Stackhouse, a woman with potential. Not normal Sookie. Like something more.

Yes, the universe was toying with her. Losing her job. Losing her fiancé. Being kissed.

For the moment, however, she didn't mind one bit. She reached forward and pulled him towards her, kissing him with her whole heart.