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Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me....at all. Charlaine and Alan...all the way.  

The new season isn't far away and yet I just can't stay away from these characters. They haunt me in my sleep...Anyway, here's my attempt at a sorta romance type ditty with Tara and Eric...they're both broken in a way and her going to him is only a dead end...literally. Let's see how this works out?




Author's Chapter Notes:

I'm rewriting the chapters because adulting and re-reading them drove me to correct SOME of the major grammar errors. I'm going to attempt to do the other chapters and then ADD new chapters, finally, after *checking the calendar* 7 years. Happy re-reading to you all. Thank you to every person over the last several years who have reviewed this story and left meaningful comments.




Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Tara huffed as she stared outside of the largest window in Gran's living room. The sheer curtains were swaying gently in the summer night breeze. She had just taken a nice, cool bath and was waiting for Sookie to come home. She had gotten out some ice cream and some of their favorite movies to watch, just for the hell of it. It was becoming rare that they ever got to see each other. Despite working together, between the patrons and the supernatural things going on in their lives, they were practically ghosts to each other.

 

Her phone rang twice, pulling her back from her reverie. She sprang up, reaching for it, and a familiar guilt-laden voice came through the receiver.

 

"Hey Tara, it's Sook," the voice sing-songed.

 

"Sook, is everything all right?" she questioned, getting herself all worked up now. "Did your car konk out on you? Want me to call Lafayette?"

 

"Tara, calm down," Sookie giggled on the other end. "I'm fine...I just, well, I just wanted to tell you not to wait up for me tonight. Bill and I are going out, so you can have some alone time."

 

Disappointed, she tried to hide it from her voice. Sook deserves some happiness. Sook deserves this, she thought, to keep herself from hanging up. "Thanks okay, Sook. That's fine. Just let me know where y'all gon be at, so I know who to stake if you don't come home?"

 

"Tara, you know Bill's not like that," she admonished,

 

"Mmhmm. As far as I'm concerned, they're all the same. He's just got manners."

 

"Alright. You'll be the first person I call if something goes down, okay?"

 

"Okay. Have fun, girl...be safe. Say a prayer or somethin', will ya?" she sighed heavily, rolling her eyes in the same breath.

 

"Yes ma'am, bye girl."

 

-Click-

 

'I hate this supernatural shit,' Tara fumed, staring at the phone with enough heat coming off of her hands to melt it.

 

She got up, walked to the coffee table in front of the television, and snatched up the ice cream and the DVDs she borrowed from Lafayette. As she reached the kitchen, she suddenly didn't feel like watching the DVDs anymore, and the ice cream had lost its appeal the moment Sookie said she'd be with Bill. Tara decided that what she needed was to go outside. She decided to go sit on the porch and just gaze. She hadn't done that in a while. Yes, maybe a little time in the night air would give her some peace of mind. Alone again...

 

She put on a pair of flip-flops near the front door and stepped over the threshold, stopping short when a rush of cool air washed over her. It was almost perfect but almost doesn't count. It never did. Just as she decided to sit on one of the wooden steps leading up to the porch, a sudden wind shook the trees, causing her to look around. Her heart beat a little quicker as she scanned the property, listening for the sounds of animals.

 

A tree to her left caught her attention.

 

"Who's there!" she said in her sternest voice. "Don't play wit me. If you're here for Sookie...she ain't here, so just leave." She finished, staring wildly as things calmed down. A couple of bats flew from the tree, and she exhaled, feeling stupid for having yelled at a few bats.

 

She looked down, putting a hand over her mouth, and chuckled to herself in relief. When she looked back up, a tall, blond vampire met her gaze. She gasped and took him in before exclaiming, "Shit!" She jumped back up a couple of stairs, putting a hand back on her heaving chest.

 

"Dammit, didn't you get the memo? Sookie ain't here, tonight" she said, standing and backtracking towards the door. Realizing who this vampire was and all he'd done to Sookie's life, a grimace marred her features.

 

A small crooked smile crept over his face as he stared down at her. "Yes, I see she isn't here," he replied dryly as he looked around the property.

 

"Then why are you still here?" Swiping some loose braids behind her ears. "Ya can't come in, I ain't gon' invite you in, so you need to take ya dead ass on home."

 

Feigning surprise, Eric retorted, "Someone's in a sour mood," making quick work of the few stairs leading to the front door. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance. You know, maybe help you alleviate some of that tension you seem to be holding." He ruefully closed an eye pointing to an imaginary spot on her neck.

 

"I don't need none of your kinda help." buzzing with adrenaline, she decided she would say to Eric everything on her mind. Famous last words flashed into her mind.

 

"You ain't fooling anyone looking at me like that." Growing bolder, she took a step forward and began craning her neck at him. Finding her footing as she stepped toward this giant of a man before her. Her trembling hands balled into fists that laced through her arms which she put across her chest. Images of a tortured and terrified Lafayette flashed through her mind, giving her the courage to continue.

