CHAPTER 1: The Problem With Road Trips

One year later and here I am driving back to Bon Temps. I wouldn't have bothered had my best friend Sookie not turn up alive. But, I have to see her even if it takes facin' up to my demons. Besides, she woulda done the same thing fo' me. Leaving thirteen months ago wasn't something I had planned to do. There were certain things that pushed me to do it. Momma, Eggs and Franklin combined made me wanna get away from all the bullshit.

You know, I can't believe I spent my entire life hopin' an' dreamin' that Momma would love me. Maybe it was because there were moments in between her sobriety and gettin' an exorcism when she tried to be a mother. But, overall, I'd have to say she just wasn't cut out for that kind of thing. She told me a thousand times while I was growin' up that I was a demon child. That I was a mistake. As I got older, her alcoholic rages got worst an' so did the beatings. But, it was the hurtful words that stung the most, more than a switch, a hairbrush or a shoe against my skin. Her words alone sliced my self worth in half. Is no wonder I am always angry, mean and pissed off and had too little self worth.

Death. I never knew death until I invited it in. When Eggs died, I was at a low place in my life. Everything seemed dark and lonely and life no longer had any meaning. I took a shit load of pills enough to put a horse under. Luckily, Lafayette kicked the bathroom door in and forced me to bring it all up. He saved my sorry ass. And I'm truly grateful. Though he was able to snatch me away from death's fingers, something else found its way in. Death's ally, Franklin.

Just days after my suicide attempt Franklin kidnapped me, fed from me, tortured me and raped me. For days on end he kept me tied up to a bed without food or water. For days he had his way with me, doing all manner of unimaginable things to my body and to my mind. Every second I spent with him was livin' hell. I was constantly in fear for my life, wondering when he was going to kill me. When, he told me he was going to turn me an' make me into his bride for an eternity, that's when I realized that I didn't want death no mo'. I wanted to fucking live. So I fought back and ran.

It didn't end there because the fucker tracked me down and was gonna kill me once and for all. But as luck would have it, Jason came out of nowhere and rescued me. He gave that psycho blood-sucking fuck a good dose of what he deserved. True death. A clean shot through the heart with a single wooden bullet sufficed. But even after that rapist ass-hole was gone, awful memories and terrible feelings still lingered. I felt unclean, low and unworthy and I felt like everything was closing in on me. Life had once again became too much a burden. It didn't take much to get me to cry. Shit, I was a fucking mess. Everywhere I went, I saw blood and death. I was constantly reminded of pain and fear. The whole damn town felt like a fucking cage. Even my braids began to feel like heavy rope and chains anchoring me down when most of all I wanted to be free. Cutting them off was the first step to being released from mental bondage. The next major step was getting as far away from Bon Temps as fucking possible. With just the clothes on my back, I hightailed it outta that bum fuck town and just kept drivin'. I didn't know where the fuck I was goin'. All I knew was I wanted to leave, reboot, start my life over. And that's what I did.

I never wanted to come back home, not yet anyway. For the past year I did some major changes to my life, some of it helped me heal, but going back home still scares me. I have to see Sookie. She's my one true friend. She and her whole family has always been there for me. Goin' back is the least thing I could do. Months ago I had given her up for dead thinking her crazy involvement with vampires had something to do with her disappearance. Which was another reason why I didn't want to go back to Bon Temps. With no Sookie, there was no point. But when I got Lafayette's text about her return, I was overjoyed. It didn't take me long to pack my things and gas up my car.

But first, I had to let Naomi, my new squeeze know that I was leavin' town. Yeah, she and me been livin' together in N'Orleans for the past six months. We met at Smithy's, a bar I worked at on Bourbon Street. I'd never been with a woman before, never was attracted to them. Let's just say things just happened between she and me and leave it at that. She introduced me to cage fighting. Turns out I am good at it. I had so much rage in me it served me well to put it to good use. One thing I can say about it is that the pay is damn good. In fact each month I've been able to set a bit aside in the bank which is something I was never able to do while working at Merlotte's and looking after my mother. I've found this new outlet to be therapeutic. It has helped me get rid of years of pent up fears, frustrations, and hate. Hate for my abusive momma, hate for Franklyn Mott, hate and anger at the world.

As for me shacking up with a woman, who would've thunk it. If you think that's strange, think again. Let me tell you what's strange. Strange is me filling her pretty head with lies of a life that never existed. Of a life I wished I had. Instead of telling her that I was going to Bon Temps for a couple of days, I told her that I was going to Atlanta to attend my grandmother's funeral. Yeah, a made up grandmother. Naomi knows nothing about my past, nor about Sookie, Lafayette or me being raped. Shit, she thinks my name is Toni and that I have a brother named Jason.

At first lying seemed a harmless thing to do but believe you me there's a price you pay. The guilt for one gnaws away at your guts knowin' someday it's gonna catch up with ya. So why I did it? Well, I wanted so much to erase the past and become a whole new person that I was willing to do anything, even if it meant lying.

I know deep down that someday Naomi may find out the truth and when she does, I won't blame her if and when she decides to leave me.

That's the problem with road trips. It makes you reflect on a lot of shit.

Right now my head is buzzing with thoughts of who in Bon Temps I rather avoid. Jason Stackhouse tops that list. Even though he saved my life when he killed my captor, Franklyn, it was hard for me to not associate him with horrifying images of Eggs lying on the cold asphalt and his life pouring out of him. I suppose it wasn't his fault no more than it was Eggs', but, it has taken me a long long time to forgive, to accept, and to let go.

Another person I can't bring myself to look at in the face is Momma. 'specially after what she did to become Reverend Daniels' wife. She, a professed born again Christian was seein' Rev. Daniels a year ago while he was still a married man. It sickened my stomach when I walked in on the two of them on the couch smoochin' and an' tearin' at each other's clothes. Fucking disgusting. Four months and a quickie Mexican divorce later, Lettie Mae finally got her wish. I guess people will do anything to reinvent themselves. And don't I know it.

It's gonna be hard avoiding Sam. He must hate me for all the shit I've put him through.

"No strings" I remember telling my former boss, and he obliged the first time we had sex. Not surprising he's a damn good kisser and fucking fantastic between the sheets. We came to an agreement that it was just goin' to be us fucking and nothin' else. Well, at least so I thought until one day he came by my house sayin' he wanted to have something more with me. Shit. I liked him, I really did but I was in no shape to get something goin' with my boss. Thinking I had a demon in me, I believed I was too fucked up and too angry to be in a real relationship. So I did what I thought was the best thing for both of us. I sent him packing. Now that I think back on that day, he really was willing to give us a chance and I threw it back in his face. How could I have been so stupid and so mean?

Shit, I really treated Sam like dirt and yet he never gave up on me. He was always there with a shoulder to cry on. He even financed my exorcism, which turned out to be fake by the way. Still, I wonder how life would've turned out had I said "yeah Sam, let's do this." Fuck, it's too late for that now.

I admit I never made it easy for anyone to love me, let alone Sam. I was busy puttin' up so many barriers that I ignored those few tender moments between us. Although I was reluctant about us going further, we still maintained a physical relationship of sorts. So it was no surprise that we did it one last time just before I skipped town.

The last time we were together was memorable. It started out with me going to Merlotte's that night in time to see Sam in a drunken rage yellin' at folks an' actin' like an ass-hole. He called Holly and Arlene bitches and insulted Terry. For whatever reason, he was pissed. In between him tellin' everyone to leave, I calmly took a seat at the bar and poured myself a drink like I didn't give a fuck. He tried chasing me off too, but, I wasn't gonna move. No way. I stayed put. Once we were alone and all was quiet, he sobered up some and we talked over shots of tequila. We talked like we always did, like old friends. We chatted a while about this an' that. How the world perceived us and so on. Shoot, I miss our talks. What struck me is when he told me he had nobody and I told him I was there for him, his reaction came off a tad doubtful. Considering what I've put him through in the past, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

After that, we went straight to his trailer and fucked an' damn, he got me good. Hell, the earth moved. But later that night, something different happened. Well, good different. When we went at it again, everything took on a whole new meaning. It was no longer about us working Jason and Sooks out of our systems or how angry we were at the world. We were there for each other, on a deeper level. It felt as though we had finally found in each other whatever we were searching for all our lives. We connected. And we connected three times more before we fell asleep.

A few hours later I woke up by his side. By then, I would've been out the door, but, I stayed and watched him sleep. His face relaxed and handsome, he looked perfect. I studied every curve and angle, I could've gone on watching him for the rest of the night. Then when he opened his eyes a few minutes later and cracked the sweetest smile ever, he melted my heart all over again. Next thing you know it, we reached for each other and made love. It was slow, tender, intimate and sweet. When we were done, we didn't say a word. We didn't have to. He gently stroked my cheeks with his finger tips and I felt so at peace. While we spooned, I remembered weaving my fingers through his and feeling complete, happy, loved. We slept soundly after that. And as I slept with his warm body enveloping mine, I felt calm and safe from all the dark dreams that plagued me many nights before.

