Title: After Dark

Fandom: True Blood

Pairing: Pam/Tara (Tamela)

Author: Mirandyscrow

Rating: Pg-13 to NC-17

Summary: While it barely took two hours for trouble to find Tara when she returns to Bon Temps, it'll take just a little longer for the True Blood crew to realize that the world may be doomed…again. Amnesic vampires, psychotic witches and a love she never expected, make this a homecoming she'll never forget. This story will be femslash!

Archive: Sure if you really want it. Lol, it would be a surprise to me, just ask my permission first. (It's nice when people ask)

Disclaimer: True Blood belongs to Alan Ball and HBO. Any and all other brand names belong to their respective owners. This is a piece of fiction from my own crazy imagination and I do not make any profit on it.

Warnings: If you can watch True Blood with out being on the offensive then it's safe to read my fic.

Spoilers: All of Season 4.

Author's Note: First off, since no one really reads these things I'd just like to say I am not a human. I am a meat popsicle with extra gravy. Also, I really want to say that I'm going to be playing fast and loose with the plot and timeline of this season. There's dialogue borrowed heavily from the show with a few tweaks here and there before we slip, trip, and fall straight into Alternate Universe land shortly after what can be recognized as Season 4, episode 4 "I'm Alive and On Fire."

Author's Note Part Two: I am not fluent in any other languages besides English and Bad!English so please keep that in mind when reading my fic. I'm certainly willing to take helpful hints into consideration when translating verb tenses and what not but usually it will be me and Google bumbling through a simple translation.

Beta: Mad props to my beta and beautiful wife faithlessfate for whipping this story into shape and making it worth reading. Any and all careless mistakes I claim as my own.

Chapter 1: Life's a Bitch…

Eminem once said "...you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed." Tara Thornton found this quote to be very, very true in terms of her life. Everything that seemed like a constant was always suddenly being picked up and tossed around carelessly in chaos. Ever since she was a little girl she found out the hard way that life was a bitch. It was uncertain and difficult and you needed to learn to roll with the punches. Metaphorically and literally.

Tara scowled at that last thought, absentmindedly running her fingers across a jagged scar at her left elbow. It had gotten there courtesy of her mother one night in a fit of drunken rage. Unfortunately, Tara didn't dodge quickly enough when the broken liquor bottle came at her. After running to Sookie's house that night and climbing the big tree next to the younger girl's bedroom, she swore the other girl to secrecy while they clumsily tried to clean the wound. Tara stayed the night and the next morning, Gran refreshed the bandage soaked with blood without hesitation or question, just sadness and love in her eyes. Sookie held Tara's hand the entire time before they got to eat ice cream and watch Disney movies until Tara was dragged back home by a semi-sober and 'caring' Lettie Mae.

Sookie...

The young woman turned her attention to the cell phone clenched tightly in her right hand. The eight simple words of Lafayette's text were still staring up at her, appearing bold and ominous on the small screen. The characters sent the high she was floating along on with Naomi in a sharp spiral downward as they stared accusingly at her while she pondered her next move.

Tara leaned heavily against the cool tile of the shower wall and placed her phone on the windowsill. Slipping a cigarette from her pack and lighting it with practiced ease, she inhaled deeply. She held the smoke in her lungs until it burned before blowing the bitter smoke out the small, opened window. She felt the instant calming effect of the nicotine enter her lungs and all but sagged in relief. Locking herself in the bathroom was the only solace she had right now. Maybe if she hadn't have lied to Naomi from the start she'd have someone to help her with this inner struggle. On the one hand, she had this great life with Naomi in New Orleans and it seemed like it had the potential to go the distance. To have a nice normal life. As much as an interracial lesbian couple of cage fighters can have a 'nice, normal life.'

She remembered the words of Bob Marley as she considered the circumstances that brought her here, "Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?" A year and a half ago, Tara's answer was a quick and resounding 'hell no.' Her wounds from Franklin were still fresh and everything had dumped a large steaming pile of shit on her head yet again so as soon as she got word that Sookie was missing and presumed dead she decided that it was time for a change and never looked back.

When she finished her cigarette, Tara allowed herself to sink to the bottom of the bathtub and draw her knees up to her chest. She turned on the shuffle setting on her phone's media player and rested her head on her knees. The headphones blaring in her ears drowned out the sound of traffic and general noise pollution happening just outside the small window in the wall above her head. The thumping bass of the electronica song let Tara float away for the moment while she got her thoughts organized.

All she wanted to do was just curl up and just forget the world for the day. Toni did. Tara amended mentally. Toni wanted to fold after so long of not having any large confrontations after a year and a half. Tara wanted to trip over herself in haste to get back to Bon Temps. So here she sat while they duked it out in her brain. She was certainly torn between the two extremes. If Sookie had come back a year ago there would be no hesitation, hell even six months ago she would have been more inclined to come back but now...

Now she'd made a life for herself and Sookie's return was entirely too inconvenient. Her curiosity to see her friends and Lafayette was becoming far too large to ignore but was it enough to drop everything to make the five hour drive? Tara yanked her headphones from her ears and fisted her hair in frustration, realizing too late that she'd already made her decision. Like a moth to a flame, Tara couldn't help the seductive call of the misery and pain that was sure to find her again in Bon Temps.

"Baby?" Naomi called through the door after a few light knocks. "Are you okay? You've been in there awhile."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tara lied as she chuckled derisively. She let the small stab of shame pierce her heart as she stood, knowing that before the night was over she'd be telling many more to make the trip tomorrow morning. "You know babe I think I just might go back to Atlanta for my Grandma's funeral." She called out as she flushed the damning cigarette butt down the toilet and sprayed air freshener in small space.

"I think that's a good idea. You need some closure," Naomi said, stepping back so Tara could enter the bedroom.

Tara allowed a sad smile to cross her face. "That's just what I was thinking," she said coming further into the room. The sun had long since set and Tara noted that Naomi had turned on the small lamp on the bedside table. She slumped onto the bed, flipping her phone idly in her hands, wondering briefly if she should contact anyone.

"I made some BLTs. You hungry?" Naomi asked Tara, nudging her shoulder roughly but affectionately.

Tara shook her head. "Naw, I'm just going to go ahead to bed. I got to leave early in the morning so I can try and make the viewing of the body if I decide at the last minute that I don't want to go to the funeral."

"I'll wake you up with breakfast then," Naomi said, squeezing Tara's hand before standing.

"Baby, you don't have to do that," Tara started but was cut off.

"I want to, Toni." Naomi insisted, kissing her soundly. If she felt Tara stiffen in response she made no mention of it. "I'm going to eat then come back and hold you while you sleep."

"I'd like that," Tara said tiredly with a yawn.

"I know you will," Naomi said cheekily as she left the room. "I'm also not going to kick your ass about that cigarette just this once," she said over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her.

"As if you could!" Tara yelled through the door, punching her pillow down and crawling underneath the blanket.

"I let you win!" Naomi shouted back.

Tara folded her left arm underneath her pillow as she stared at the ceiling, her eyes tracking the odd swirl pattern in the paint as her eyelids became increasingly heavy. The next thing Tara felt was a gentle prodding of her side.

"Toni…Toni."

"Huh? What?" Tara grumbled, peering up at Naomi with bleary eyes.

"Your alarm is going off," Naomi stated plainly as she got up from the bed.

"Didn't set a damn alarm," Tara said, rolling over and placing a pillow over her head.

"I know Mary Sunshine," Naomi said with a chuckle. "I set one for you."

"You went through my phone?" Tara asked, sitting up now that she was suddenly very much awake.

"Uh, no. I just set an alarm," Naomi said slowly, looking at Tara strangely.

