A/N – Thanks for all of the encouragement and feedback. I really appreciate it. A big shout out to nmarie3, who has pre-read this for me and turned it around so fast. Thanks hon! The title of this chapter is in tribute to My Fair Lady. For whatever reason, I kept thinking of the song when writing the beginning of the chapter.

Charlaine Harris owns the characters. I own a snow shovel, which thankfully I haven't had to use for two weeks now!

Chapter 5 – I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face

In the week and a half since that night with Jason and Hoyt I hadn't been able to even smell bourbon or well, pretty much any other alcohol without feeling nauseous. I felt like a teenage girl who had snuck too much of daddy's 'adult drinks' and was paying for it. That was a funny mental image to have. Jason and Hoyt are not guys that I would normally befriend, but I think our evening of drinking forged a bond of friendship between us. That and they seemed like generally nice people. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that even though I thought I had it all in New York, I really was missing out on quite a bit.

I had met up with Hoyt and Jason a couple of times after they got done with work to shoot some hoops. It seems as if I wasn't the only one who was swearing off on Merlotte's. I enjoyed the exercise and the company. I hadn't seen much of Sookie though and I found myself missing her company. We had talked a few times. She had been busy at school and she had also traveled to New Orleans to visit a friend of hers for a few days. I missed knowing that she was right next door. I was still getting used to the quiet.

I had received a call a few days ago telling me to expect a visit from one of the Marshalls today. It was the first visit they'd made since the beginning. I had been checking in with them as scheduled and they had contacted me as scheduled. Marshall Tray Dawson was due to show up at any time which was why I was sitting out on the front porch drinking my coffee and reading. It was shortly before noon when a stereotypical government black SUV came pulling up my drive. I offered the Marshall a cup of coffee.

"Call me Dawson. Everyone else does."

"Sure thing. How do you take it?"

"Black thanks. So this is a nice place you've got here."

"Yeah, you guys didn't do too badly all things considered."

"How are you adjusting? You've been here about a month right?"

"It's still taking some getting used to but it hasn't been that bad."

Dawson was not one of the Marshalls who helped get me settled when I first arrived here. I learned that he was a local boy from the Shreveport area. His father had been in the Air Force and stationed at Barksdale AFB and so the family had been around the area for years. He was unmarried and unattached. I found out because I had asked if his wife had any objections to him working on a Saturday. I thought it was odd that he chose a Saturday to visit, but he insisted that if we were to maintain that he was a friend coming to visit than it would make the most sense to do it on a weekend.

We had made enough small talk when I finally asked the question that I had been dying to since he first arrived.

"Tell me, what's the latest with the case? Are there any leads?"

"Oh, they don't tell me all that since I'm located down here Eric. But they did tell me that they were working hard on it. They didn't want to pull anyone away from the case so they decided it would make more sense to have a local guy come in and check up on you."

"And how are things back at home? Is there anything that you can tell me about what's going on up there?"

"Well, there was one thing that they wanted to let you know. Your secretary, Octavia? She had a heart attack. She's recovering. Turns out the Mayor had a soft spot for her after all of the years of dealing with you and he's made sure she's had the best of care. Beyond that, I really don't know much."

Octavia. I couldn't believe that she was sick! And I was here. I wanted to be there for her to keep her company at the hospital as she recovered and to badger the doctors to make sure she was getting the best possible care. She deserved it for taking the best possible care of me for all of these years. There must be a way for me to get a message to her.

"Now I realize I don't really know you at all there Eric, but I have dealt with enough people in the program to know that you are trying to scheme a way to get back to see her or call her. I need to make it clear now that you'll do no such thing Eric. Your life depends on it."

I really hated this. I was just about to yell in protest when I heard Sookie's voice.

"Well hello there neighbor. I see you've got some company, is this a bad time?"

Dawson answered before I could.

"Not at all pretty lady. And who would you be?" He was practically falling out of his chair to get up and greet her.

Sookie was balancing a tray of some sorts and extended her hand.

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse. I'm Eric's next door neighbor. And you are?"

"Tray. Tray Dawson. I'm an old buddy of Eric's and came to pay a visit and see how he was settling in, in his new place. Hey I can see now why you like it so much here man." He gave me a wink and I wanted to knock it off of his face. I really didn't like having him make shit up on the fly.

"Pleasure to meet you." She smiled brightly at him. I had really grown accustomed to her smile. I hadn't realized that I'd missed it until now.

"Sookie, it's good to see you. What do you have there? Can I get you a drink?" She came over to me and gave me the tray and then a hug.