The next morning I woke up rested and feeling like I could take on the world. When I got up, I realized that for once I didn't wake up screaming out in a cold sweat. That for once I didn't feel Franklyn's darkness haunting me. I felt that even after all the madness I'd been through, the world seemed a better place. With Sam, the world was a better place.

That morning Sam was already up and about and I could hear him moving about in the kitchen. I showered and threw on his bathrobe that held his scent. A mixture of Irish Spring soap and Old Spice aftershave made me feel right at home. I don't know why, but I pressed the plush green fabric up to my nostrils and drew in his essence deeply, branding his masculine emanation to my memory. Scent. Once it is seared deep into your memory, it becomes a part of you. There have been moments out of the clear blue that his scent would pop up in my head. Not sure why that happens or how. Even though we are hundreds of miles apart, whether I'm driving about, or shopping, without warning, it would come to me, then, I miss him.

I remember watching the morning news while he made us breakfast. Yeah, imagine that, he made us hoe cakes and just the way I like it, in bacon grease. As I watched him tinker away in the kitchen looking so cute in his blue boxers and white T-shirt, I actually caught myself smiling. Something I hadn't done in weeks. I thought how happy I felt when I'm with him. That's when I decided to tell him that I liked him and that I was ready for somethin' real".

Just as I was about to open up my heart to him, he came out and told me he was a shape shifter. Talk about throwing me a curb ball.

I flew off the handle, chastizing him for not telling me sooner. I told him that I couldn't deal with non-humans anymore and that too many bad things had happened to me because of supernatural stuff. I overreacted and said too much. Fuck, I should've stopped right there but I continued and said that I wished I could forget all the shit I'd learned recently. Imagine how badly he must have felt to hear me say all that. It's not like he could help being what he is no more than the rest of us can. I wish I could take back the awful things I said. I shoulda realized that somethin' like that ain't easy to talk about. The least thing I coulda done was be more understanding an' appreciate him for trustin' me an' opening up to me. Instead, I walked away and never looked back. He deserves better.

~0*0~

CHAPTER 2: To Old Fucks

I don't feel like going to that group meeting tonight. After seein' Tara an' talkin' with her today, I 'm not in the mood for socializin'. What the fuck was I thinkin' by sayin' "To old friends" when we was drinkin' tequila on my porch today? We was never just 'friends'. We was more than that.

I think I'll spend the rest of the time alone in my trailer and masturbate to some National Geographic or some shit like that. I guess I should be happy that she is back, but, our reunion wasn't exactly what I'd expected. At least she ain't angry at me for tellin' her that I'm a shifter. Which is why I can't understand why she don't wanna stay with me for a coupla days. What, my trailer ain't good enough? What, her new squeeze in New Orleans is better than me? That fucker needs to come on down to Bon Temps so I can see who I'm up against. Just a year ago, Tara couldn't get enough of my cock, and now she's fuckin' someone else. This is fuckin' ridiculous!

Where the fuck did I go wrong?

Maybe a year ago when I had the chance, I should've tried harder at getting her to stay. But, I screwed up. Big time. Do you know how many times I treated her like shit and took her for granted? Yet, she still came back for more. I mean, how cool is that?

There was that time when I took Sookie out on a date the day after me and Tara had sex. You see the moment Sookie told me that she and Bill had an argument, I wasn't gonna wait 'till the sheets cooled down before I jumped at the opportunity to ask her out. No siree. Then, when I saw the hurt look on Tara's face when me and Sookie sat down beside her at the Gloriously Dead meeting, I was like, oh shit. Sittin' between them two girls was like the being the alpha male lion, king of the whole friggin' jungle. This shit just gets better an' better.

Top of 'what makes a guy one mean ass mutha fucka of the month' list is the time when I told her she made grunting sex noises. This is after she told me how damn good I was in the sack, to which I replied, "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." Yeah, that pissed her off like you wouldn't believe. After she stormed outta my trailer, I wasn't worried. They always come crawlin' back.

Then when she didn't call me or nothin', I got a little concerned. So, I drove over to her house with some cheap flowers I picked up on the way from the cemetery. What was I supposed to do. They was laying on the ground goin' to waste so I figured it would be the green thing to do by recyclin'. Anyway, not like she was gonna know the difference. What pissed me off is while she and me was conversatin' at her front door, her goddamned nosey no-good broke-ass drunk momma was hoverin' in the back spewting shit like I was only there with flowers 'cause I only wanted sex. Well, of course I do ya stupid bitch. I ain't done screwin' your horny daughter.

Shit, that girl Tara is pure hot heat. She's ripe. She got me all twisted up inside thinkin' about her all day and night, of me ridin' that delicious tight body of hers. Damn I was hell bent on makin' sure I get more of her sweet ass, even if it costed me one sixteenth of a tank of gas drivin' to her house. A man's gotta protect his investment. Besides, ain't no other gal in Bon Temps offerin' free sex these days. Well for one, Sookie was already datin' Bill so she wasn't gonna be lettin' off. And two, Arlene's ass is way too boney. So that leaves Mrs. Fortenberry. Shit, that woman is wild in the bedroom, but she is weird. Whenever we're done fuckin', she always wants me to call her momma. Hell, I ain't into that kinky shit. That's the last time I'm tappin' that ass.

Anyway, after that visit, Tara did't even look at the flowers after all the trouble I went through to get them. Then she told me to bugger off, claimin' she was too fucked up for any of this shit. I figured maybe she was lookin' for commitment, you know, like most gals do. So I made some shit up and told her I wanted the two of us to have somethin' more. Yeah, like that was gonna make a difference. She's way smarter than I thought. She told me to get lost. So, I took off and left the worm eaten flowers on her lawn before drivin' off. But, I wasn't worried none. I could tell by the look in her eye, she wanted me.

And, I was right. 'Cause a couple of hours later, we screwed like bunny rabbits in my office like we always do. Yeah, those were the days.

After seein' her today, lookin' so fuckin' hot and sexy, I wanted her so bad. They say your muscles have memory. Well, there's truth in that 'cause my dick was rock hard the whole freakin' time we talked on the porch.  And she wasn't even naked.  Fuck, she makes viagra look like candy. Shit. Now I'm havin' a bad case of blue balls and beatin' off ain't gonna help. It'll just make it worse. I feel so fuckin' frustrated and plumb crazy right now, I need to do somethin' and fast. Damn! Only a stupid fuck like me would let a fine ass like her walk away. You know what, to hell with T.V.. I'm leavin' this nasty ass trailer and I'm gonna get me some. That's what I'll do. Maybe I'll go to that meetin' after all and hook up with Luna. She looks like she is into crazy shit.

Sam: Fuck! I can't believe that lame ass trailer trash brother of mine wrote this shit in my journal. Wait 'til I get my hands around his neck. I'm gonna fucking kill that no good son of a bitch!



Note: This is after a long night at Merlotte's when Sam retires in his trailer and picks up his journal to jot down some thoughts, to find that Tommy had made some drastic changes to his last entry.

~0*0~

CHAPTER 3: To Old Friends

Sam

The therapist said that writing down my thoughts each day should help me to control my anger by reflecting and putting things into perspective. He was right. Even though I haven't been back to him in many months I still keep my journal up to date and I'm proud to say that I've kept my temper in check. In ten months I haven't gone off on anyone, least of all my customers. I've even picked up reading again. On top of which, I've made a few friends, Emory, Suzanne and Luna. What makes it great is that they are shifters like me. I first met Emory at Walmart in the hardware section and instantly we hit it off. Then he told me how he'd just formed a small club of shape shifters and invited me to join. A loner for many years but social at heart, I said "sure". So, for the past few months, I've been meeting up with them regularly at nights. We talk about all manner of things, most of all getting stuff off our chests. Then, we all shift together and go for a nice run. It's fun having company going on nightly runs.

I've found that with them, I don't feel alone or judged. With them, I feel accepted. Which is a heck more than I can say about my lame ass good for nothin' brother, Tommy. One would've thought that he being my brother and fellow shifter that bonding with him would've been a cinch. Also, we ought to have a lot in common. I had hoped that he and I would've been able to share a lot of things and I was hoping that with him I would no longer feel alone in this world. But, that would never be the case. Because with him, I've never felt lonelier. We are different, like night and day. I regret the day I met him. Just thinkin' about him makes my blood boil.

Tommy. I really did all I could to help him. I practically rescued him from his leech sucking parents and gave him a job and a place to stay. And after all I did for him, he turned around and kicked dirt in my face. That ungrateful fuck. He just kept pushing me, kept using me, kept twisting me, kept breaking me.

He's the reason why I ended up going to a therapist and group meetings in the first place. A year ago I came close to killing that son of a bitch. I mean literally. After he cleaned out my safe and made a run for it, I tracked him down and confronted him with a gun. Even with a gun pointed squarely at his face, he brazenly waved off my threats and turned his back on me slinging a large duffle bag full of my cash over his shoulder. Then he said that I didn't have the fucking guts to shoot him. Hearing him say that made me see red.

I saw red and time slowed down. In the crisp open night air, I stood with my glock .45 pointed straight at the center of his back. My finger curled ever so slowly but steadily about the trigger, a mere fraction of a second away from losing everything.