"Oh." Was all Tara could manage as she proceeded to rub the remaining sleep from her eyes.

"You want to tell me what the hell that was about?" Naomi stood with her hands perched on her hips. "You hiding something from me? Don't want me to see the messages from your other girlfriends?"

"Other girlfriends?" Tara echoed with a laugh as she started gathering her clothes for the day. "Please, we spend nearly every waking moment together. When am I gonna find the time to fuck around on you and why would I?"

"Then why can't I ever use your phone without you around, Toni?" Naomi asked with an eyebrow raised. "Don't think I haven't notice you closing every app and message before handing it to me. You get fidgety when I ask to borrow it to play a fucking game," she said throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"I like my privacy," Tara said simply and closed the door to the bathroom.

"That excuse won't work forever you know. This mysterious woman shit can only get you so far," Naomi called through the door. "Sooner or later you're going to have to explain yourself."

"I know," Tara said softly to herself as she switched on the water for the shower and started to undress.

-x-

Stepping from the shower, Tara grabbed the large fluffy towel hanging from one of the clear plastic rings attached to the wall. She sighed in the comfort as the towel encased her in a warm embrace, slowly stealing the water away from her form. As she finished drying her body and putting on clothes, Tara thought about the drive ahead. What would be waiting for her when she arrived in Bon Temps? Well, besides the easy going people and good food there would definitely be vampires.

She would most definitely be bringing her handgun equipped with all new wooden bullets. She'd never had to use it so far but always made sure to practice when she had the time so she was a hell of a shot.

Tara walked out of the bathroom, happy to see that Naomi had already pulled out Tara's old bag. It was the plain standard issue duffle bag for the police and would house more than enough clothes and personal items for Tara's short stay in Bon Temps. It was worn with age and Tara had to patch several bullet holes before it was even usable. She found the bag on side of the road in a town even smaller than Bon Temps called Mangham.

She shot a quick glance over her shoulder to ensure the coast was clear while she removed her Smith and Wesson 60-9 .357 Magnum from a loose floorboard under a steamer trunk that had also seen better days. Slipping her weapon underneath a couple of t-shirts she zipped up the bag while making her way downstairs.

Tara stopped short upon seeing the small plate of breakfast warily as Naomi came down the hall, holding out the car keys.

"I went around the corner and filled up the tank for you," Naomi said, leaning forward to kiss Tara softly.

"That's not for me is it?" Tara nodded to the food on the table.

"Toni…" Naomi started with a sigh, pulling away from her girlfriend.

"I'm not hungry," Tara said at once. The nervous energy in her stomach made the food look extremely unappetizing.

"You need to eat something. You haven't eaten since last afternoon and if I left you to it you probably won't for the next five hours."

"I'll get something on the road." Tara shrugged, holding the straps of her bag tightly in her right hand.

Naomi held up her hand. "Look, I don't want to fight right before you leave, just promise me you'll eat something when you stop for gas."

"I promise," Tara said, kissing Naomi softly. "I gotta get going."

"Be safe," Naomi called out, coming to watch Tara from the balcony of their apartment. "Call me as soon as you get there."

-x-

Reuniting with Sookie shrieking in fright was not what Tara envisioned when she pulled up behind the Stackhouse abode but she quickly got over it once she realized that Sookie was indeed alive and fine.

"Sook! I'm so sorry," Tara said regretfully, embracing her best friend tightly.

"It's not your fault," Sookie reassured her, rubbing her back as she returned the hug just as tightly. "I guess I'm not so good at being snuck upon. How did you-?"

"Lafayette," Tara explained before Sookie finished her question. "He texted me and said you were home. I parked out back 'cause I wanted to surprise you."

"You did," Sookie said with a delighted chuckle, her fear now forgotten.

"I guess I did, huh?" Tara agreed and took a good look at Sookie with tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She thought she'd never see that silly and endearing gap-toothed smile again. "I thought you were dead," she said softly.

"Everybody did," Sookie said just as softly. "Where have you been?" she asked quickly, hoping to skate past the somber mood now hovering at the edge of their conversation.

"Nawlins," Tara said simply offering no other explanation. "Where have you been?" she countered with the quirk of her eyebrow.

"On a business trip for Bill," Sookie said after a moment's hesitation. "We're not back together or anything." She was quick to add unnecessarily.

"I ain't judging," Tara said, shaking her head.

"You look amazing!" Sookie exclaimed, glancing up and down at Tara. "New Orleans has been good for you, huh?"

"It has," Tara said beaming, through the stubborn tears tickling her eyelashes.

"Come on inside and tell me all about it?" Sookie suggested, already walking around her yellow hatchback to gather her dropped groceries. Tara kneeled beside her and grabbed a few errant items that had rolled just under the car's bumper. They made their way to the new screen door seeing a red bow with a note attached beside it that read simply: 'Out with the old…'

"What the hell?" Sookie asked to no one in particular as she snatched the note from the door.

"Let me see that," Tara said, accepting the note as they continued into the kitchen. She nodded her head impressed at the heavy cardstock and beautifully executed calligraphy adorning the card.

"No," Sookie proclaimed haughtily as plucked the note up and tossed it back to the table as if its very presence offended her and set the groceries down on the table none too gently.

Tara leaned against the doorframe with an amused smile as she watched her friend's sudden attitude at the brand new microwave sitting on the kitchen table. "That thing you said about you and Bill not being together, you sure he knows that?" she asked.

"It's from Eric," Sookie stated exasperatedly.

"Ah, Sookie tell me you ain't seeing him now?" Tara asked in disbelief.

"No, the son of a bitch bought my house that's all," Sookie said casually, waving her hand around at the several hundred thousands of dollars in renovations surrounding her. "Besides if I was, what'd you just say about no judging?" she said before turning to the refrigerator with a jug of milk in hand.

"He bought your house?" Tara asked, eyes wide. She wanted to launch into why accepting expensive gifts from vampires wasn't a good idea but decided that her first fifteen minutes in Bon Temps shouldn't be arguing with her best friend.

"Bastard," Sookie exclaimed, pulling something from the refrigerator and slamming the door shut. It was an elegant glass bottle of thick red liquid that could only be blood inside. The fairy sighed as she began to pour the blood down the sink. "I feel terrible, Tara. This can't be the homecoming you were expecting." She turned on the faucet and let the water rinse the residual blood down the drain.

"It's Bon Temps, Sook. Ain't like I expected the red fucking carpet," Tara said with a shake of her head and an indulgent grin. "Seeing you safe and sound was enough. And besides there's ice cream," she said lightly, plucking the small container of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream from the top of grocery bag.

Sookie smiled as she placed the glass container on the counter. "And by now it ought to be good and melty too. I'll go get blankets and meet you in the living room," she said, walking into the next room.

Tara looked at the glass that used to hold blood with disgust. "I don't see how those dead motherfuckers can drink this shit," she mumbled to herself and tossed the container in the trashcan before starting the search for spoons.

"Motherfucker!" Sookie exclaimed from the living room.

Tara grabbed the nearest spoon and hurried toward the sound of her friend's voice. "What!? What is it, now?" she asked.

"He built himself a cubby." Sookie explained with barely contained anger. "He built himself a cubby. In. My. House."

Tara sighed internally, knowing where this was probably going. "Do you need to go?" she asked.

"Sookie nodded tersely and stormed right past Tara and into the kitchen, snatching up her purse and car keys before leaving Tara behind.

As Tara watched Sookie peel out of the driveway she grumbled, "Welcome back, bitch," to herself with a sigh and proceeded to place the ice cream in the freezer. She paused briefly and decided to put away the rest of the groceries. Just as she put the last of the produce away, she glanced the time on her cell phone and decided she may as well try and catch Lafayette at his house.

