Just another day?

-Jason had left a bit earlier in the day, and right after he had done so her phone had rang. Holly's boys were sick and she needed Sookie to work her shift for her that morning, and she'd take the night shift. So, she had gotten her achy butt off of the couch and made her way upstairs to change for work. She wasn't looking forward to it, that was certain, but the thought of being home that night and having the next two days off was what was going to get her through.-

You can do it, Sookie. Just a few more hours and 2 days off. You got this.

-she was her own personal cheerleader, but she wasn't doing a good job. She just wanted to curl up on the couch with some Aleve, a glass of tea and a good book.-

{He had the day off and left earlier that morning to get some errands done. A few things to set up the office he was trying to buy to move his company to Shreveport. It would be a nice needed change. Things were slowly falling into place. There were jobs slowly coming in from residents and working out of a truck was a bit hard. Right now he was a one man crew, so soon he'd need a few recruits. When he left, Sookie was still asleep so he didn't want to wake her. After the few things he needed to do, he headed to the gym for a work out.

By the time he left, his shirt was soaked. Forehead glistening with beads of sweat, his hair damp and his face flushed. He felt better, felt...de-stressed and energized. A nice shower would do him some good.}

-she had gotten to Merlotte's to find that it was utterly INSANE. Arlene was still off, Sam was with Nicole and the only waitress seemed like she was on the verge of crying. She wished Jessica could still walk in the sun; it'd be nice to have the help. She smiled at Jane Bodehouse who ordered another cheap bourbon along with a plate of fries, and shook her head. That woman was on her way to liver failure, she just knew it.-

Here ya go, Ms. Bodehouse. You make sure you eat those fries, okay? And if you need a ride home, let me know and I'll call you a taxi.

-Jane nodded and popped a fry in her mouth before sipping her bourbon and starting to hit on the man next to her. She shook her head and went back to waiting tables, counting down the minutes until she was off work and back home in her sweat pants.-

{He pulled into Sookie's driveway and took notice of all the potholes and bumps. That would need to be fixed, the holes filled in with new gravel. Since she was allowing him to remain here free of charge, he would put an order in for it and get it done this weekend. When he strolled in he looked around and called out for her. Silence was the only answer he received. He shrugged and headed to the kitchen for a beer. When he opened the fridge he found it nearly bare, a note taped to the fridge}



{He smiled and placed the paper to his nose, enjoying her sweet smell. It lingered there...he shook his head and placed the note on the counter then closed the fridge. A thought came to his mind and he grinned, heading for a shower first.}

Yes. Yes, that's right. I need a taxi at Merlotte's to pick up Jane. Yes, I know it's early but she got the party started at 10 and kept going until now.

-she shook her head, laughed again and hung up before turning to Jane who was motioning for another drink. Giving her a stern look, she shook her head no and went to get her some cornbread and gumbo; she was wasted and it was only 3 o'clock. She couldn't believe Jane had gotten like that; she remembered that a long time ago Jane had once been a model citizen, but things had just gone down hill at a rapid rate.-

Get you some rest, Jane. I ain't workin' tomorrow, so you probably should stay home. You know nobody else wants to deal with calling you a cab.

-Jane just laughed, nodded and stumbled towards the door where her taxi was waiting. She looked up at the clock and let out a sigh. Two and a half more hours.... She could do it.-

{He left the shower feeling refreshed and got dressed in his jeans and grey t-shirt that was beginning to be too tight on his chest, his muscles twitching under the fabric. Grabbing his keys, he was back out the door. Destination in mind: grocery store. They were in serious need of groceries and he figured he'd do that while Sookie was at work knowing she was still sore from pulling that muscle.}

{He stopped at the local Piggly Wiggly and picked up canned vegetables, meat, milk, beer, a few odds and ends he knew they were out of, bread, ham and eggs. The cart was filled with groceries, the bill wasn't that bad. Once he was done there, he headed back to Sookie's place to cook her dinner. He'd found a barbeque pit in the shed that needed some attention. He had picked up charcoal and lighter fluid to grill some steaks on the pit. After he seasoned it well, he placed it on the pit with the sizzling sound of meat being seared.}

15 minutes. 15 minutes and she could go home, get naked and be lazy. Well, maybe not get naked but she could definitely be lazy.-

Sookie, table 4 needs more tea.