Then, out of nowhere a voice came to me in a calm soothing whisper, "nothing is worth going to jail for."

It was in that fraction of a second my mind drifted to a time when me and Tara sat at my porch talking about her abusive past. The long and short of her story was that she too came close to killing a pedophile her mother once dated a long long time ago, but stopped herself just in time in a moment of clarity and told herself that no matter what life throws at you, nothing was worth going to jail for.

That one voice of reason saved me. She saved me from committing cold bloodied murder and going to prison.

I lowered my aim and shot the thieving fuck in the leg. The sad thing is that it felt fucking good shooting the little shit. I can thank my lucky stars that I'm not behind bars. But, I'm saddled with his hospital and physio therapy bills while he lives high off the hog at Mrs. Fortenberry's. Lucky for him, she was looking for someone to coddle after her son Hoyt moved out, and he was it. She may think that he has changed for the better, but I've got news for her, Tommy isn't the type you can trust. I guess someday she'll learn the hard way.

It is short of a miracle that Maxine managed to teach Tommy to read and write. Which is much more than what the Mickens could have ever done for him. Melinda and Joe Lee denied him the opportunity to see the inside of a class room. Instead, they beat him, taught him to steal and forced him into dog fights for he was their meal ticket. It is no wonder he turned out the way he did. Shit, I thought I had it rough growing up, until I met Tommy. I guess I should thank Melinda for putting me up for adoption when I was a baby as otherwise, I would've ended up just like him. A no-good, or worse, a no-good in jail. No matter how much I hate my brother, I pity him. He's had it rough. Had things turned out slightly better for him, I think he would've had a better chance of doing something good with his life. I still talk to him whenever he comes around but that is the extent of our relationship. He's just not the sort you go inviting into your home.

You know I thought I locked all my windows securely but the bastard still somehow managed to get in. He probably shifted into a cockroach or something smaller before slipping through the slightest of opening, but, as for him rooting through my personal stuff and writing all manner of shit in my journal just infuriates me. It makes me want to punch him in the face. But, after I read his take on things, I have to admit, it was kinda funny. He's got one heck of an imagination. I'm not too keen on the way he wrote Tara though. No one should ever think of her like that. Makes me sick to think he thinks of her that way. He better fucking stay away from her.

I'm happy that Tara is back. In fact, I should be thrilled, but after we had that talk yesterday, I'm not so thrilled after all. I was a fool to believe she would come back into my life and we would pick up where we left off. Boy, was I ever wrong. Thirteen months is a long time for a man to hope.

After that nice chat over tequila, at least now I know that we were still friends and that she wasn't mad at me for telling her that I am a shifter. For months on end I thought she left because of me. I believed she thought I was a freak. As it turned out, that wasn't the case at all, for which I am glad. She said she left Bon Temps because she needed to start her life over and who could blame her after all that she went through. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that she left this backwoods town. There isn't much here for a young person like her. Especially someone as smart as her. Obviously she did something right by it. She seemed calmer than before. She looked so pretty yesterday, I cannot remember seeing her smile that much. God, I missed her.

I still think about the last night we spent together. That one time, thirteen months and nine days ago when for the very first time ever we made love. The level of intimacy we shared was profoundly deep. It was beyond what I have ever felt in my entire life. That one night we shared so much more than most couples do in a lifetime of knowing each other. I know she felt it too. But that was then and this is now. Maybe she thinks I'm still some kinda drunken ass-hole. Believe you me, she's had one too many drunks in her life. But I've changed. Couldn't she see that?

I don't think she knows how much I cared for her, or how much she hurt me by leaving. She doesn't realize how for months I felt directionless without her, and how painful it was for me not knowing what she was feeling, thinking, not knowing if and when she'll ever return. Yesterday I should've put my guts out on the table and let her have it, make her see that I still need her. I wanted to tell her how much I missed her and how much I hated her for leaving me. But how could I when she suddenly up and left with Jesus to chase after Lafayette or something like that. Whatever they were up to, it sounded serious. Anyway, I might as well accept that it is already over between me and Tara. I might as well face fact that she's happy with that other person she met in New Orleans and has moved on with her life with. So maybe it's time I do the same.

It's been a while since I ever gave it much thought into seeing other people. Screw this, I'm ready. I'm a social animal and I'm tired of being alone. Luna is a shifter, attractive and seems nice enough. Hopefully she is unattached. Tonight I'll find out.

~0*0~

CHAPTER 4: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

  Tara

CHAPTER 5: SANCTUM

"Oh for fuck sake, will you two shut the hell up! Is is too much to ask for some peace and quiet before I dine?" Pam growled while holding her victim roughly from behind.

"Bitch, why don't ya just bite me! Bite me and fucking get it over and done with. I ain't afraid to die, you muthafuckah!" Tara snapped while Pam took no notice of her taking hold of something that was secured to her leather belt.

"Gladly." Pam replied gleefully then opened her half-rotted mouth wide exposing her long, sharp fangs ready to plunge them deep into Tara's smooth inviting neck. But, before she could, Tara whipped out a small bottle, reached behind her and sprayed Pam directly in the face with silver nitrate solution.

Pam's body that was already in a state of slow decomposition made her more susceptible to the harmful effects of silver upon her exposed skin, eyes and the insides of her mouth. She released Tara and blindly staggered about screaming and wailing loudly, thereby giving Tara ample time to put some distance between them.

As the corrusive effects of silver nitrate etched and painfully dug into her flesh, it left behind a multitude of pits everywhere it had come in contact with. Tara knew she had to make do with the time she'd just bought. So, she made a mad dash for the trailer, but, Tommy had already beat her to it.

"Hey, whoever you are let me in. Please don't leave me out here with her." Tara pleaded. She maintained her belief that the person she was trying to negotiate with in that trailer was not Sam, even though he looked like him.

She had no clue that it was in fact Tommy who had shifted into his own brother. It was ironic that just moments ago she didn't want to be anywhere near the asshole and now she was begging to get in the trailer with him. She figured being locked up with a potential rapist was many times better than being at the unimaginable mercy of a murderous vampire.

"Oh yeah, well, see if I care." Tommy replied from behind the locked door.

"Please, please, I'll, I'll do anything you want me to do. Just let me in."

"Bitch, you broke my dick."

"Look, I'm sorry, but, please have some mercy. Don't leave me out here to die. Please."

"Alrigh-.. urrrk..", Tommy's body suddenly went into convulsions. He retched and vomited violently on the floor and collapsed next to his own pool of bloody expulsion. Then without his own doing, he morphed back into himself before he completely blacked out.

"Hey! Hey!" Tara yelled over and over again but alas in vain.

Hopelessly she beat her fist on the door a couple of times more , petitioning her once assailant to take pity on her and let her in. No longer detecting any sound or movement coming out of the trailer, she realized that her efforts were now useless and believed that she was proper fucked. Nervously she looked behind her and all and around the yard and saw no sign of Pam. All was quiet. Too quiet she thought.

"Fuck!" Tara lastly blurted out.

Frustrated and afraid she took off. She ran to the front of the premises to find Merlotte's had already been closed. Checking her wrist-watch, it was 2:00 A.M., half an hour past closing. It was another four hours before dawn, more than enough time for Pam to return and finish what she'd started. To add insult to injury, her cell phone was rendered useless having been thoroughly damaged during her first physical altercation with Pam in the parking lot. So, there was no means of her to call anyone. With no other choice left, she left on foot. No street lights to speak of, she had to rely on the moon's light to guide her and with that, she ran as fast as she could.

She ran down Parish Road in the direction of her mother's house that was some five miles away. She ran hard and fast until the muscles in her legs burned and her sides ached. With less than a mile left, she paused by a tree and leaned against its rough bark for support. She gasped for air. Her throat burned, she felt light-headed, she instantly felt sick. Coughing she bent forward and threw up what looked like the remainder of chilli and red beans on rice, her last meal she had with Naomi.

When she was through, she looked ahead of her and saw how lonely and dark the road was and it made her question her future. She never imagined her life turning out this way. She imagined being married and having kids, grand kids, heck, even great-grand kids. She imagined growing old and spending her last moments on earth surrounded by all the people she loved. Today I will not die. No, I will not give up, she told herself. Exhausted but determined she willed herself to press on.

The stillness of the cold night was unnerving to say the least. She didn't know where she found the strength to put one foot before the other and not succumb to her fears. But, she had incentive. The threat of death spurned her forth for she kept feeling that out of nowhere that Pam would suddenly swoop down and end it all. This time she was certain the bitch was not going to waste time monologuing.

"Hoot!" cried an owl perched in a tree above. Its cry was loud it seemed to echo but was enough to give Tara a start.

"Fuck!" Tara exclaimed in shear fright and looked up at the bird of prey.

The animal turned its head a good one-eighty degrees around and looked directly down at her through its large amber eyes as if to say "what's the fuck is your problem."

"If there is a God out there, please help me get to someplace safe." she whispered to herself while her heart raced madly in her chest.

As though her prayers had been answered, a lone set of headlights parted the erie darkness. Her spirits lifted and she waved at the oncoming vehicle.

"Stop! Please!" Tara beseeched flailing her arms about but the glare of the headlights made it hard for her to make out who or what type of vehicle that slowed to a stop before her.