-x-

Tara maneuvered her Mercedes up to Lafayette's house just as the sun had completely sunk behind the horizon. As soon as she was close enough to spot, she immediately heard Lafayette exclaim his delight and Tara realized she missed him even more than she previously thought. "Surprise!" she said, shutting off the car with a wide grin. "I got your text so I came to see Sookie, but she had to bail," she explained. She'd barely gotten the car door closed before she was lifted up by her cousin in a big bear hug. She giggled with delight as Lafayette twirled her around before setting her back down on her feet.

"Hey Jesus," Tara greeted the other man. She stepped forward and received a much more subdued hug but the embrace was not less warm.

"Tara, how have you been?" Jesus asked, breaking the hug.

"I've been good," Tara replied with a wider grin as she slipped her hands in her back pockets.

"You look good," Jesus agreed with a nod of his head.

"That's the calming influence of that Asian pussy at work," Lafayette interjected, spreading his arms in a mock Lotus position.

"Fuck you," Tara responded and made a show of checking her bare wrist. "Look at that. You couldn't even make it a whole sixty seconds before saying something crazy, bitch."

"Now, hookah, you know I'm right," Lafayette said matter of factly, as he pointed a finger in her direction. "Besides, you know I'm gon' be me, no matter how long you been away."

"Come on, we're late. We've got to go," Jesus said, grabbing Lafayette's hand and interrupting whatever Tara was about to say next.

"I just got here," Tara stated with surprise as she glanced back and forth between the two men. "Where ya'll going?"

"We got a thing," Lafayette said evasively, looking at his boyfriend. Jesus looked right back with encouragement but offered no additional information.

"A 'thing'?" Tara repeated, looking at them imploringly with a small grin. "Like a gay 'thing'?"

Lafayette turned back to Tara with a sigh. "A Wiccan thing," He said haltingly.

"Seriously?" Tara asked unimpressed. "Lala, you're Wiccan now?"

"Hookah, you gon' come or what?" Lafayette asked, beginning to walk to Jesus' truck. He knew that standing there debating was going to make them later than they already were.

"I guess so," Tara said with a shrug, following them to the Jesus' truck.

-x-

"So what's this place called?" Tara asked after Jesus put the car into gear and pulled away from their house.

"It's called the Moon Goddess Emporium over in Shreveport," Jesus answered with a quick glance in the rear view mirror.

"How'd you even get mixed up with this shit, Lala?" Tara asked after a beat. "I thought you were sworn off this supernatural shit after all that shit went down with Eric and Sookie."

"I wasn't at first but my man wanted some support so I decided to tag along," Lafayette said with a smile, caressing Jesus' arm as he drove. "Besides, it's the real shit."

"Right," Tara extended the word to emphasize her skepticism. "Miss Jeanette was also the 'real shit' and we all know how that turned out."

"Tara, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with magic practioners but I assure you Marnie is not like the Miss Cleos of Bon Temps. She's a real witch," Jesus said animatedly as he glanced at the woman in the back seat once more. "We brought a dead bird back to life."

"That sounds like some deep dark hoodoo, voodoo shit," Tara said willing her eyebrows to return to their perch just above her eyes. "Look, I ain't participating but I'll stay and make sure you bitches don't end up reenacting a thriller video with yo bad selves," she said and sat back just as they approached the building.

Jesus continued to drive down the street and proceeded to park in a small strip mall three blocks away. "Sometimes we get hassled by rednecks when coming out of the Emporium after meetings. I just don't want my car vandalized," he answered Tara's unanswered question as they all got out of the car.

"Again," Lafayette added unnecessarily.

"Yes, again," Jesus agreed, taking Lafayette's hand and walking toward the magic store.

The outside looked like every other little magic shop she'd seen up and down the French Quarter in New Orleans but she knew it was not wise to judge a book by its cover. They quickly made their way inside and Tara found herself a little impressed that it was much bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

"Lafayette, Jesus!" Holly called out as soon as she saw the two men. "We were beginning to think you were scared off."

"Nope, just had a little family reunion," Lafayette said motioning to Tara who was standing behind them.

"Tara," Holly greeted the young woman with a smile. "When did you get in?" she asked politely.

"Hey, Holly," Tara replied warmly. "Bout an hour ago." She added lightly.

"Have you come to join our circle?" Holly asked with a touch of excitement. "I can sense that you've got a very strong magical presence."

"Ah, no thank you. Me and my presence will be sitting over there while y'all do y'all's thing," Tara said, grabbing a small stack of magazines from a short coffee table on her way there. She reclined on an ugly green chair on the outside of the witches' circle while the meeting got underway. She had no interest in being introduced to everyone and hid her face behind a copy of Good Housekeeping, hoping to block out the conversation that was going on in front of her as if just hearing the meeting would suddenly turn her into a full-fledged Wiccan.

"Blessed Be, everyone," Holly said, standing in the middle of the circle with a genuine smile on her face as she spread her arms in a grand gesture. "What we accomplished last night was remarkable and Marnie appreciates each and every one of us for being apart of it."

"If Marnie is so appreciative, how come Marnie don't talk?" Tara whispered to her cousin, already having had enough of the ego stroking, lip service bullshit.

"Quiet bitch. You a guest," Lafayette hissed dismissively as he turned back to Holly.

Tara sucked her teeth petulantly and propelled herself back into the chair. "Shit's boring anyway," She muttered under her breath but knowing Lafayette heard it.

"Shh!" he hissed in response.

"Alright, well enough of the back slapping. What are we gonna bring back next?" Katerina asked eagerly.

Marnie finally looked up with a blank yet haunting look on her face as she said, "A person."

"Excuse me?" Jesus asked as his eyebrows threatened to go marching past his hairline. He was certain he misheard her.

"A person," Marnie repeated more clearly.

Tara's head snapped up from her magazine as a deep shiver went down her spine with no remorse.

"I'm sorry. What the fuck?" Jesus asked, his eyes bulging out of their sockets slightly.

"We're going to raise a person from the dead," Marnie clarified, looking across the circle at everyone awaiting their reactions.

"This is where you lose me," Lafayette said, scooting back from the circle just a couple of inches. He prepared to stand but was halted by Jesus' hand on his knee.

"Holy shit, Marnie," Holly blurted out with wide eyes from the circle leader's left.

"Well why not a pigeon or…" Katerina asked and trailed off, looking at her companions.

"Are you serious?" Casey asked.

"I'm game," Roy said, clapping his hands together in maniacal glee. "How do we get started?"

"Yeah," Tara drawled slowly, placing the magazines on the floor quickly. "I'll be waiting out front." She stood and made her exit.

"I hear you bitch," Lafayette said to her over his shoulder.

Tara walked out of the Moon Goddess Emporium and pulled her jacket closed, hoping to keep the persistent chill clinging to her away. She searched for the half empty pack of Marlboros and retrieved one with surprising shaking fingers. Leaning against the brick wall near the alley of the building, she lit the cigarette and took a long drag. "Fucking witches," she laughed bitterly, exhaling smoke.

Her cell phone buzzed from a previous missed message and she read it with a smile. Pressing number one on her speed dial, she waited as the phone rang only once before Naomi picked up.

"Hey baby," Naomi said softly.

Tara smiled at her girlfriend's greeting. "Everyone here is completely insane," she said without preamble.

"Well, you already knew that," Naomi replied with a chuckle. "The trick is not to let them drive you crazy."

"Any ideas on how I should go about doing that?" Tara asked, flicking some of the ash from the tip of her cigarette.