 

"You know what? Don't even look at me. I know the shit y'all like to pull, glamoring people and shit like that. Then, you drain 'em and leave 'em for dead. Or make them slaves for you. And speaking of your kind, Sookie's out with your best buddy, Bill right now. I bet he's just scheming to drain her; she should've listened to me when I told her to stay away from y'all."

 

Something in Eric's demeanor changed with Tara's words. He sped, closing the distance between them instantly. A loc of his newly highlighted hair fell over one of his eyes, fangs fully bared, his breath fanned right on her neck as she looked away from him defiantly. A low growl hummed in his throat and the sound made Tara's heart quicken.

 

"You've made two mistakes tonight." He gritted. "The first is, comparing me to that pathetic excuse for a vampire, Bill Compton, and the second is that you are implying that he and I are friends."

 

Visibly affected by the image of Bill Compton with his unskilled hands all over the precious Sookie Stackhouse, he added, "The True Death, is what he deserves for his callousness."

 

"That's the first thing you've said tonight that makes any sense." Tara mused nervously, still holding her ground while a lump formed in her throat. "We've got something in common, our mutual hatred of vampire Bill. But to be honest, you're all the same to me, and even better when you're dead."

 

"Our mutual distaste for Compton has me seeing you in a different light," he said, staring at her with an almost understanding look.

 

He was having too much fun with this human friend of Sookie Stackhouse. Behind his amusement, he sensed that Tara had had a hard life, with many hidden struggles, and that at any moment, she could explode. She may have been so reactive so often that she barely noticed how it made her look. Yet, that same fury might make for a good drink.

 

He thought about it quickly and bet if he tasted just a little of her, it would be gratifying. Under all the sadness was something luscious, something he recognized in himself. At least this is what his experience told him. Realizing he shouldn't have skipped sipping on the willing women Pam had encouraged him to feed on earlier, he began thinking that Tara was looking more and more like a quick snack.

 

At that moment, something in Eric changed. As if this was only a momentary lapse in judgment, he brushed his hair out of his face, retracted his fangs, and corrected his posture, allowing her to get free of his stance.

 

She looked into his icy blue eyes, fumbling behind her back for the door handle. Once the latch clicked free, she quickly shut the door.

 

He watched her laughing inward, as her pulse moved seductively in her neck, the pace quickening then slowing as she carefully thought about he next words. Oh, the tangy sweetness that could be his if only.

 

Breaking his train of thought, she spoke.

 

"Eric, y-you should come back when Sookie's here or really not at all. Because any business you got with her is something I want none of, so be off."

 

"I'm beginning to think I have business with you, Tara Thorton," Eric said, a sly grin forming in the corner of his mouth.

 

"The hell you do, Eric!" she replied, locking the screen door and moving swiftly behind it to close the main door.

 

"Just because we both hate Bill doesn't mean that I still don't hate you for what you did to my cousin and all that you're still doing to Sookie."

 

"Aw, don't be that way. I think we could get along famously. Your 'I don't give a fuck' attitude will be the glue that holds us together," he said as if he was a car salesman who had lost out on a new customer.

 

Feeling much braver behind the security of the doors, she looked into his eyes. "Mmhmm, just leave. And when I reopen the door, your ass better be gone. As in, not on this property. I have a gun and silver bullets. I will shoot a mutha fucka in the ass. If you don't want it to be yours, you'll leave."

 

Feeling their cat-and-mouse banter was coming to a close, and feeling a little hungrier now than before, Eric capitulated. Additionally, he didn't actually want Tara to have to shoot at him. He wouldn't want to have to drain her on a beautiful night like tonight. That would be no way to show Sookie how good he had been, lately.

 

"As you wish, ma'am. But, know that I'll be back. We've got unfinished business," he said, turning around and heading towards the stairs. When he reached the last one, he was fully immersed in the moonlight, which added a sultry look to his features. He turned back a last time, nodded, and took off into the sky.

 

"Ugh!" She exclaimed as she slid down behind the door, hearing the wind swoosh in a way that signaled her that he was finally gone. She got up slowly, feeling a little giddy from the series of events. Well, she had wanted company... not his company... but it was still company, wasn't it?

 

Despite his threats, he was right. They both hated Bill, and that was a plus. To Tara, anyone who hated Bill was a friend of hers, but why did the only other person who could do something about it have to be a vampire? A tall, good-looking, smug, asshole of a vampire. Her head drooped in contemplation.

 

It wasn't that serious, Tara. Get a grip. He was just trying to get you to let him in. You did good. What does he mean he has business with me? I'm not going outside at night anymore. Fuck, I gotta get some silver. That'll fix his ass.

 

She wanted to call someone now and tell them about her encounter with Eric. Someone who had dealt with him before. She didn't really need to know more about Eric, just more about how his mind games worked because he was definitely trying to pull some Jedi mind fuckery with her tonight. The only person she could turn to was Lafayette.

 

How she wished it wasn't her cousin. He had been through enough with vampires to last all of Eric's lifetimes. He probably had PTSD or something, she thought. Who wouldn't after that ordeal? Unfortunately, she still needed him. He would know what to do or say to keep her from going off the deep end or drinking any memory of this night away.