"Tara?" a familiar voice called out. Tara brought her hand up to shield the bright lights from her eyes so that she could at least see who the voice belonged to.

"Tara, it's m-...", the gentle voice continued but stopped mid-sentence. Her name was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

~*~

Slowly, Tara opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times before she could focus properly in the dimly lit room. Sitting straight up out of the bed she'd been laying on, she looked to her right at the strange environs and gathered that she was in a small one room log cabin that was quite rustic with little furnishings. Besides the bed, there was a couch, a round table with four chairs and a rocking chair. A lit fireplace was just a few yards away radiating a much welcomed warmth.

"Tara." came a voice just to the left of her.

Startled, Tara jumped. She turned around and screamed upon seeing a figure of a man sitting next to her.

Her raw instincts instantly went into overdrive. Using a combination of reverse sweep and shoulder lock takedown moves, she brought her opponent clean off the bed and down to the floor. They both landed next to the bed with a great thud, her straddling him.

"Jesus Tara, it's me."

She knew the voice but leaned in for a closer look. Still, she had to make certain and drew in his scent. And there it was, that familiar mixture of old spice after-shave and a hint of Irish Spring soap scent that always gave her a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, a sense of home. Convinced that the person under her was indeed Sam Merlotte, her facial expressions softened.

"Sam." Tara said in a calm voice while she sat atop him. Her hands pinning his shoulders firmly to the ground, her buttocks pressed to his thighs.

As he lay flat on his back, he looked up at her in silence. Her long dark hair fell forward in gentle waves, soft tendrils partially covering those smooth contours he knew so well, giving her a sexy, sensual, yet, sweet appearance. He could feel his irises expand and his lips tingle, he felt like pressing them to hers but resisted. He resisted the urge to run his hands up and down the sides of her legs, thigh and hips. He imagined cupping and squeezing her butt, he always liked doing that. Then, there were those magnetic brown eyes of hers he found himself gazing into, windows to her own private world he wished to enter and explore. If only she would let him in. If only.

"Um, do you mind.." Sam arched his eye-brows, hinting at her to release him.

"Oh, yes." Tara responded. Slightly embarrassed she got off of him. She had forgotten her place for she was more than comfortable in that position.

"Sorry I attacked you. I thought I was kidnapped. When a girl wakes up in a strange place, it's the first thing she thinks of. And there is this whole been-there-done-that kind of thing as well." she added giving him a hand.

"I'm sorry I startled you." Sam said apologetically finally getting to his feet.

"No worries. Where the hell are we?"

"In a cabin."

"Yeah, I can see that." Tara said too nervous to wait for him to explain. She quickly cased the small place and checked the door and windows ensuring that they were securely locked.

"Ok, if you would allow me to finish, miss smarty pants." Sam chuckled. "We're about thirty miles from where I picked you up. And while we're on the subject, what the hell were you doing so late walking on that lonely road? Don't you know how dangerous it can be in this town at that time of the night? With vampires and God knows what else is lurking out there, you could've been attacked or worse."

"Sam, last night Pam attacked me outside of Merlotte's."

"What? Pam? Why would she do that?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Tara took on the task of telling her story. Both of them sat down at the round table over mugs of hot chocolate while Tara explained all that she could the best that she could. Starting off with her accidental involvement with a circle of witches. Then with Marnie putting a spell on Eric Northman and Pam. Lastly ending her story with Pam attacking her in the parking lot.

 "Wow. She sounds pretty pissed." Sam said referring to Pam.

"Pissed is putting it mildly. That blonde vamper bitch wants me dead."

"Jesus Tara, you've only been back in less than two weeks and now you're caught up in this vampire and witch mess. I've heard rumours about witches, but damn, to find that they are real."

"Sam, those fuckers practice necromancy. I mean that's some deep shit."

"Fuck."

"Yeah. And you know what? I saw with my own two eyes those witches bring a dead fucking parrot back to life for two seconds."

"No fucking way."

"Fucking way."

"Fuck."

"Yeah, and now I have to be hiding from a muthafucking insane smelly vampire bitch. Hell I didn't sign up for this shit."

"Don't worry, you're safe here, with .." Sam reassured. His voice trailed off and he looked down into his mug.

"I'm always safe with you, Sam." Tara said with warm sincerity, then yawned.

"Um, it's late. I'll take the couch." Sam said standing up and picking up the empty mugs.

"No, I'll take the couch. It's the least I could do." Tara said as she watched him walk over to the kitchenette.

"No, you've been through a lot in one night. You need your rest. Don't argue. Take the bed." Sam insisted with his back to her and above the sound of the water gushing from the faucet. Quickly, he washed the mugs and set them to drain on a dish rack next to the sink.

"I know this is selfish of me to say this, but, even though you regret coming back, I'm glad you did. I .." Sam began saying as he turned on his heels to face her. He paused when he saw that she was fast asleep on the couch, then ended,

"...missed you."

                                                                            ~*0*0*~

CHAPTER 6: Tired of Running

It was full moon and Sam could not sleep. He felt restless and he wanted to go for a run but he didn't want to leave Tara alone in the cabin. He wanted to be around in case she woke up. He couldn't help think about what she had told him earlier. About the witches, Eric and, Pam. For now she was safe here with him and yet, he couldn't shake that uneasy feeling that it was far from over between her and Pam.

He didn't know how long he'd spent tossing and turning, he believed it was for a long while. Too long. Staring up at the ceiling he tried forcing himself to sleep. He began to mentally count sheep, but, it was a useless trick. Frustrated, he threw the sheet off his body and sat up and looked around. He could see the bright moonlight streaming in through the windows. It illuminated everything in its path, including the very spot where Tara slept. He got up and slowly walked over to where she lay. From where he stood in the shadows not more than three feet away, he watched her, in silence.

With his eyes, he traced every curve and slope of her face as he did over thirteen months ago, their last night together before she left Bon Temps. Quietly she lay in the moon's light, she looked calm, peaceful, beautiful. He felt like crawling in and lay next to her and hold her close and protect her.

He wasn't aware of how long he had been watching her but in this light, her soft skin devoid of blemishes and lines, she appeared to glow in perfection. Then it occurred to him that the brightness of the moonlight might bring her out of her sleep. So, he turned in the direction of the windows with the intention of pulling down the shades. Just as he was about to, she began to stir in her sleep. She began muttering softly.

"No. Nooooo."

Upon hearing her weak cries, he turned right back around and rushed to her side. He could see that her face had quickly changed. It had become filled with anxiety and fear.

"No. Don't. Don't." she murmured again, her voice climbing. She whipped her head from side to side on the pillow while her eyes remained shut and tears rolling down her cheeks. He knew she was having a nightmare and he felt helpless. He felt helpless that he couldn't invade her dream and destroy whatever that haunted her.

"S-Sam. Sam. Sam!" Tara finally cried out and her eyes shot wide open.

Immediately, he sat down next to her, reached out and pulled her close. He could feel her heart through her purple tank-top pounding against his chest.

"Shh-shhh. It's just a dream. It's alright cher. Everything's ok. I'm here." he said softly hugging her and smoothing down her hair and rocking her back and forth.

After a minute, he released her to give her a moment to catch her breath.

"That's it, Tara. Relax. Everything's gonna be ok. Breathe, baby. Breathe." he said calmly rubbing her back with the palm of his hand.

As she listened to his soothing voice, she closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply. Once she'd calmed down, Sam rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Tara said apologetically.

"Cher, I was already up. Now lie back down and try going back to sleep."

"No Sam, I don't think I'll be able to sleep. Not after that dream." Tara said shaking her head.

"Do you remember any of it?"

"Bits and pieces. I was locked up in a wire cage waiting to be eaten by cannibal trolls. I tried to escape but it was useless. Then one of them came for me and dragged me off and took me to their leader who was Pam."

"That fucking fuck!" Sam said. His expressions were livid.

"Yeah, the fucking bitch is makin' me lose sleep. Shit, I'm tired of this."

"Do you remember anything else? Was I in your dream?"

"No, I don't think so. All I can say Sam, is that it felt so real. It was so damn fucking scary. Wait a minute. How did I get here. Did you move me? Sam. You shouldn't have."

"Nah, it's nutthin. You needed the bed more than me. Hey, how about some hot chocolate. It'll help calm your nerves. It'll help you sleep." Sam said trying to lighten the mood.

"No thank you. Not this second. Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you lie with me. There's more than enough room and I could do with a little company."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure." Tara replied staring up at him and throwing back the covers inviting him in.

Sam was more than glad for the invitation. He wanted to be next to her, feeling her warmth against his. He got in and lay down next to her. She then shifted onto her side with her back towards him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her securely from behind.

They talked while they spooned. Neither of them thought of it but holding each other felt like the most natural of things to do. Being this close to each other was medicinal, as it were. Tara soon forgot about her nightmare and Sam's pent up feelings disappeared. He no longer felt like going on that run. There was simply no longer a need to. He had everything he could possibly ever wanted right here in his arms.

Tara smiled and closed her eyes when he combed his fingers through the ends of her hair.