"If I knew I'd probably wouldn't let my mother guilt me into dating a guy once a month," Naomi said with regret. "Just say goodbye to your grandmother and come on home, okay? I miss you."

"I miss you too baby," Tara said sadly, her heart tightened with a large sense of regret and guilt as she ended the call. She placed the phone back in her pocket just as she felt a sudden chill in the air almost as if there was a cool breeze in the eerily still night. Her eyes scanned the area but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary as she shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to finish her cigarette.

-x-

"The fuck now?" Tara asked no one in particular as she observed the situation in front of her. Everyone was now out of a circle formation and standing behind Marnie looking various degrees of frightened at the tall, blond vampire standing before them. The thing that distressed her the most was Lafayette who looked like he was trying his damndest to blend in with the floor. Tara surmised that this vampire had to be the infamous Eric and it would be her honor to end him. She cursed internally wishing she took her own car so that she could at least have her pistol at her disposal.

Marnie looked back and forth between the vampire and her circle. "Join hands," she said quietly, defiantly.

In an instant, she was in Eric's arms, her head cocked to the left exposing her neck to the angry vampire. "Why didn't you just take the deal?" he hissed before plunging his fangs into her jugular, drinking deep.

Marnie let out a terrified and pained scream while the coven watched on frozen in fear.

"Goddamn, I hate this place," Tara said, shaking her head angrily as she spotted a sharpened cross in a cornucopia. She inched toward it and awaited her chance to strike.

Holly shook herself out of her paralyzed state and stepped forward. "Elements of the night. Elements of the dead. We call upon ye. We summon ye." Her voice was strong and resolute as she stood in front of Eric with her hands held out on either side of her. That small push was all the coven needed to attempt to save their leader. Everyone joined Holly in her chant except Lafayette who refused to join the circle, fearing the wrath of Eric.

Tara grabbed her weapon and charged forward, aiming for Eric's heart. She didn't get far as the vampire suddenly tossed Marnie to the floor and grabbed Tara.

Eric dipped her as if they were lovers in an intimate dance. "What have we here?" he asked with intrigue as he grinned at her unkindly. He bared his bloodstained fangs and leaned forward but he never finished his descent as the air began to crackle with power and the lights went out.

A gust of wind traveled through the building, bringing on it the smell of ash and anger. Marnie rose like a puppet being pulled on a string by an unseen master and faced Eric once more.

The vampire dropped Tara and turned toward the priestess as she began chanting in Latin. The malice in his face drained away leaving a blank slate of emotion as his fangs disappeared with a muted click just a moment before he blurred out of sight.

The atmosphere went back to normal as Marnie looked around the room confused. "Well, what happened? Is he gone?"

Tara looked up at the woman in disbelief. "I fucking hate this place," she said and stood up from the floor.

"I'm feeling a little lightheaded," Marnie proclaimed and stumbled. The coven didn't even hesitate to assist her.

"I'll go get my medical kit from the car," Jesus announced to the room, heading for the door quickly. "Holly, grab a towel, keep pressure on the wound and have her lie down."

Lafayette ran for the small alcove away from the rest of the coven and paced nervously back and forth.

"So thanks for bringing me tonight," Tara said with false cheer as she came over to him. She clapped a firm hand on his shoulder, grinning internally as he winced slightly. "It's been awhile since I've been attacked by a vampire and guess what? It still sucks and it still freaks my shit out."

"Climb down off that cross for two seconds. You don't think it freaks my shit out?" Lafayette retorted crossing his arms over his chest.

"Two hours, Lafayette," Tara whispered fiercely at her cousin. "Two hours I'm back in town and some fucking fanger is on my neck."

"It's not just any fanger!" Lafayette yelled, his nerves getting the better of him. He knew now that all eyes were on him but he couldn't find himself giving two shits. "This is Eric fucking Northman. Who's fucking ancient, stupid powerful, and can kill all of us and now he probably will."

"Somebody ought to call the police," Holly suggested at once, standing up abruptly.

"Aw, you think the hillbilly police around here gonna do anything?" Lafayette, turned his attention to her with a roll of his neck. "You think they can do anything?" he clarified.

"We can't just do nothing and let him get away with this," Holly responded.

"Eric Northman is a 1000 years old. The police can't touch him," Lafayette stated slowly as if he was talking someone particularly hard of hearing.

"He tried to kill Marnie," Holly insisted just as slowly and deliberately.

"Well, Marnie needs to thank God, Goddess, Gaia, and Mother fucking Goose that he didn't," Lafayette said, refusing to back down. "The best thing we can do is forget this ever happened."

"It did happen!" Marnie exclaimed sitting up. "He attacked us unprovoked. He marched in here uninvited and he demanded that we stop gathering, stop practicing our religion

"Last time I checked it was still freedom of religion in America," Roy said adamantly.

"What does he think this is Nazi Germany?" Katerina asked.

"He did look kind of Aryan," Casey said a matter of factly, valiantly ignoring the confused stares that were suddenly shot her way.

"He has no right. He has no right!" Marnie stated emphatically.

"He's a vampire," Tara said as if it made all the sense in the world as she stepped forward. "They don't care about rights, religion, the law or anybody else. They just want our blood," she concluded to the now silent room.

Jesus broke the solace by asking the question that had been burning his lips every since Eric left. "Marnie, what'd you do to make him leave and how did you do it?"

"I have no idea," Marnie responded, shaking her head slowly. "I just opened my mouth and the words came," she said, standing unsteadily. When Jesus rushed to prevent her from falling, she waved him off. "I'm okay. I'm okay." she said, walking slowly to her shelf of spell books. She held out her hands, leaving them hovering above the spines of the books.

"What the fuck is she doing?" Tara asked, watching Marnie closely. The previous chill she'd gotten initially in the Priestess' presence came back with a vengeance.

"She's looking for the right spell she needs by tracking the signature." Jesus explained as he finished packing his medical kit. "The correct spell will give off heat."

"What are we going to do now?" Katerina asked softly, asking the question that everyone else was thinking.

"What do you mean?" Tara asked with a nearly hysterical and derisive chuckle. "I know what I'm going to do and that's get the fuck out of here and never have my displeasure of seeing any of you people again."

A small pained hiss from Marnie got their attention as she slipped a book from the shelf. "Everyone back to the circle," she said her voice hollow and resonant. "We're going to wake the dead," she said with a sinister smile.

"Marnie, maybe we should give it a rest tonight," Holly suggested gently. "You're injured and upset. That won't bode well for any casting."

Tara caught the sight of the leather-bound book in Marnie's hand and the breath caught in her throat. She could almost swear the Baphomet seemed to snarl at her from the cover as its serpent tail slithered back and forth in a sickening display that sent burning nausea erupting in her stomach. "The Necronomicon?" she said breathlessly to herself. "Motherfuck that," She continued more audibly. "After the shit that just went down. I'm not staying so you can go fucking with the elements and shit again. I've officially had my fill of this fucking magic to last a lifetime," she said, looking at Marnie.

"Lafayette, Jesus. Y'all coming?" Tara asked and practically sprinting for the door. Before she could pass the threshold, the green double doors slammed in her face. The lights became low as a strong nearly tangible wind swirled around her becoming tighter and forcing her arms at her side.

The cage fighter felt her body being constricted and she panicked lashing out at an unseen assailant. It provided no reprieve as she was suddenly swept off her feet and slid rapidly across the floor to the direct center of the magic circle. She lay held down spread eagle as candles came flying from all directions and made a pentagram around her body. As soon as they were in position the candles flames flared to life their flames reaching a foot tall.

Everyone's quickly gaze fell on a still smirking Marnie. "You can't leave, Tara. You're the most important part of the spell," She said, walking calmly forward.