 

She went to her bag on the sofa and pulled out her cell phone. Flipping it open, she scrolled through the few contacts until she found her cousin's number. Chewing her bottom lip in hesitation, she furrowed her brow and, with a shaky resolve, pressed the send key on the pad.

 

After one ring, he answered. "Speak," he said on the other end. Low-key music hummed in the background, as Lafayette slouched on his sofa, his silky zebra robe loosely tied around his waist, and pink fuzzy slipper-clad feet up on the table.

 

"Hey, Lafayette!"

 

"Yes, Tara. What's up, girl?" He said, opening a soda on the end table near the sofa.

 

"Um, nothing. I'm fine, I swear. But I gotta ask you something"

 

"Stop playing and spit it out, hookah. You don't sound no kind of fine." Getting a familiar feeling from the sound of Tara's voice, he sat up and took a sip of Coke.

 

She blew into the phone, readying herself to blurt it out, "You know that vampire, the one that kidnapped you?" A long silence followed.

 

Lafayette breathed deeply, "Trick, you better not be talking about Eric muthafuckin Northman. He is pure evil. You need to stay the fuck away from him, okay?"

 

"Well, I ain't go lookin' for him, dammit. He came over here looking for Sookie. I didn't invite him in or anything, so don't trip. He was just saying all these crazy things and I don't want there to be no issues with Sookie or any other vampire for that matter"

 

Tara felt like she was pleading her case to her mother. If she had a real mother. She just wanted to know how to deal with Eric and the overwhelming consensus from Lafayette was DON'T.

 

"So, then why are you calling me if nothing happened, hmm? Don't let him fool you. He is a manipulator, and once he has something or someone in his sight, he doesn't let them leave. "

 

"How do you know all this?" she spat, forgetting momentarily about Lafayette's torment.

 

"What didn't you get about being trapped in a basement, watching people getting eaten up, and praying you weren't next? Look, I'm supposed to have your back, and you mine. But I can't watch your ass if you keep putting it in danger, hookah, damn!"

 

Feeling a little better now, he took another sip of coke and let his body sink back into the couch. "Just trust me on this, and when he comes around looking for Sookie, just play like you don't know anything because you don't and he'll leave.'"

 

She was now biting her nails, too afraid to say anything else for fear of bringing back those horrid memories.

 

"Okay, that's all I needed to hear." She sighed, peeking out small curtains hanging over the small window on the main door.

 

"But back to why you're asking me shit about this man, did he say something to you?"

 

"No…well yes, I told him how much I hate vampires, especially him and Bill."

 

"And?"

 

"And he agreed. Then he started talking about we have business together ." She said mimicking Eric's voice.

 

"Bitch, stop right there. That's a red flag. Now you definitely need to stay the fuck away from him. I mean it."

 

A loud rapping came from Lafayette's door. He shouted away from the receiver, "I'm coming, hold on." He placed his mouth back to the receiver and lowered his voice, "I don't have anything else to say. And someone's beating on my do'. I got a customer...I'll call you back. Just do what I told you."

 

"Yeah, Lafayette. I promise." Tara sighed, smiling a little through the phone.

 

Lafayette's Place

 

"I'm coming. I'm coming. Damn." He yelled.

 

The constant knocking continued. When he finally opened the door, his face went flush. His heart dropped into his stomach, and he instantly felt his cold soft drink creeping back up into his mouth.

 

"Is that any way to treat a guest?" The voice asked amused.

 

"Um, um...I invite you in." He said, looking through the door to his unexpected house guest. He started to sweat a little leading him to think back to what he might have done today to warrant a visit from Satan himself. He cursed Tara's name under his breath. As the guest pushed through and looked around.

 

The guest, whose height made the already small quarters seem hobbit-sized, ducked through the doorway and looked around. The décor of this home just oozed cheap to him and he thought, in a thousand years, he'd never seen so much faux fur or smelled as much incense and weed as Lafayette had here.

 

"Um, have a seat." Lafayette motioned to the warn-in couch where he'd been sitting only moments earlier.

 

"I think I'll stand." The guest retorted.

 

"Well, so what can I do for you, Eric, sir.." He looked around wide-eyed and unsure.

 

"Tell me everything you know about your cousin, Tara Thorton."

 

Lafayette threw up his hands, sweat dripping down his temples. "Eric, whatever she did or said to you, just know she won't do it no mo'. I'm going to call her right now and set her ass straight, and then-" Eric cut in.

 

"That wasn't a question, Lafayette. I've got a business proposition for your cousin, and I need to know more about her before I make another move. So sit, get comfortable, and start talking."

 

A terrified and queasy Lafayette sat down on the couch and put his face in his hands. He looked up and sighed.

 

"Whatchu wanna know?", Lafayette breathed.

 

Eric crossed his leg at the ankle and leaned into the frame of the door. "Everything."

 

 

 

 

Tara huffed as she stared outside of the window in Gran's living room. The milky curtains swaying 






Chapter End Notes:

....Eric's hot.

Thanx for reading.







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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.