"You changed your hair." Sam remarked.

"So what d'ya think?"

"Looks nice." Sam replied when he meant to say something else.

"Nice? That's it?"

"Wh-what? I said something wrong?"

"Sam, nice is a word you use on your aunt or school teacher. Do I remind you of a school teacher?"

"Um, no. If I my school teacher looked anything like you, I would've stayed and graduated."

"I guess I should take that as a compliment. Thanks."

"Sexy."

"Say again?"

"Your hair makes you look sexy and sensual." Sam replied gently and lightly ran the tip of his finger the length of her neck and shoulder. He couldn't resist touching her and wanted more. She sighed. It had been a while since she had been touched that way. Thirteen months and three weeks to be exact.

"Your neck and shoulders, hmm, so intoxicating." As he said this, he kissed said body parts and tugged at her purple spaghetti strap.

"Hmm. Oh Sam." Tara whispered softly. She wanted him so badly, it ached. But, as much as she wanted him, she didn't want it to be like it was before. Which is, just them having sex for the sake of sex.

"Sam, I don't think this is a good idea." Tara began to say before it became too hard or too late for her to resist him.

"I, I just thought..You know, you're right. We're going too fast.."

Tara flipping onto her other side so that she could face him, she said,

"Sam, don't get me wrong. I do want you, like you wouldn't believe. I just don't want us to start this whole friends with benefits relationship thing all over again."

"Tara, what we had at the beginning was fun and yes, we did put the cart before the horse, but, we are older now, things are different and we're way past those times and I am willing for us to..ok, maybe we should take things slow and not rush into things."

There was a slight pause as the two stared into each other's eyes.

"Fuck that! Sam, let's do this." Tara blurted out, making a sudden change of course.

"Wha-" Sam said confused.

"Who the fuck am I kidding. I may not even live past the next day. We're here now, you, me in this place, in this dreamy, cozy cabin, alone, in the hills. It's full moon. It's fucking romantic."

"Are you sure?"

"I want this." Tara replied looking deeply into his eyes.

"If we do this, we really did this." Sam said looking right back.

"And this time Sam, I want this to be real."

They kissed and as they kissed, she breathed, "I missed you too."

Sam smiled upon hearing this. He realized that she had in fact heard him moments to her falling asleep on the couch as he washed their mugs in the kitchenette. It warmed his heart that she had considered them having something more with him. Well, although they hadn't dwelled much on the subject, as yet, he felt deep down that she wanted the same things as he. And her wanting him as much as he wanted her was a good start. At least for now.

Cupping his hand over her cheek he said,

"I don't want to lose you again."

"Neither do I."

They kissed madly sparring little time to relieve themselves of their clothes. As they made love on the bed, their naked bodies became completely immersed in the moonlight.

The clouds that hovered partially in front of the moon all night had finally parted. With nothing else in its way, Earth's ally shone with even greater brilliance, painting the lovers in silver. Then, the two climaxed powerfully. The feeling was never this intense.

Exhausted, they slept soundly in each other's arms.

~*0*~

At around ten AM, Sam opened his eyes and sat up in the queensized bed. All the window screens were rolled all the way down but it was still fairly light inside. He looked to his right expecting to see Tara lying next to him but she wasn't.

"No, no, no, no." he said out loud and blamed himself for waking up so late. He shot out of bed and ran buck naked to the bathroom to find that she wasn't there either.

"Shit! Not again!" He yelled. Tara being notorious for disappearing after a night of passionate lovemaking, made him think the worst, that she had left him, again. Except this time he couldn't blame her for wanting to get as far away as possible from Pam, from this town, from all the madness. His heart fell. He refused to give up and right then and there he made up his mind, that he was going to find her. He ran back and forth looking for his clothes.

He believed she couldn't have gotten very far on foot and figured he would be able to catch her up in his truck. Snatching up his clothes left strewn all over the floor, he quickly dressed. Not bothering to put on his boots, he flew out the door bare-footed with his shirt unbuttoned.

Just as he ran down the wooden stairs, he saw his own truck pull up and stop. It was Tara behind the wheel. She killed the engine and engaged the emergency brake. The moment she saw him, her face lit up.

"Hey baby." She greeted him and hopped out of his truck. Before she could say anything further, he walked straight up to her and threw his arms around her and hugged her tight. He hugged her long enough to make her think he wasn't ever going to let her go. When he finally did let go and she saw the look on his face, she realized why.

"Baby, didn't you see the note I left you?" Tara asked.

"What note?"

"The one I left on the table that said, 'Don't panic. Gone to get us some breakfast. Borrowed your truck, hope you won't mind. BRB. Tara'."

"Oh." Sam replied feeling a tad foolish. Tara leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. He quickly forgot feeling embarrassed and kissed her right back cupping her cheeks in his hands.

"I hope you're hungry, I've got pancakes, eggs, sausages and bacon."

"Yeah, I could eat." Sam replied rubbing the back of his neck wondering how on earth she was able to keep so composed after all that happened the night before, and considering that none of this was behind her.

"On my way back, I stopped by a thrift store and they had just about everything I needed, including a phone. Come, you gotta see this."

Tara motioned Sam to the back of his vehicle and opened the trunk. When Sam saw all the things she'd gotten, he was lost for words. Laid out in the back were silver chains, a cross-bow, wooden arrows, a rifle, boxes of modified bullets and UV flares.

"Can you believe the guy who ran the store tried selling me stakes. That's when I said to him 'look around, haven't you noticed we're surrounded by nothin' but trees. I can make my own thank you very much'."

"UV flares?"

"Yeah, they're supposed to work like normal flares except they give off ultraviolet light. Something I imagine vampires wouldn't appreciate none too much. He said he hadn't tested them yet. So, I talked him into loaning them to me on the condition that if they work, I'd pay him."

"Tara.." Sam began, he wasn't too keen on her direction in all this Pam fiasco. But, Tara knowing exactly what he was thinking jumped in before he could continue.

"Sam, before you try to change my mind, know this. I'm sick and tired of running. I've spent my entire life running away from my problems and it has never done me any good. Trouble has a way of finding you and no matter where or how far I go, Pam ain't gonna stop before she finds me. I'm staying, Sam, right here and when she finds me, I'll be ready."

~*0*0*~

CHAPTER 7: Nothin' Ain't Worth Goin' To Prison For

"Tara, how can you be so calm in all of this?" Sam asked while they ate at the table.

"Calm? Maybe on the outside but on the inside I'm a fucking mess."

"Perhaps you should think this thing over."

"I'm not going to argue about this anymore. How about you put yourself in my shoes and try to understand why I have to do this. Some day I will have to confront Pam and the longer I wait, the harder it's gonna be. You know how relentless that bitch is. So it ain't no use making a run for it when she's gonna hunt me down, she said so herself. I have no choice Sam, even if it ends badly for myself."

"I understand. But you cannot tackle this all on your own. So, I'm staying."

"Sam, you saved my life and I'm eternally grateful."

"But.." Sam started to say, somehow knowing what she was going to say next.

"But you need to go back to your life."

"You are my life."

After what they shared last night, she became more than certain that the man sitting across from her was the one. He was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and just about now couldn't bring herself to seeing him get hurt on her account.

"Look, you need to leave. I don't want to drag you into my mess." Tara said getting up from the table.

"So what if I want to be a part of your mess?" Sam asked rising up from out of his seat and picking up both their empty plates.

"Don't you have a business to run?" Tara asked folding her arms across her chest.

"I'm not leaving." Sam said while he put the plates in the sink.

"Sam, will you please go. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"No!" Sam said emphatically.

"You're stubborn you know that."

"That makes the two of us." Sam said closing the distance between them.

For a brief moment, they stood silently staring into each other's eyes.

"I can't allow you to do this. I don't want you to get hurt or ...what if something bad were to happen to..." Tara lowered her head with her eyes cast down unable to complete her sentence.

"Shh.. I want to do this." Sam said reaching up and gently touching her face with his hands.

"Sam..."

"I'm staying and that's final." Sam said emphatically wrapping his arms about her and hugging her tight.

Tara hugged him back. His scent, his entire being brought a calmness to her.

"Oh shit!" Tara exclaimed pulling away from him just remembering something.

"What is it?"

"You can't go." she said urgently.

"Uh, I wasn't planning on leaving."

"No, I forgot to tell you something. Last night after Pam attacked me in the parking lot, I ran over to your place to hide but someone or something else answered your door."

"What do you mean something?" Sam senses perked up.

"Well, whoever or whatever it was looked exactly like you, 'cept he didn't sound like you, or smelled like you."

"Looking like me? Are you sure?"

"Hell to the yeah I'm damn sure. Whatever the fuck it was tried to get me inside the trailer with him. I had to knee the pervert in the groin and face to get away. And that's when Pam came back."

"Oh no." Sam said looking pale and slowly taking a seat.

"Yeah, so forget what I said about you leaving. I've seen some weird shit lately so under no circumstances should you set foot in that trailer. You never know who or what is waiting for you there."

"That thing you saw was actually Tommy." Sam said with calm certainty and staring off blankly.

"Tommy? How'd he.. Fuck! Right, he is your brother. Now it makes perfect sense. He can shift just like you!"