-Holly had come back in, apologizing left and right about how she was sorry she had to switch shifts. She didn't mind helping Holly; she was always nice, and had a rough time lately helping Andy deal with the loss of his daughters. She smiled and went to get the teas, counting down the time until check out. 10 more minutes. She so could do it.-

{The meat was done, the corn on the cob grilling. Cold beers waiting to be drank. He had set the table for two, made some baked potatoes and grilled onions for the steaks. It smelled amazing. It had been a while since he lit a pit. Putting the food on the plates, he looked at the clock and furrowed his brows knowing it was not 2 o'clock. Making his way over, he reached up to grab the clock and took the batteries out. Now where would she keep her batteries?}

{He searched every drawer, every cabinet, nothing. No batteries. He'd have to make a mental note to pick some up when he was in town again. He could hear her car pulling up, so he set the clock to the side and grabbed the beers, popping the tops. He leaned against the doorframe and waited.}

-as soon as the clock hit 5:30, she was out the door before her apron even hit the floor. She blew a kiss to Holly, wished her well and all but ran to her car. It took her only a few minutes to get home and the smile that came across her face was huge.-

Home sweet home.

-she pulled into the drive and let out a sigh of relief as she parked the car and hopped out. Her eyes wandered around the yard, taking in anything and everything she could as she searched for vampires or anything of the like. But saw nothing. What she did notice, however, was the slight scent of a fire having been lit earlier and the smell of grilled meat wafting through the air. Her stomach rumbled.-

Mmmm.....

-still smiling she walked up the stairs to the front door, calling out to Alcide as she did so. Wow, the house smelled amazing.-

{He leaned against the door frame of the kitchen with his arms folded across his chest as she entered, a smile building across his lips. Damn, even smelling like burgers, fries and alcohol, she looked amazing. Her hair slightly messy and her pony drooping. All he could do was greet her with a smile.}

"Evening, Cher. You look like you've had a long day. Hungry?"

{He asked as he pushed off the door frame and walked up to her to take her purse and set it down somewhere, taking her hand and slowly walking towards the kitchen.}

Starved.

-she couldn't hide her smile as he took her purse and sat it on the table by the door, and when he took her arm to lead her to the kitchen? Her heart melted a bit. He was so nice. He had cooked dinner; from the smell of it he had made steak and corn on the cob. She wasn't sure if he had made anything else. But even then, that was better than nothing. When was the last time a man had cooked her dinner? Never. That was when.-

You didn't have to do this. But thank you.

-she took the beer from him and took a sip, thankful for its coolness; it had been a muggy night at Merlotte's and she was thankful for every bit of cool she got. Turning to look at him, she smiled up into his eyes and sat the beer on the counter-

Do you mind if I go change? I'd like to get out of these clothes.

{He smiled and shook his head.} "Yes, I did. We're room mates and you refuse to let me pay you so I went shopping. Stocked up on your cabinets and fridge, oh and you were out of toilet paper." {He smirked and took a sip of his beer, setting it down on the counter where he stood leaning against it.}

{He pictured her naked for a moment, quickly shutting his eyes and moving to the table as he cleared his throat and coughed.} "Nah, not at all. Go ahead, I'll wait." {He moved to the fridge without looking at her as he grabbed the A1 and butter for the potatoes. Shredded cheese, sour cream, oh and bacon bits. Couldn't forget that. He set them on the table and took his seat after grabbing his beer and drinking more while waiting.}

-she saw what he was thinking, but decided to let it slide. They had decided that they were friends and nothing else, so what reason was there for her to get excited that he still thought about her like that? There wasn't any.-

I won't be long. May take a quick shower. 15 minutes?