Lafayette stood in her path using his full height to his advantage. "Holds up, hookah. You best let my cousin go before I-"

"Before you what Lafayette?" she said, lifting a hand in his direction. She watched as Lafayette immediately fell to his knees clutching at his throat desperately. "Everyone join hands now or his blood will be on your hands and you'll join him." She said releasing Lafayette from the spell.

He greedily sucked in oxygen, glaring at Marnie as he croaked, "Psycho bitch."

Marnie merely sneered as she waited for the coven to move into position. She stepped forward, pulling an athame seemingly from nowhere and handed it to Lafayette. "You'll do the honors."

Lafayette didn't spare the knife a second glance. "If you think I'm going to kill my cousin in cold blood you might as well gut me right here, bitch."

"Lafayette!" Tara grunted from the floor.

"No, Lafayette!" Jesus said, pulling his boyfriend away from the priestess.

Lafayette snatched his arm out of Jesus' grip. "I'm not going to murder my cousin. I don't care if we summoning Jesus Christ and Mother fucking Teresa."

"It won't kill her," Marnie drawled lightly, twirling the athame in her hands with practiced ease.

"Don't believe her, Lala!" Tara shouted from the floor.

"Silence!" Marnie commanded, waving her hand at Tara, satisfied when the young woman fell blissfully silent. "We only need a little bit of blood for the spell. It can be given freely or taken by force," she said.

Lafayette gazed into Marnie's dark eyes, looking for any indication that she was spouting bullshit. He was completely unsurprised to find that this was most definitely the case but refused to show his revelation on his face. "I'm sorry, Tara." He stepped forward accepting the blade from the priestess. "What do I need to do?"

"Cut both of her hands enough to fill this bowl." Marnie said, levitating a small clay bowl in front of them. She slammed the Necronomicon to the floor and the pages turned of their own accord. "You will need to draw these sigils on every inch of skin showing over her clothes. They need to be exact." She emphasized sternly and turned her attention the rest of the coven. "When you're finished go back to the circle and join Jesus' hand and repeat after me."

Lafayette kneeled beside Tara with an apology screaming from his every move. "Blink if you can hear me," he whispered and was relieved when Tara immediately blinked. "I'm not gonna to let you die, but we gotta play along for just a minute." He made quick work of slicing her hands, knowing that slow cuts would only hurt worse no matter how gentle.

Once the clay bowl was filled with Tara's blood, Lafayette glanced at the Necronomicon, copying the sigils from the page in front of him. He felt Marnie's eyes watching him and the more he tries to stall the spell, he struggled more and more to breath through a tightening throat he knows has nothing to do with nervousness.

"Alright, bitch. I'm finished." Lafayette's exclaimed, standing abruptly as his hand finished the last sigil.

"Let's begin," Marnie announced, nodding her head to Lafayette to get into formation. She took a deep breath as the Necronomicon appeared in front of her floating in midair and began to chant quickly in Sumarian and then again in English. "He of ash and blood, hidden away for time out of sight, to be reborn, ascending forth from the altar of blood. The anointed one shall be marked thusly, and made ready to free the prince and master of all."

The candles flared again, flames practically licking the ceiling. As the chanting rose in volume, dark purple tendrils with the consistency of water swirled around Tara, entering her mouth and nose. She convulsed violently as she experienced what felt like she was being zapped with ten thousand volts of electricity. Foamy drool ran freely from her mouth as it opened in a silent cry. The air became stifling and thick as the sigils on her body glowed brightly and absorbed into her skin one by one until only one was left.

Marnie's voice was still switching back and forth between Sumarian and English as it reached its crescendo as she waited for the very last sigil on Tara's forehead to be absorbed. She glanced at the symbol in confusion until her brain supplied the correct knowledge and her eyes widened in horror. "No!" she shrieked and rushed forward, breaking the circle but it was too late, the symbol glowed brightly, blinding everyone temporarily.

When the atmosphere returned to normal, everyone watched as Marnie's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fainted dead away. Jesus and Lafayette immediately broke the circle and stepped over her prone form and rushed to the center of the candle pentagram toward the latter's cousin.

"Tara! Tara, are you okay?" Lafayette shook her roughly and slapped her cheek to rouse her.

"Fuck, bitch! Stop hitting me. I'm alright," Tara said, lifting herself up before hissing in pain and promptly allowing herself to fall back on her ass. "Fuck," She said, looking at her hands. The cuts were red, puffy and irritated. She gritted her teeth and tried again, gingerly standing with Lafayette's assistance. The cage fighter crossed the room vibrating with rage. As soon as she made it to Marnie's form, she kicked the woman with all her might, smiling when her boot mark immediately became embedded on the woman's face.

"Whoa, what the fuck!" Roy said, moving forward only to be stopped by Lafayette's less than gentle hand to his chest.

Jesus rushed to Tara's side a second later, pulling her away from Marnie. "She's out cold and this violence won't solve anything."

"I know," Tara said, rolling her shoulder out of Jesus' grip. "But I hope that bitch feels it when she wakes up. Let's get the hell out of here," she said, stomping out of the door with dark drops of blood staining the floor in her exit.

"You should probably let me look at your wounds!" Jesus called after her.

"I'm not going to stuck in this hell hole for one more minute," Tara said not pausing in her stride.

"Tara, wait!" Lafayette called out.

"Tara!" Jesus shouted, running quickly after them.

"No!" Tara yelled back, trying to make her way back to the car. Her anger was quickly dissipating, leaving room for the dizziness from blood loss to sink in. She cursed when she remembered they parked another two blocks up the road and she was walking alone in the dark with bleeding wounds in the vampire infested streets of Shreveport. Her vision suddenly swam as she stumbled slightly unable to catch herself as she prepared for the pain of cracking her head on the concrete. She faintly heard Lafayette and Jesus call out her name again but it was if they were now screaming through a tunnel filled with water.

Just before Tara's head met the ground below she briefly wondered if the men would be able to reach her before a passing vampire made her a meal. A pair of cool arms encircled her waist and her mere inches from the ground.

"You nearly bled all over my dress." A breezy voice drawled teasingly from above Tara. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Tara squinted her eyes willing them to refocus. The blurry yet attractive blond figure was leering down at her with distended fangs. "Ugh…fanger." She slurred slowly in blatant revulsion. "Fuck you."

Pam smirked. "You're feisty. I like that. Any other time I'd take you up on your offer and show you some manners while I'm at it; but unfortunately for you, I have other business to attend to." She said and placed Tara on the ground abruptly, speeding off into the night.

"Who the fuck?" Tara asked, a little disoriented, to the next couple of figures that appeared in her eyesight.

"That was Pam, Eric's progeny. Bitch is crazy," Lafayette said, picking Tara up and carrying her to the car. He laid her gently in the backseat. "We need to get you well, hookah. I might have one more vial of vamp's blood somewhere that I can get you for your wounds."

"Hell no. I'm not taking that shit," Tara said with a shake of her head. "Just patch me up, feed me, and get me drunk and I'll be good as new."

-x-

Jesus bandaged Tara's hand. "Since you're determined to heal the normal way you'll have to be careful. You can't work too vigorously with your hands or you'll tear the skin worse."

"Uh huh," Tara said as she flexed her hands tentatively. Her stomach growled at the delicious smells traveling from the kitchen that Lafayette was cooking.

"Yeah, that means no fucking your little girlfriend between her chopsticks or indulging any of Pam's whims anytime soon." Lafayette said, waving his spatula flippantly.

Tara's head snapped up from inspecting her bandages. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I know you saw it," Lafayette said, turning with a raised eyebrow. "That crazy bitch has taken an interest in you and let me tell you she's just as persistent as her maker if not more when it comes to a pretty face."