"Not exactly like me. He's a skin-walker. Skin-walkers can shift into any creature on earth, even into something as complex as another human being which is something I can't do."

You would think Sam was a vampire by the way he suddenly lept out of his seat. With such rapid speed, he raced out the door with Tara trailing behind barely keeping up with him. One thing for sure, she didn't like the look on his face one bit.

"Sam. Look, nothing happened, okay. So don't do anything crazy." Tara began saying hoping to talk him out of whatever he planned on doing for she was certain it involved doing bodily harm to Tommy.

He paused next to his truck and turned and faced her.

"What? Don't hurt him? No. I plan on doing far worse." Sam promised.

His face hardened at the thought of his slimy brother making advances towards Tara. In a fit of rage, he hopped into his truck and started up the engine slamming the door after him.

"Sam, Sam. Listen. He didn't hurt me, alright, nothing happened. He was just being a jerk. That's all. So, stay, please, don't go." Tara pleaded as she held onto his arm in desperation. She was beginning to regret bringing up the whole incident in the first place.

It was not the first time that she had seen that cold, hard look in Sam's eyes. The last time she saw him like this was when he'd broke every bone in Calvin Norris's face. She remembered the horrified look upon customers' faces as they heard Calvin's bones crunch after every blow Sam gave him. So there was no telling what he was going to do to Tommy once he got his chance. Sam revved up his engine and Tara had no choice but to step back and get out of his way.

"Can you get a signal from up here?" He asked her as he looked at her from behind his wheel.

"Sam, please don't do some crazy shit that'll land you in jail."

"Can you get a signal?" He asked once again.

"Yes. I spoke with Lafayette this morning."

"I'll return before it gets dark."

With that he backed his truck out and drove off.

~*0*~

"Yes, what is it? This had better be worth interrupting my much needed beauty rest." Pam said from inside her coffin.

As she held her pink iPhone to her ear, she turned on a light and checked out her face in a mirror affixed to the pink tuffed satin lining before her. She could see that the series of painful injections she received from Doctor Ludwig last night was taking effect. The injections provided no cure to her rotting problem, but, it slowed its progression and this meant that they had to be administered every day for the rest of her un-dead life.

A vampire like Pam who was up as early as noon began to feel the onset of the bleeds. The typical droplets of blood oozing from ears, nose and eyes were considered a minor set back. She ignored them and continued peering at herself in the mirror. She was pleased that her face was almost back to what it was before Marnie casted that bothersome rotting spell on her.

"Miss Ravencroft we've located the target." A male voice said on the other end of the phone.

"Finally. Text me the location and get your boys into position. They are not to do anything until I get there. Is that understood?"

~*0*~

Forty minutes later, Sam parked his truck in front of his trailer next to Tommy's van. He jumped out and ran up to the front door and quickly let himself in. No one was present but he did pick up on Tara's faint scent just on the outside of his trailer. Once he was inside, he detected two more stronger scents apart from his own. One thing for sure, he couldn't ignore the puddle of congealed bloody vomit that was left on the floor. Right away we recalled Luna telling him about her skin-walking experience, that that it made her feverish and vomit blood. So he knew for certain that Tommy was too a skin-walker.

Not bothering to close his door, he ran back out and sped off towards the back door of his restaurant. Just then, Terry stepped outside for a smoke and had just managed to see Sam zip past him.

"Hey brother..." Terry said in his usual casual manner. Sam acknowledged him with a brief 'hey' and kept going leaving Terry behind holding a lighter in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Sam walked through the door and down the narrow hallway past his office. Everything around him appeared normal, a complete opposite of how he felt on the inside. His hands were balled into tight fists and his jaws were clenched tight. He knew Tommy was near, he could smell him. His phone vibrated away in his pocket, but he ignored it knowing full well that it was Tara trying to reach him.

He paused next to the bar and scanned the dining area. At that time of the day, it was fairly busy with customers. He sniffed the air and turned his head in the direction in which a familiar sharp metallic scent came from. There he saw in a booth in the far corner of the room a man in a suit talking with a poor excuse of a Maxine Fortenberry dressed in the most mis-matched clothing no one on earth except a circus clown would be caught dead in. Dressed in a lilac blouse, yellow skirt, green shoes and clutching a bright blue handbag was Tommy who had morphed into Maxine.

"Tommy!" Sam yelled from across the room. He didn't care what others were thinking as they looked on.

The room had fallen silent as the patrons stopped what they were doing and watched Sam stomp over to the booth where they believed Mrs. Fortenberry was just having a civil dinner conversation with a man from some energy company.

Tommy's eyes widened when he saw Sam approach. He quickly realized by the look in his brother's cold steel eyes that his cover had been blown. He knew this was the time to get the hell out of the restaurant and as far away as possible from his brother who had murder written all over his face. So he made a mad dash for the front door but not before he grabbed a cheque from out of the prospector's hands.

In two shakes of a lamb's tail, the brothers were outside and clear across the parking lot. By the time Sam had nearly caught up to Tommy, they were both well into the woods and out of plain sight of everyone inside. Although Tommy had long left Mrs. Fortenberry's ugly shoes behind in the parking lot, he still couldn't out run his sibbling. Moving about in a differently shaped body proved difficult on top of having to nurse a swollen and painful groin which Tara had something to do with.

Sam closed in and kicked Tommy squarely in centre of his back. He kicked him with such force that he flew forwards a couple of feet before landing on his stomach. The air was knocked clean out of Tommy's lungs and all he could do was gasp and cough. Sam stood over him and dropped to his knees and straddled him. Next he grabbed his shoulders and spun him onto his back before saying,

"After all I've done for you, how could you betray me like this."

Sam noticed a bruise on Tommy's face where Tara had kneed him and it matched up perfectly with what she told him earlier at the cabin.

"Sam, look man, it wasn't totally my fault. She threw herself at me." Tommy said trying to explain himself believing that the reason why Sam was after him was because of what he'd done to Luna.

"You disgusting fuck. You tried to take advantage of her when she came looking for help." Sam shouted as he took hold of the cuff of Tommy's lilac blouse.

"What? No, wait. Wait!" Tommy cried out but alas, it was too late for Sam dealt him a good punch to the face, sending one of his teeth flying out of his mouth. Tommy's mouth instantly filled up with blood and he had to spit it out.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you right now?" Sam glared down at him with his fist held up high ready to strike him again.

"No no no no no! That ain't how it went. Luna came over and one thing lead to the next. Look, I'm sorry, but, she wanted to screw and I couldn't refuse."

"Luna? The fuck are you talking about?" Sam paused and realized that that other scent he picked up in his trailer was indeed Luna's. He allowed Tommy a moment to talk.

"She'd come over and she thought I wuz you and we fucked. That's all. It didn't mean nothin'. I'm sorry Sam."

"I don't fucking care that you slept with Luna." Sam yelled and punched him again across his jaw.

"Shit! Then why the fuck are you so angry about?" Tommy spat, blood running down his chin.

"Who else was at my trailer last night?"

Tommy knew it was a rhetorical question. So he answered anyway.

"Tara."

"Why Tommy? Why?"

"'cause I figgered if I could get away foolin' Luna, then I could fool Tara too. But, she's smart and when she tried gettin' away, I donno what came over me, I just reacted. I didn't mean to harm her none Sam. I ain't no good. I'm fucked up." Tommy said with tears in his eyes.

"You had no right to touch her." Sam said with all the anger that was pent up inside of him.

The moment Tommy came into Sam's life, everything had been nothing but trouble. Apart from being disrespectful to him, one day he up and stole all of his money. Although Sam got every penny back, he came very close to shooting his no good brother dead but got him in the leg. Of course he ended up paying for his physiotherapy sessions ever since. Eventually, he forgave him and took him back in. But after what the low-life did to Tara last was the last straw. It nearly costed her her life and he couldn't come to terms with it. He thought brother or not, he wasn't going to let this ass-wipe get away with shit anymore.

Enraged, Sam wrapped his hands about Tommy's neck and began to squeeze. Tommy gasped for air and spat up blood and vomit. His face grew purple and he thrashed his head from side to side.

"Why didn't you help her? She could've died because of you." Sam said while he choked the life out of his brother.

"Sam! No!" shouted a deep male voice which seemed to come from out of no where.

Then a pair of large hands grabbed him from behind and lifted him clear off of his brother who had by this passed out and morphed back into himself. Whoever picked him up with such ease was obviously quite strong.

"How is he?" Asked Alcide who set Sam back down onto his feet but kept a close rein on him.

"He's barely breathing. But his face and neck is fucked up that's fo' sho'." said Lafayette who was bent over Tommy. Next to Lafayette was Jesus looking on.

"He isn't going to make it." said Jesus observing how shallow Tommy's breathing was.

"We got to take him to the hospital." said Alcide and he let go of Sam.

"It'll be too late Alcide." Jesus replied gravely.

Lafayette felt around in his jacket and found a small vial of V. It was Eric's thousand year old blood which he had been forced to sell on the black market on the donor's behest. He quickly removed the rubber cap and poured the red liquid into Tommy's gaping mouth.