"Well, I had been gardening and I realized that I had so much eggplant so I thought I would make eggplant parmesan and bring some over to have for lunch. I thought you might like it. I haven't seen you much so I thought we could catch up. I don't want to intrude though."

"It's no intrusion at all Sookie. I'm starving after my travels and Eric here hasn't offered me lunch yet." Tray chimed in. I took the tray from Sookie and walked her towards the kitchen.

She started rooting around in my cabinets taking out some dishes and then silverware from the drawers. I watched how she moved effortlessly in my kitchen and I watched Dawson eyeing her as well. I tried to make myself useful by going to get some drinks for everyone from the refrigerator. I grabbed some bottles of water and iced tea and brought them to the table. Sookie scoffed.

"Eric, now that you're living here in Louisiana, you can't be serving that!" She pointed to the bottles of Diet Snapple that I had put on the table. "That stuff might fly in Florida, but you need to make proper sweet tea here. I can show you how sometime."

Sookie moved to take the lid off of the tray and steam escaped. It was hot and some of the cheese that had melted on top stuck to the lid and formed a long strand between the dish and the lid. It smelled really delicious. Sookie cut into the dish and gave Dawson a healthy portion.

"I've got it Sookie, serve yourself then sit and relax."

"It's not a problem Eric. Here, just give me your plate."

She put a healthy portion on my plate as well before cutting one the same size for herself. Dawson looked astounded that someone so small could possibly eat so much food. I had looked at her that way once but now having had a number of meals with Sookie; I was not surprised by her appetite anymore. In fact, I actually liked her a little bit more because of it. Most girls I had dinner with picked at a salad and after three leaves of lettuce claimed they were full. I often felt that taking most girls out to a four star restaurant was a big waste.

"So, what do you guys have planned for today?"

"Well, I thought I'd see if Eric here wanted to show me around town."

"Well, there's not too much around town that's worth showing if you don't live here. But he did take a tour from the best so I'd think he's qualified to give one."

"Well Eric, since there's not much to see 'round here, how about going to the driving range or seeing if we could get nine holes in? You said you liked that new club."

I was puzzled for a minute but then realized that he must have read my file before coming over. It made sense. I bought a membership at the golf club in Bossier City I played at. I had to get it approved by the Marshalls, so of course they'd know.

"Well that sounds like fun. Do you play Tray?"

"Not well, but I like to. And please, call me Dawson, all of my friends do." He grinned and wagged his eyebrows at her.

I couldn't stand his attempts at flirting with Sookie. They were just so blatant. They got engrossed in a bit of conversation about how she started golfing. I had heard the story before so I admit I tuned out a little bit and I let my mind drift back to Octavia. I was concerned about her. If I could only call her and make sure she was okay. Maybe something could be arranged through the Marshall's office. I knew I couldn't call her from here. I finished my eggplant parmesan. It was good. Sookie was a good cook. I stood to take my plate back into the kitchen and heard Dawson ask for another helping.

I was rinsing the plate off in the sink when I heard Sookie behind me. She gently put her hand on my shoulder.

"Eric? Are you okay? It seems as if something is bothering you."

"What? Oh, no Sookie. I'm fine. I'm just thinking a little bit about back home. Or I guess I should say where I used to live. Having Dawson come here has made me think more about where I used to live than I had been recently. Thanks though for asking."

She eyed me skeptically, but thankfully she didn't push it any further. For someone who didn't know me very long at all, she had an innate ability to know when I needed some space.

"So how long is Dawson staying?"

"I'm not sure really. Work is pretty busy for him, so I'm not sure if he'll be heading back tonight or not."

"Okay, well I don't want to interrupt your visit any more. I'll leave the eggplant parm here and you guys can enjoy more later. That is if Dawson doesn't eat it all now. He was eyeing it like he hadn't eaten in days."

"You are not an interruption at all. Thank you Sookie. Thanks for lunch. How about I call you later?"

As much as I do not want her to feel like she's intruding and as much as I realize how much I've missed her company this past week or so; I do not want her hanging around Tray. I didn't want him spinning a lot of lies to impress her that I would be obligated to keep up with. She stepped into me and I wrapped my arms around her in a big hug. My head rested on her chin and I realized that she fit my embrace pretty well. She gave me a squeeze and made her way back to the dining room.

"Well Dawson, it sure was nice to meet you, but I've got to go. Maybe I'll see you later."

"The pleasure was all mine Sookie, even before I knew what an amazing cook you were." She smiled before heading back out into the sunshine.