"If she comes near me again, I got something I'm prepared to let her suck," Tara said as she thought about the revolver in her duffel bag with the wooden bullets.

"Despite the way Lafayette said it, I'm serious about being careful, Tara. You don't want to do anything that will lengthen your recovery time or it can become infected." Jesus said deliberately as if he was talking to a child.

Lafayette opened the oven to check on the warming tortillas. "Don't bother wasting your breath, baby. She's always been a horrible patient."

Tara flipped of her cousin with a sneer. "Shut up and cook bitch."

"Once again, Lala is right," Lafayette said, wiggling his hips as he flipped the fajita vegetables in the pan twice before placing it back on the burner.

"Whatever," Tara said with a roll of her eyes. She winced as her hands throbbed in pain. "Jesus you got anything stronger than the painkillers you gave me earlier in your medical kit."

"If he don't, I got some Oxycotin in my cookie jar." Lafayette offered with a toss of his head.

"That sounds great," Tara said her eyes shining with the possibility of being taken on a pain free journey.

-x-

The trio found themselves seated at the small wooden table on the front porch, enjoying their meal while the last hours of night passed them by. They had hoped the slightly chilly fresh air would calm their frazzled nerves.

"Oh my fucking god." Tara moaned almost obscenely around the last piece of sour cream and salsa coated quesadilla she stuffed into her mouth. "Lala, I have missed your cooking so much."

Lafayette nodded at the compliment, shooting his cousin a concerned look. "Okay, bitch is you even chewing right now?"

"Uh uh." Tara replied with a shake of her head and proceeded to gulp down the tequila straight from the bottle.

Lafayette grabbed the bottle from her hold. "Hookah, slow down before we spend the rest of the night nursing yo puking ass."

"I'm not gon' get sick, you know I hold my liquor better than that." Tara said, leaning back and patting her stomach with contentment. "I could use a cigarette."

"Me too." Lafayette agreed, standing and disappearing into the house. He returned just a moment later with a Royal Dansk cookie tin. He opened it to reveal a pretty extensive assortment of drug paraphernalia.

"You still keep yo weed in a Christmas cookie tin?" Tara asked, struggling to light the cigarette dangling from her lips with the stiff bandages on each palm.

"If it ain't broke, bitch." Lafayette said, plucking the lighter from her fingers and lighting the cigarette with a smug smile.

"I would have got it, retard." Tara said, taking a long puff from her cigarette.

"Hoe," Lafayette said quickly, taking out his rolling machine and a small ziplock bag of marijuana.

"Slut," Tara countered, flicking a small cluster of ash away.

"Bitch."

"Skank."

"Jezebel."

"African booty scratcher," Tara said calmly, blowing a stream of smoke into her cousin's face.

Lafayette narrowed his eyes to slits before he gave up trying to hold his laughter and tossed his head back with a guffaw. "Whoa, hookah. You went throwback on a bitch," he said, licking the end of the unrolled strip of paper to seal the joint.

"Like you didn't?" Tara replied with a raise of her eyebrow. "Who the fuck calls people a jezebel anymore?"

Jesus just shook his head chuckling quietly at the two cousins. He slid his chair back from the table abruptly. "Excuse me." He stood and quickly ducked behind one of the large bushes next to one of porch support beams.

When the sound of Jesus urinating off the porch made its way to her ears, Tara's nose crinkled with disgust. "Men are so fucking gross sometimes," she said with a belch.

"I've been thinking and I just don't get it." Jesus said, zipping his pants and coming back to the table where Lafayette and Tara sat. "What does Eric hope to gain by telling us not to gather?"

"I know one motherfucking thing. He ain't gon' forget about this, which is why we need to be proactive," Lafayette said with a long pull from his joint.

Tara glanced at her cousin warily. "I know you ain't suggesting-"

"Go to Fangtasia." Lafayette cut her off, confirming her suspicions.

"I thought you said we should just forget about it?" Tara asked in confusion.

"What exactly are you expecting by visiting Eric?" Jesus asked his boyfriend gently.

"I'm expecting to throw my black ass on his mercy and beg his forgiveness. Let him know it was all Marnie and not us and hopefully stop us from getting killed," Lafayette said without an ounce of shame.

"Are you kidding me? What you're talking about is suicide," Jesus said looking at his boyfriend. He placed his hand over Lafayette's and squeezed it, comforting. "We'll find another way to get out of this."

"Yeah, naw. We ain't letting you do that." Tara said with a shake of her head.

"Bitch, you need to do yourself a solid and get yourself on out of this fucked up place," Lafayette said with a toss of his head. "Go back to your hot girlfriend and leave all the pain this shithole has dumped on you behind."

"Uh, yeah I'm gonna skip town and leave you when you in big trouble with a vampire and possibly a psychotic witch that couldn't even manage a resurrection spell without losing her shit," Tara said, knocking back another shot of Tequila. "That's just the kind of person I am." she finished sarcastically.

"That's another thing I don't get about this night. Marnie is a pretty accomplished Priestess. Why did everything go wrong at the end of the spell?" Jesus asked with a furrowed brow.

"Because I didn't do that last symbol right," Lafayette said as a matter of factly, stubbing out his joint. He exhaled the smoke and waited for the other two people's reactions.

"You betrayed the circle?" Jesus asked softly.

"I saved my cousin's life." Lafayette clarified.

"You're right. You're right. I'm just shocked that nothing too major happened," Jesus said, caressing Lafayette's hand. "Transposing symbols sometimes has catastrophic consequences."

"And that's why I say fuck you to your suggestion of leaving town," Tara said, tugging at her bandages. "I've got your back, bitch and I owe you for saving my life."

Lafayette hummed noncommittally and stretched his hands over his head. He glanced at his watch and stood suddenly. "Shit. I got to get up in a few hours and go to work. I'm going to beddie bed. Y'all bitches clean." He all but commanded, pointing to the table. "Night," He said over his shoulder as he walked inside the house.

Tara waited until the door had completely shut behind him and leaned forward. "Promise me you won't let him go to Fangtasia," she whispered to Jesus.

Jesus stood, gathering up the dirty dishes. "Of course not."

"Sometimes he gets a bug in his bonnet." Tara said, finishing the last of the Tequila. She figured she pretty much deserved it given her injuries.

"Don't worry. I can convince him in a way that will make him think it was his idea" Jesus said confidently, opening the screen door.

"I heard that." A disgruntled Lafayette yelled from inside.

Jesus chuckled in response while Tara nearly choked on her liquor. "Oops." Was all the man said as he continued in the house.

Just as the door closed a second time, Tara sat back and listened to the symphony of crickets and locusts as their sounds lit up the night sky. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised out how crazy the day turned out.

Her phone beeped with an incoming message but she already knew who it was. Pressing a few button on the screen, Tara read the message from Naomi.

Hey, baby! I'm off to our big, empty bed alone. ;-) I miss u. The ring just wasn't the same w/o u.

I miss u too. :-* Tara texted back quickly with a smile. "Goodnight."

Naomi response was almost immediate. "Goodnight."

"Go back to your hot girlfriend…" Lafayette's earlier words suddenly entered her head. To say Tara wasn't tempted to go back to Naomi and live out the rest of her days in New Orleans would be a bold faced lie. She had the perfect out as she could claim that the stress of seeing family and being wracked with more grief that she could handle for her abrupt return. The temptation was insanely great but she wouldn't and couldn't allow her cowardice to rule her decisions. They never had before. She would stay and fight alongside her cousin however long this situation with Eric and Marnie continued.