"What the fuck are you doing?" An alarmed Alcide asked.

"Watch." Lafayette replied calmly.

Then, within a few seconds, Tommy's bruises and cuts disappeared, but, most importantly his breathing improved as all four men looking on watched his chest rise and fall at a normal pace. Jesus was unpreturbed by all this for he had seen Lafayette do the very same thing to Calvin Norris the night Sam crushed his face in. The funny thing is that after all that was said and done, the inbred told Lafayette and Jesus to fuck the hell off and took off without so much as saying 'bitches, thanks for saving my worthless life'.

Tommy didn't wake up right away. He remained on his back and slept soundly on the dusty ground, a stark contrast to the state he was in just a minute ago. Sam fell to his knees right next to his brother. Blood was on his shirt and sweat rolling down his temples. He had a blank expression on his face and it took him a good while before he came to his senses and said something.

"Tara called you didn't she." Sam asked as he looked on his younger brother.

"Yeah, she called me when me and Jesus just got in from Mexico." Lafayette said looking down at Sam who was holding his bloodied knuckles.

"She called me too when at first she couldn't get through to Lafayette. She explained everything to me. Sam, I don't blame you for getting upset at your brother for what he done and there ain't no tellin' what I would have done if someone harmed my Debbie, but you can't go off beatin' up on people like that. Nothin' ain't worth goin' to prison for." Alcide said.

"Yeah, Tara told me that once a long time ago. If it wasn't for her finding you guys, I'd be the next one up for an execution."

"Execution? No employer o' mine walkin' the green mile befo' I gots somethin' to say 'bout it. 'specially when he gone hit me up wid a nice raise." Lafayette said and he meant every word and even though he didn't know it, it helped lighten the mood.

"Come on guys, we need to clear this place before someone comes by." Alcide said picking up a sleeping Tommy who was much smaller in comparison to him. In his arms he looked like a child.

"Didn't y'all notice, but why the fuck is Tommy in a motha fuckin' dress?" Lafayette asked.

~*0*0*~

CHAPTER 8: Uninvited Guests

Nightfall.

All was quiet in the small cozy log cabin. The five occupants had grown impatient from all the waiting. Lafayette parted the sheer curtains and looked through the small glass window into nothingness. He held a gun loaded with wooden bullets in his left hand close to his thigh. Jesus leaning against the kitchen counter, folded his arms arms tightly under his chest while a gun was tucked in the waistband of his jeans. Sam made better use of the time by securely taping the last crudely made wooden stake to under the table. When he was done, he looked up at Tara. She was standing a few meters away on the other side of the table. He watched her intently checking and re-checking her crossbow. A gun was strapped to her well sculpted thigh and wooden stakes were affixed to her leather belt neatly wrapped about her small waist. Her beautiful face was resolute and filled with a dangerous determination. As he watched her, he imagined taking her away from this miserable town to a place where she would feel safe and happy. Wherever they chose to settle, he would use the money he'd saved up to open up a bar and together they start their lives anew. Far from this place he'd take her. No fucking vampires, no witches, no Lettie Mae and no Tommy.

In the background, Alcide nervously paced back and forth which didn't help much with everyone else's nerves. Then suddenly, he stopped pacing altogether. He sensed something lurking outside and so did Sam for Sam's neck stiffened and he quickly got up on his feet. Simultaneously he and Alcide sniffed the air sharply.

Scritch scritch, scritch scritch.

The sudden loud but urgent scratching sound coming from behind the front door gave everyone a start. Not knowing what to expect, they all had their weapons drawn and ready, with the exception of Sam. He didn't seem quite as alarmed as the rest were, but interestingly enough looked rather peeved. While everyone else watched, he promptly walked over to the door and opened it with a look about him as though he was about to send some annoying salesman on his way.

Once he opened the door, there before him a large brown dog stood on the porch, a blood hound to be exact. With its long floppy ears and big droopy eyes, it looked knowingly at Sam and barked once, then on its own accord let itself in. With an easy confident gait, it walked past Sam and sat down before everyone who had by this gathered around wondering where, why and how a dog seemingly from nowhere up and invite itself into to this cabin, especially at this time of the night.

Sam looked down at the dog disapprovingly and said,

“ Luna, what are you doing here?”

“Sam, this ain't bring a pet to work day.” Lafayette said looking quizzically at the dog sitting before them. He found it strange that one, Sam knew the animal and two, that it would be wandering around the woods when there were no houses for miles around.

“Luna? Who the hell is Luna. Don't tell me this dog is a..” Tara began, lowering her crossbow.

Alcide sniffed again and ended her sentence with an air of certainty, “Shifter!”.

Surrounded by on-lookers, the dog kept its eyes riveted on Sam and in an instant, reverted into its human form. Gone was the dog and in its place a naked woman. Lean but not well configured, the dark haired woman stood before them erect, proud, unabashed and not in the least bothered by a bunch of folks looking at her nakedness.

“Oh damn woman, ain't you ever heard of Brazilian wax?” Lafayette rang out.

“Shut up Lafy. This isn't the time to make jokes.” Jesus interjected.

“What are you doing here?” Sam said impatiently at the woman.

“What the fuck is going on?” Tara demanded. She didn't appreciate the way Luna was looking at him, as though she wanted to jump his bones.

Luna, ignoring Sam turned her gaze on Tara and gave her a once over that put her on edge.

“Uh oh, kitty claws. Hookah, she sizin' you up.” Lafayette said in Tara's direction.

Luna devilishly snickered and called over her shoulder while she kept her eyes locked on Tara, “Guys, come on in.”

Suddenly, the tiny room became busy with blurring speeds of four vampire males coming through the door. Each of them took positions behind Sam, Alcide, Lafayette and Jesus, respectively. One could tell by the way these fangers carried themselves, they meant business and they were not to be fucked with. They must have belonged to some kind of biker group as they maintained their signature attire of black leather vests, dark glasses, long hair and beards. They all had complex tattoos covering the majority of their thick arms.

Before Tara could react, Luna grabbed the cross-bow from her and simply turned it on her, aiming it straight at her chest.

“I so want to see you die, slowly.” said Luna who adjusted her aim and raised the nose of the weapon higher to be in line with Tara's head.

“What the fuck is your problem. I don't even know you.” Tara responded looking at her opponent's finger inching closer to the trigger.

“Honey, I feel I know you well enough to hate you and to kill you.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes I do. After watching you for hours fuck my Sam right on that bed last night, I think I've earned the right to say that I know you.”

“Hours? Dang.” Lafayette mouthed to himself.

Alcide, looking on in silence, caught himself slightly smiling at the very same thought. He quickly adjusted his expression so that that no one, especially Sam would notice the lust in his eyes. Privately, he always found Tara to be an attractive young woman, but now, began to see her in a completely different light. In the past he'd been with countless women, human and weres alike and yet not one of them could match his stamina in the bedroom. He was a man who had a formidable appetite for sex and enjoyed fucking for hours. When it came to having straight up borderline rough sex, he was most certainly in it for the long haul and by the sound of it, he got the impression that Tara was in for those kinds of things too. Hmm, I wonder, Alcide began to to say to himself as he conjured up images of her naked body sprawled out on a haystack. His manhood came alive when he stole a glance at her form. Even though she was fully clothed and standing next to a perfectly naked woman, his dick only stirred for Tara and the animal in him wanted to undress her and mount her right there and then.

Fuck! I'm gonna get us all killed if I don't stay focused. Alcide thought inwardly.

“You watched us?” Sam asked in disgust. Although last night Tara shared the most beautiful and intimate moment with Sam, she couldn't help but be bothered by the thought of being spied on by this lunatic.

“I saw everything. From start to finish. From the top of a tree I had an excellent view of the two of you screwing your brains out in the moonlight. Sam, you are a fool to be with the likes of this human instead of being with me, a fellow shifter.”

As Tara listened to the woman she could see the venom literally slide off her tongue, especially when she said, my Sam.

“A moonlight fuck. How sweet.”, the six foot five red-haired burly vampire remarked as he kept a steely grip on Lafayette while he took a gloved hand and eerily stroked his cheek. Lafayette recoiled to his cold touch.

“You're right. Our kind should stick together, make love and make lots of shifter babies. Luna, you're the one for me.” Sam lied, hoping that what he said would distract her. It worked because Luna eyes flickered and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. Meanwhile, he hoped that Tara would've picked up on what he was doing and do something real quick. Turned out that she did.

Without warning, like a jaguar, Tara lunged at Luna who had for a split second dropped her focus. Her cage-fighting abilities came to the forefront as she wrapped her arms about the naked woman's legs and lifted her up clear off the ground. She then used their weights and pitched them both onto the the floor with a loud thud. Luna landed squarely on her back. Taking most of the impact Luna was left laid out flat with Tara straddling her. So not only was the wind knocked out of the skin-walker's lungs, she lost her grip on the crossbow which was then sent scattering across the room and finally coming to an abrupt stop at Alcide's feet.