"So man, tell me you've got to be hitting that right? God you'd be crazy not to."

"Sookie's a person Dawson not a 'that'." She'd been nothing but kind and generous and went out of her way to help me since I've moved in. Hearing him talk about her as if she was just another piece of ass really pissed me off.

"Whoa Eric, I certainly didn't mean to ruffle any feathers. Come on. Let's go to the driving range. Blow off some steam and keep up the cover."

We drove in silence for most of the way. He had a GPS so I didn't need to give directions. We went to the driving range and I got a large bucket of balls and got to work. As I was hitting ball after ball I started to think a little bit about what Dawson had said. Not exactly the words because they still pissed me off but the intent of his words. Why wasn't I in a relationship with Sookie?

The answer to that was pretty easy. Or was it? I had never been one for real relationships. Most of the women I had been with were nothing more than someone to attend an event with and someone to have sex with. In my mind the women were interchangeable for the most part. Some were much more skilled than others when it came to sex. Others were more skilled in conversation and making a good impression when we were out at events. It depended on what I needed that dictated who I called for the evening. There were rarely any awkward morning afters, because I didn't have many women up to my apartment and I certainly did not make it a habit of spending the night at a date's place.

Sookie was different. She was my friend. She was kind to me and looked out for me here. She helped me feel somewhat settled in what can only be described as a truly bizarre circumstance. She was a constant for me here and for once I was thinking with my head instead of my, well, I was thinking with my head. I did not want to jeopardize my friendship with her.

I did not like the way that Dawson looked at Sookie and came on to her. Not one bit. That had to mean something. She is a really pretty girl, there's no denying that. She's outgoing and full of life and fun to be around. I guess I just didn't like the thought of someone moving in on someone who helped me feel normal here. When being in this little town in Louisiana was anything but for me.

We managed to go through our buckets of balls and Dawson suggested that we head back to Bon Temps. It was fine by me. He told me on the way back to my house that he would be leaving shortly after dropping me off. He wanted to check out the property and check that everything was in order with the special alarms and sensors that the Marshalls had installed. He also told me that most likely he would be the regular guy coming to do visits. He said that the continuity helped keep up the pretense that he was a friend coming to visit rather than have a stream of different people come through. I asked if there was any way to arrange a call with Octavia. He assured me that he'd check into it and someone would let me know at the next scheduled check-in.

I was glad when he got back into his truck and took off back to Shreveport. It was late afternoon and I thought I would give Sookie a call. Better yet, I thought I would just stop over. She was obviously comfortable with stopping by here.

I walked over and found her lying in a chair in her yard facing the sun. She wore sunglasses, a bikini top and some shorts. She had a book draped across her chest. She didn't appear to hear me coming. She looked so peaceful lying there soaking up the last remaining rays of the afternoon sun. I didn't want to disturb her so I turned around to head back for home. I must have stepped on a twig or made a bit of noise on the gravel of her drive because she woke up. She pushed herself up on her elbows.

"Eric?"

"Hey there. I'm sorry I woke you. I was just going to head back and call you later."

"No need, I'm up now. How was the range?"

"It was good. Dawson took off a little bit ago."

"Funny, you seem glad about that. I thought he seemed nice. And hungry." She laughed at herself. "So how about I head in and get cleaned up and then I'll stop by your place. Do you have plans for dinner?"

"None."

"Neither do I. Ok. I'll see you in a bit." She got up off of the chair and made her way into the house. After watching her step inside I made my way back to my place.

I decided that I would be brave enough to try some wine after my self-imposed ban on all alcohol and took out a bottle of white that was in my fridge to open and let it breathe a bit. Sookie was taking a while, so I ended up having a glass or two while I was waiting for her.

About an hour or so later she came walking up the steps with a big basket in her hands.

"Got a blanket?"

"Sure, what for?"

"We're going to have a picnic dinner. We need a blanket to sit on."

I grabbed a throw off of the back of the couch and a new bottle of wine and corkscrew and made my way to Sookie who was waiting by the door.

"Let's take your car. Can I drive? It was fun the last time."

"Sure." I tossed her the keys and climbed into the passenger seat.

Sookie always seemed to surprise me. A picnic would be nice. I was about to tell her to turn back around because I had forgotten the bug spray when she mentioned that I should put some on that she had packed in the basket. She warned me not to peek at what else she had in there though.

We pulled up to a clearing off of a dirt road and she parked the car close to a pond. It was quiet. I was wondering what she was thinking when she planned this. I spread out the blanket and she sat back on her heels and kneeled towards the basket, emptying its contents in front of us.