Part of her had to admit that Lafayette's idea had merit. Going to Fangtasia would indeed give them the jump on the situation. Tara shook her head at the thought, gazing intently at the bottle of cheap tequila like it as her enemy. She peeled the label away slowly, thankful to have something to occupy her hands as her brain swam with all these rapid thoughts.

Even if they went to Fangtasia as a unified front with rational heads it was suicide. Eric and Pam would not be willing to negotiate. Their hearts would be still beating as they were grabbed from their chests.

Tara decided she would do the rational thing available to her in this situation: she would ask Sookie for a favor. She grabbed the remaining trash from the table and threw it out the in the large trashcan located just off the edge of the porch. She decided that she may as well get a couple of hours sleep before she spent the day saving her cousin from himself.

-x-

As soon as they walked into Merlotte's the next afternoon, Lafayette all but ran to the kitchen, taking stock of the food and started the preparation work for the dinner specials.

Tara eyes tracked his every movement as she leaned against the seasoned butcher block in the middle of the kitchen. She was also keeping half an eye out for Sam. There was just too much on her plate at the moment and she did not want to run into the man just yet.

"Hookah, is you gon' follow me every motherfucking where today?" Lafayette asked, annoyed as he started bringing meat out of the walk in freezer. He was not at all amused while she stood outside the bathroom while he was taking a shower but now her little junior stalker act was getting on his last nerve.

"I gotta make sure you don't do anything stupid," Tara said plainly as if the answer to the question was obvious.

"Like thinking you have a chance at trying to stake a thousand year old vampire?" Lafayette countered.

"That was to save your sorry ass," Tara responded. "You know the same one you're trying to throw back into danger?"

"And speaking of my fine ass, you gon' watch me piss?" Lafayette challenged with a hand on his right hip.

"You ain't got nothing I ain't seen before," Tara said with an unimpressed wave of her hand.

"You may have, but bitch, you ain't ready to take a gander at this snake." Lafayette replied, humping the oven handle in front of him.

Tara's lip curled up in disgust. "What the fuck ever. Just know I'm keeping my eye on you."

"Ise gon' be here cooking alls day for ya, boss." Lafayette called out with a fake slave dialect.

Tara extended her middle finger in his direction and started to sit on a stool at the bar with a great vantage point of the kitchen when Sookie came through the door, smoothing down the stray hairs sticking up from her ponytail.

"Hey, Tara." Sookie greeted with a bright smile as she spotted her best friend.

"Sook, I need a favor." Tara said without preamble, dragging the blonde's arm and pulling her into a nearby booth. "I need you to talk to Eric Northman and beg him to forgive Lafayette."

"Forgive him for what?" Sookie asked confused.

"He'll know." Tara said vaguely.

"But what if he doesn't?" Sookie countered in an odd tone of voice.

Tara sighed and clenched her jaw before speaking. "Last night I went with Jesus and Lafayette to this Wicca circle thing that Holly and them are in and Eric attacked us and one of the witches cast a spell to make him leave," she explained in a rush.

"Do you know what spell?" Sookie eyes lit up as she leaned forward eagerly.

"No. It was in another fucking language," Tara replied with a scowled. "Why do I get the feeling you're more upset about what happened to Eric than say the leader of the circle that he bit or me who he tried to?"

"Oh my god, Tara," Sookie said, grabbing the other woman's hand in comfort. She frowned as she felt the bandages under her fingertips. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed suddenly. "What happened?"

"Yeah after Eric left shit got way more weird," Tara said with a shake of her head. "Fucking circle leader tried to sacrifice me."

"Oh my god." Sookie again said the only phrase that seemed to surfacing in her mind. "You've had a long homecoming."

"I'll say." Tara chuckled humorlessly. "So, please, can you try to square things between Lafayette and Eric so he doesn't end up 'dead' in the dungeon of Fangtasia again?"

"I'm pretty sure Lafayette doesn't have anything to fear from Eric right now but I'll be happy to talk to him if I run into him," Sookie said casually, avoiding Tara's eyes.

"If?" Tara asked her brow furrowed with confusion. "He bought your house. He even has a cubby in it."

"Well, I haven't seen him- well, not since Pam's told me he's gone missing." Sookie said with a blank expression.

"Missing?" Tara echoed, banging her right hand on the table in frustration. "Fuck." She paused when she didn't immediately feel pain radiating through her hand. "What the fuck?" She whispered slowly and peeled away the bandages on her left hand. The cuts on her hand were completely healed. "That sneaky bastard," she said with a shake of her head.

"Who's a sneaky bastard?" Sookie asked.

"Jesus." Tara explained. "He knew I wouldn't consent to using vampire's blood to heal my wounds so he must have poured some on the bandages before wrapping my hands last night," she said, removing the second bandage.

"Well, hello stranger," Sam said as he walked up to the booth. "When did you get back?"

"Uh, yesterday," Tara said quietly and contritely.

"Wow, my tables aren't gonna wait themselves," Sookie announced loudly as she stood from the booth and slipped away from the awkward moment, ignoring the pleading look on Tara's face.

"Join me for a shot of Tequila?" Sam asked breezily.

Tara nodded when she realized that Sam wasn't going to skewer her with twenty questions in the middle of Merlotte's. She could always do with a little more liquor to dull her senses, and she knew Sam was offering some of his good shit. "Hell, yeah." She smiled.

Sam looked almost genuinely surprised when she accepted his invitation. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Tara affirmed and stood from the booth, following the man outside.

The evening sun had just begun its leisurely descent behind the horizon when Sam and Tara perched on the former's porch. Sam poured the drinks and handed Tara one, lifting his own up in a toast. "Here's to old friends."

"To old friends," Tara echoed and drank her shot down quickly. She grinned at the familiar burn as it made its way down her throat and warming her belly.

"I'm assuming we still are, otherwise I wouldn't bother asking you: 'What the fuck?'" Sam asked, setting down his glass on the wooden railing in front of him.

"I need a little more information to know what you're talking about." Tara said, placing her own glass beside Sam's.

"I tell you I'm a shifter and you leave town. Now I don't mind sharing but that fucking hurts," Sam said, leaning against the railing on his porch facing Tara.

Tara's mouth quirked in a quick, rueful smile as she nodded in understanding. "That's not why I left. I was just following your advice. You said I could start a brand new life."

"I never said any such thing," Sam said, shaking his head with a frown. "'Cuz that ain't true. The life we got is the life we got," he intoned sagely.

"In any case, the jury's still out on that for me."

"Still hate me for being a shifter?" Sam asked gently almost as if he was afraid of the answer.

"I never hated you for anything," Tara said with a small smile.

"Yeah?" Sam asked

"Yeah," Tara said with a definite nod of her head. "Besides there are worse things you could be, Sam. You could be a fucking fanger," she said jokingly.

Sam chuckled on cue and said, "You know not all vampires are that bad."

"Name one." Tara challenged with incredulity dripping from her voice.

Sam's easy going expression faltered for just a second. "I try not to get too close to vampires myself. They don't smell particularly great to me and I'm no picnic for them either," he replied, sheepishly.

"That's a cop out," Tara responded, shoving his shoulder with a small chuckle.

"No, I've got one," Sam said with a tiny proud smile on his face. "Jessica is the only one that's ever been polite enough to not say anything about my smell. Bill also wasn't so bad until he became Vampire King of Louisiana."

"Hey Tara, Sam?" Jesus greeted as he came walking out of the back door of Merlotte's. "You seen Lafayette?"

"He's in the kitchen," Tara said with the utmost confidence.

"No, he's not," Jesus said with a shake of his head.

"Fuck." Tara said. "Bye Sam." She said, running off the porch and around the bar to the parking lot.

"I came by here to make sure he didn't do anything stupid." Jesus followed on her heels.