Standing next to the table with Alcide was a tall and quite large blond vampire. The Nordic looking vamper had one hand around Alcide's throat. He smiled mockingly at him when saw him staring longingly and helplessly at the loaded crossbow. Alcide growled and brought down both his arms on top of the vampire's. Unfortunately, the vampire was far stronger than Alcide did not flinch, not even by a millimeter. He just kept on smiling his toothy smile and said,

“I don't much like the taste of dog, but, tonight I'll make an exception.”

With that, his fangs popped down, long and sharp looking. He then bit down tightly leaving his victim to feel a hot searing pain in his neck.

Sam looking on, had also been apprehended by another biker vampire then jumped into action and quickly turned himself into a rhinoceros. With his well positioned long sharp horn, he pierced the vampire straight through the torso. Though this was not enough to kill the fanged fiend instantly, it was enough to do decent damage and render the night crawling bastard powerless. Sam knew he had to finish what he started quickly before the vamper figured out a way to get the upper hand.

As a two ton muscular machine, Sam took the vampire for a ride skewered to his horn. He bolted through the open door and ran clear across the grass. As Sam headed straight towards a tree with a low branch, the vampire realized his fate and tried in vain to pry himself off the horn. Alas, it was too late when Sam came in sudden contact with the sharp branch, so did the vampire. He became proper staked through his heart and screamed his last scream before erupting into a fine bloody mess.

Back inside, the blond vampire remained firmly clamped down on the were wolf''s neck with an unforgiving gusto, robbing him of his life. Within seconds, Alcide felt light headed and his vision began to wane. Then without warning his legs gave out from under him and he could feel his own heart beat slow way down. The vampire then caught his weakened victim and held him in his tattooed arms and joined him on the floor beneath the table while he continued to feed.

As Alcide lay down on the oak floors with the vampire barnacled to his neck, he looked wearily across the room and saw that both Lafayette and Jesus equally shared the same fate as he for they too were on the floor haplessly being fed upon by their respective vampires. Lafayette eyes met his and in his weakened state pointed at something in his direction. Alcide quickly realized what he was pointing at, and mustered all the strength he had in him to reach above his head and loosen the stake Sam had taped to the undercarriage of the table earlier on.

“Dieeee...dieeee.” Alcide uttered weakly.

“Yeah, yeah. Quit yer hollerin'!” The fanger said and went back to feeding.

Slamming the sharp wooden stake straight into his chest, Alcide gave the vampire a final and true death.

He then picked up the crossbow that was laying next to him, took aim and shot twice. Luckily for both Lafayette and Jesus that his aim was perfect as the last two vampires were given a bloody ending.

~*0*0*~

CHAPTER 9: We've Come to Party

"Well well well, color me impressed. You folks certainly know how to party." a female voice rung out with a familiar dead-pan sarcasm. It was Pam who, thanks to Luna's invite, let herself in. She entered and scanned the entire place. What she saw at first glance was a cacophony of scattered furnishings, two women, one clothed, the other naked, three bleeding and partially drained men, and, three large gooey piles of guts and congealed blood where three vampires once stood.

Wearing a black mini skirt and black leather bustier, black sheer pantyhose and holding a riding crop in one hand, Pam stood statuesquely in her black patented leather platform pumps.

Everyone froze where they stood, or for some, lay. Alcide stared menacingly at Pam and gave a low growl. He then gingerly got to his feet with one hand firmly clamped over his perforated neck from where the crude vampire drew his final meal. The wound had hurt like hell, but keeping pressure on it helped to stop the bleeding. Lafayette and Jesus too were nursing their neck wounds but remained as they were on the floor, drained and too weak to do anything.

Tara felt fear welling up from the pit of her stomach. It was one of the most terrible feeling. Her heart banged noisily in her chest and a huge lump grew in the back of her throat. She practically shook all over. As she stared at her nemesis who was less than ten feet away, she couldn't believe that this dreadful moment had finally arrived and felt ill prepared for. To say she was scared shitless would be putting it mildly.

Pam glared at Tara. Her fangs were fully extended, her eyes were wild and hungry. She thought of nothing less than to kill the woman where she stood. Alas, she had other plans for her. She imagined killing the bartender nice and slow and taking great pleasure in doing so. Calmly, she approached.

"Step closer and I'll fucking gut this bitch!" Tara threatened holding a hunter's knife at Luna's throat whilst maintaining a good grip on the naked shifter by her long raven hair.

Unperturbed, Pam continued to make her way closer while whipping her riding crop with one hand and smacking it across the open palm of the other. When she was sufficiently close enough, she paused and said,

"If you think that that shifter female supposed to be of any consequence to me, think again. You've killed four of my best men and notice I haven't even shed a tear. So go ahead chocolate cupcake, kill the scank and see if I care. But, before you do, I've brought something that should interest you."

"Why you rotting piece of shit!" Luna spat at Pam, feeling betrayed.

"Goodness! Haven't you heard of Brazilian wax?" Pam returned mockingly lowering her her gaze at the woman's pelvic area.

Looking on, Lafayette chuckled to himself half amused and half in disbelief for being in a fucked up situation he was yet to dig himself out of.

Luna directed her anger at her former employer and said, "Bitch, might I remind you that I've held up my end of the deal, so, give me my daughter back! Now!"

Hearing the desperation in the woman's voice, Tara couldn't help but feel for the woman who she saw had little choice in becoming involved with the vampire for her daughter's safety was at stake. Without further hesitation, Tara released Luna and took off her own jacket and draped it about the woman's bare shoulders.

All the while, Tara worried about Sam. He hadn't returned since racing out of the room with a vampire spiked to his horn. After Pam confirmed that all four of her best men were dead, Tara remained hopeful that Sam was still alive. Sam, please be safe, wherever you are, she prayed.

"Thank you." Luna said softly, surprised at Tara's kind gesture.

"Aww. Isn't that sweet. You're still fucked, bitch." Pam said to Tara.

"Leave her alone vamper!" Alcide growled pointing his cross-bow at Pam. Then, suddenly, everything went black. He didn't see it coming, but, Martin Bozeman sneaked up from behind and struck him in the back of his head with butt of his gun.

Alcide crumpled to the ground, out like a light.

"No!", Tara cried.

"Martin, what the fuck!", Luna screamed angrily.

The shifter had grown to loathe the wolf who was more of a sperm-donor than a father-figure to their daughter. He spent a good number of Emma's early years in prison and had expected to walk right back into their lives the moment he got out. Since his release, he's been involved in shady deals, especially with vampires. It was her association with him that had gotten her into this mess.

"Well done Bozeman. Your pay just doubled.", Pam praised.

"I enjoyed that. Never liked the mother fucker. A bit too uppity by my standards.", Alcide returned.

Tara quickly looked over at Lafayette and Jesus who had by this risen to their feet. All three connected when their eyes met. Words were redundant. Now! Pushing Luna out of the way, Tara whipped out her gun, took aim and fired.

A lone silver lined wooden bullet hit Pam in her left breast, just missing her cold dead heart by a few inches, and exited cleanly through her back. Within seconds, Pam's wound healed up on its own. With the exception of some blood stains, her chest and back returned to their former appearances, as though nothing had happened to them. But, that didn't deter Tara one bit for she squeezed the trigger over and over again.

To vampires, wooden bullets are like kryptonite to Superman. It is common knowledge that one wooden bullet to the heart proves fatal for a vampire. Now, after being struck by one, one was one too many for Pam, so, she made extra sure to dodge the rest of them. With supernatural speed, she expertly stepped one way and the next, evading each and every bullet that Tara rained upon her. Lafayette and Jesus joined in too. All three guns blazing away caused the small room to swell with loud bangs and be filled with gun-smoke. Pam kept up her dodging dance until there was silence. Guns empty, Lafayette and Jesus looked on surprised that not one of their bullets struck the vampire.

Then with a sudden burst of supernatural speed, the she-fanger closed the distance between herself and her target. With her gloved hand, she took a hold of Tara's face, roughly, kneading and stretching her skin until it began to hurt.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have the most exquisite skin? Soft, smooth and unblemished, I'm going to enjoy peeling it off you.", Pam promised.

Grrrrr!

Sounds of growling rumbled throughout the cabin when two large wolves, one black, the other brown, entered. The massive sized canines made a b-line for Jesus and Lafayette. Jesus, had the presence of mind to arm himself with a kitchen knife with which he quickly stabbed the black one in the back, instantly killing it. The brown one, however, was the swifter one of the two, leaped high in the air and as it descended, it clamped its mouth on Lafayette's arm instantly crushing the bones in his forearm. Lafayette screamed in pain.

Cold metal pressed up against Jesus' temple as Bozeman trained his gun on him. Turning to the brown wolf who was busy wrestling Lafayette to the floor, he said,

"Enough Pete! I got this!"

The wolf obeyed, released Lafayette's arm from his mouth and morphed back into his human form. Just when things were getting interesting, Debbie Pelt entered the room, and this time with Naomi and Emma in tow.

"Mommy!" cried Emma. She snatched her hand from Debbie's and her mother, Luna ran to up to her and picked her up and hugged her tightly.

Silently, Tara looked at Naomi. Pam delighted in seeing the scared look upon her face, pressed her lips close to her ear, said,

"You didn't expect me to come to the party empty handed now did you?"

~*0*0*~