"So, I hope you like french dip sandwiches. I had a roast in the oven earlier, so I made some sandwiches." She took out two small containers. "Eric can you open those for me? They've got the au jus." I did as I was asked to and then started to open the wine as she continued to pull things from her basket. She took out a container of grilled asparagus and then took another container out and set it aside.

"What's that one?"

"Dessert. You can't have it now. And stop pouting."

"What is it?"

"Strawberry shortcake. Gran's recipe." She had told me that her gran helped raise both her and Jason. Everything looked amazing. I had no idea when she had the time to pull this together. I told her as much.

"Oh it's nothing. I had to make the roast because Jason was over earlier fixing something in the house for me. He won't take any money, so I pay him with food." She dug into her sandwich with gusto.

"That sounds pretty fair to me."

I wanted to pour some wine for us but realized I forgot to bring cups. Sookie didn't have any in the basket. She just brought a couple of bottles of water.

We were enjoying our meal for a while enjoying the quiet and the pond, passing the bottle of wine back and forth between us.

"So Eric, what have you written yet?" God, why did she have to ask that?

"Well, nothing yet."

"Why is that? You said you wanted to try your hand at writing. I think in order to be successful at it you actually have to try."

I flung an asparagus spear at her.

"Really? Is that how it works? Boy you're tough Stackhouse. I've just been getting settled in. I'll start soon."

"Eric, I'll tell you what I tell my kids. Don't be afraid to try. Write about anything. No one has to see it but you. There's nothing wrong to write about just make sure that it's something that means something to you, otherwise it will be too tough and you'll give up before you really get started."

"I think that's been my problem so far Sookie. I've just got to find something that really means something. That will make it seem less like work."

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to about writing or if you ever need someone to look at what you've done, I'm your gal. I love to write. I always have since I can remember. It helped me escape when things were tough when I was a kid."

The topic of conversation shifted to a dozen other topics as we finished our sandwiches and continued to pass the wine between us. Dusk had passed and the full moon and stars in the sky were bright. The moonlight was shimmering off of the water of the pond.

Finally Sookie pulled out the strawberry shortcake. I was dying to have a taste. It was as good as I had hoped. She made little moans as she ate her dessert. I found them incredibly distracting.

We finished dessert and she shuffled closer to me as it was getting cooler out. I put my arm around her to keep her warm and she rested her head in the crook of my arm. She pulled the blanket over her feet. I passed the wine to her and she took a long draw.

"If you are cold Sookie we can head home."

"Not yet Eric. It's pretty quiet out here. It's nice getting away from everything and looking at the stars isn't it?"

You could never see the stars in the city. All of the lights from the surrounding buildings were just too bright. That definitely was not a problem here.

"It is nice Sookie. Thanks for thinking of this."

"I've been meaning to ask you Eric, what's going on? I can tell that you aren't really relaxed. Sure you've gotten a little bit better since I first met you, but you are always so tense. I feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"I wish there was an easy answer Sookie. Unfortunately there's not."

"Does Dawson have something to do with it?"

"No. Not really."

"Is there a girlfriend you are trying to forget?"

"No. Definitely no girlfriend."

"You are from Miami, is there a boyfriend?"

"No. No boyfriend either. I am not interested in men that way."

"Okay. Well, maybe starting to write will help release some of that tension. Maybe starting to run with me will help too. Endorphins make people happy."

She moved to sit back on her heels again facing me this time instead of the basket. She looked at me and I tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. I let my hand brush her cheek as I moved my hand away from her face. Slowly she closed her eyes for a moment and a smile crept across her face.

"Sookie, I find myself really at a loss for the first time in so many years. I'm always confident, sometimes to a fault. But since I've been here I really haven't been myself. I'm trying to start over. You have been so helpful with that. You're the first friend I've made and I really appreciate that more than you know."

"Why don't you just show me?"

That was the best invitation I had gotten in a long time. I mean a really long time, even back when I was in NY. I reached my arms out to her and slowly pulled her into my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and looked into my eyes with her own big beautiful blue ones.

"What if this doesn't work out? I don't want to mess things up." I had to ask.

"Eric, for once don't think. Just do."

A/N – So there we have it. What do you think? Will Eric take the plunge after all?

Bonus points for any of you who pick up the Legally Blonde line. I really didn't mean to do it. I haven't seen that movie in… years and years. But when I was re-reading the chapter I noticed it and laughed. I never thought I would be spouting lines from Elle Woods. Go figure.