-she smiled at him and headed upstairs, quickly showering off and washing her hair before hopping out and going to slip on a pair of brown sweats and a hot pink tank tip, slipped her feet into her flip-flops and jogged back down the steps. As she walked into the kitchen, her stomach let out a loud growl-

This smells amazing. Thank you, again. You didn't have to do this.

{He smiled and turned to stand from his chair the minute he smelled vanilla. He smelled her before he saw her. Taking her hand, he led her around the table to her seat and pulled out the chair.}

"Stop saying that, now sit."

{She listened and he smiled as he went back over to his own chair.} "So, bon appetite?"

Yes, Sir.

-she grinned at him and picked up her fork and knife, cutting into the steak and bringing it to her lips before letting out a soft moan. It was so good; juicy, tender, and amazingly delicious.-

You know your way around a grill. That is just... wow.

-she hadn't expected him to be a good cook. She took another bite of steak then stuck her fork into her potato, brought the fork to her lip as she met his gaze and let out another moan as the buttery goodness hit her tongue. Cheese and crackers, that was just amazing!-

You're full of surprises, Sir.

{He cocked a brow and chewed his steak. After piling on butter, cheese and bacon bits he took a bite of potato and watched her close her eyes with a moan as she chewed. He stopped chewing and wished she wouldn't moan like that.}

"Yeah, I sure do. Glad you finally got to taste my cookin'. I'm glad you like it."

{He chewed and tilted his head to the side for a moment. After swallowing and taking another sip of beer, he set it down and looked at her curiously.}

"Uh...why do you keep calling me sir?"

-she grinned and took another bite of potato and smirked at him-

It's just polite, ain't it? To call your elders 'sir' or 'ma'am'? I'm just bein' a good little girl is all.

-cutting off another piece of steak, she popped it in her mouth and took a sip of her beer while eying him over it. He looked happy, relaxed and... that look he was giving her was a bit hotter than what she had expected to see from him. They were friends.... right?-

Is that okay? Or would you prefer I just call you Mr. Herveaux?

-smirked again and took another sip of her beer.-

{He chuckled and took another bite, shaking his head at her answers. She wanted to play that game.}

"Sure, Miss Stackhouse. Whatever you wish to call me you may."

I prefer Alcide when you're screaming it out...SHIT stop, steak and potatoes, the NFL, Saints and Cowboys, work tomorrow, the Devereaux's patio plans....

"This sure was good."

{He had cleared his plate and stood to gather the dirty dishes to clean, taking her empty plate and turning his back to her as he ran the water to clean it.}

-don't say anything, Sookie. Just be nice. Don't say....-

Loud?

-she blushed put her hand to her face and let out a sigh before laughing. He had his back turned, so thankfully he couldn't see her face. Great going, Sookie. She made a mental reminder to throw out her 50 Shades books as soon as dinner was over. Didn't nobody have time for that kinda crap! It just caused too many issues. Clearing her throat, she turned her eyes back to him and finished the rest of her beer.-

{Hearing her finish his sentence, he closed his eyes tightly and winced. Great going Alcide. He washed the plates and utensils, silence filled the room except for the water and clatter of dishes. He had already washed the dishes he had dirtied when he cooked earlier, so all that was left were the dinner dishes. He dried his hands and turned around to face her with a slight blush to his face.}

"You go pick a movie, I'll get the Blue Bell and meet you there. There may be a foot massage in your future. Go on, you earned it."

{He smiled and walked closer to her as he leaned down to place a kiss on her temple. He turned to the fridge and began to get things ready for dessert as she left the room with a big smile. He would not comment on the obvious, nor the fact that she finished his sentence. Tonight would be about relaxing. He just prayed he wouldn't get blue balls by the end of the movie.}