"Shit his car is gone!" Tara exclaimed, kicking rocks up in her anger.

"Terry said he paid him a hundred dollars to cover his shift tonight." Jesus informed Tara as he looked across the parking lot for any possible signs of Lafayette.

"I thought you said you talked him out of it?" Tara asked accusingly.

"I thought I did," Jesus said, tossing his hands in the air. He turned and headed for his truck.

"We should take my car. I got something we're probably gonna need in the trunk!" Tara yelled over to him already reaching for the driver's side door handle. She turned the key in the ignition just as Jesus jumped into the passenger seat. "He couldn't have more than twenty minutes on us tops," she said, speeding out of the parking lot.

-x-

Tara screeched to a stop outside Fangtasia, narrowly missing one of the protesters gathered outside the vampire bar. She quickly opened her trunk and retrieved the revolver from her emergency roadside kit.

"Hey, you in a rush to sate your lust for dead bodies, fangbanger?" A guy asked with a cellphone pointed to Tara's direction.

"I ain't no fucking fangbanger," Tara said, checking the ammo in her gun before locking the barrel back in place with a quick flick of her wrist. "And if I come back through that door and you're still standing there, you're going to wish you'd stayed home tonight." She warned him as she and Jesus rushed into the bar without waiting for the man's reply.

The bar was deserted except for the one human stocking the bar with Tru Blood. Ginger looked up with a bright yet apologetic smile. "I'm sorry y'all but we're closed for at least another hour but you're welcome to hang around outside until then."

Tara ignored her words and marched straight up to the bar. "Take me to my cousin!" she said, pointing her gun in Ginger's face. "Scream and I'll shoot." She added when the other woman went pale as her mouth fell open.

Jesus made his way around the bar and grabbed Ginger by her shoulders. The blonde led them into the basement.

"You and those goddamn witches erased his memory," Pam said with a forceful foot to Lafayette's chest.

She was sufficiently distracted as Tara, Jesus, and Ginger came down the stairs. Tara breathed a small sigh of relief to see that Lafayette was still alive if not a little banged up.

Pam leaned down slowly. "And now I'm going to erase you."

"Like hell you are." Tara proclaimed, the gun in her hand. Her gaze never wavered as Pam turned to face them in a blur. The young woman was suddenly struck with how much more beautiful the vampire was now that her eyes were in focus. Lafayette scrambled to his feet and ran across the room to the safety of his cousin's side.

"Oh, look, it's my sexy piece of chocolate. Why don't you put the gun down, lover, and we can talk rationally?" Pam drawled amusedly. "Just us girls."

"I'm not your anything." Tara growled as her eyes narrowed in a glare. "And the only talking that would be happening between anybody if we were alone would be my fucking pistol going off into your heart."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Pam." Ginger said quickly, struggling in Jesus' arms. "She pulled a gun on me."

Pam's face held a bored expression. "I do find the fact that you think you can threaten me with a gun is laughable."

"I bet you don't think the wooden bullets in it are too damn funny," Tara countered thrusting the gun in Pam's direction for good measure.

Pam raised a single eyebrow at the challenge in Tara's voice. "I'm listening."

"We're part of the circle that did the spell and we may have a chance at reversing the spell placed on Eric," Jesus said, keeping his hold on Ginger.

"You're a witch?" Pam asked in disbelief.

Jesus nodded. "I'm a Brujo."

Before he could finish his sentence, Ginger screamed bloody murder and ran upstairs.

"We can bring you the leader of the coven. She's the only somebody that can reverse the spell." Lafayette added quickly.

"Or I can shoot you right in the heart," Tara stated plainly, her finger caressing the trigger.

Pam eyes gleamed in intrigue as she pretended to weigh her options. "I'll give you twenty four hours to deliver that witch to me or I will personally eat, fuck, and kill all three of you." She said deliberately. "That goes double for you, Annie Oakley."

"I'd like to see you try." Tara responded with a tilt head and a challenge in her dark eyes. She waved her hand for Jesus and Lafayette to go upstairs first. She kept her gun trained on Pam as each woman seemed unwilling to break the staring contest they were now in engaged in. Tara backed up to the staircase and quickly made her way to out of the basement.

Tara, Jesus, and Lafayette rushed out of Fangtasia only to find their cars being blocked by the same group of protesters from earlier.

"Hey, fangbanger you finish quick, don't ya?" the guy from earlier said, his cell phone zooming in at Tara's face.

"As I told you before, I'm not a fangbanger." Tara lifted her gun and shot the cell phone out of his hand. The device exploded into useless expensive pieces of plastic and landed by the guy's feet. "I'm a cagefighter and as you can see I'm a very, very good shot now move so me and my cousin can get our cars and go home."

The now silent protesters parted for Tara, Jesus, and Lafayette like the red sea as they moved to their cars. When Tara settled in her car, she felt a pair of eyes watching her. She found the culprit as she switched the car into reverse and checked her mirror for any obstructions. She found her gaze locked with a beautiful pair of glacial blue across the parking lot.

Pam was leaning against the doorjamb with a small impressed quirk of her lips. She bared her fangs and blew Tara a kiss.

Tara responded with her middle finger and peeled out of the parking lot after her cousin.

-x-

As soon as Lafayette exited his car, he was assaulted by a right hook that tossed his head to the side. "Ow! What the fuck, hookah!?"

"I told your stupid ass not to go to Fangtasia." Tara said, shoving him up against the car angrily. "If we hadn't of made it in time, we'd be burying your ass, that is if Pam left enough of your body after she finished torturing and violating you," she said with a few more slaps before pulling Lafayette into a tight hug. "Don't ever fucking do that to me again."

"I'm sorry." Lafayette responded as he returned the hug gently. "At least now we know what happened to Eric." He offered.

"Yeah we do," Tara agreed with a nod. "But now we have to get Marnie to reverse the spell and hopefully not make me another sacrificial lamb in the process." She said, rubbing her thumbs across her now healed palms. "I don't know how many more near death experiences I have left."

"Just bring your gun with you. Where'd you learn to shoot anyway?" Jesus asked, checking over Lafayette's face for any injuries.

"Guy named Big John that owned a bar over in Texas. He liked my quick wit and inventive vocabulary for some of his more rowdy customers. One day we went hunting as a bonding experience and found out I was natural." "He gave me a few beauties as parting gift when I told him I was ready to move on." Tara explained, searching through her trunk for ammo. She held up the box and shook it, smiling when there was barely a rattle to it, signifying that she had plenty of ammo. She replaced the single bullet she shot and closed the trunk once more.

"When are we going to see Marnie?" Jesus asked.

"The day is already gone." Tara replied. "We might as well get some rest and so we can wake refreshed and ready to tackle the day."

"Bitch we only have another-" Lafayette glanced at his watch- "twenty two hours before we get raped, bitten, and killed and I'm not even positive it would be in that order." He finished with a shiver.

"I'll call Marnie and let her know we're coming over early tomorrow morning." Jesus said putting his cell phone to his ear. After a few moments he slowly lowered the phone with a worried look on his face. "She didn't answer the phone." He informed them gravely.

"Maybe she's asleep."

"Six days before Halloween?" Jesus asked in disbelief as he shook his head in the negative. "Marnie lives for Halloween. She'd be trying to contact the dead all week." He said, heading to his car. "Something's happened to her."

"Whoa." Tara said, grabbing his arm tightly. "What that fuck? Have you two been drinking the same water that erases your instinct for self-preservation? If something is wrong why should I care?"

"Marnie is the only one with a decent chance of reversing that damn memory spell."

"Okay, but think for just a second. We've just barely managed to escape a blonde, sadistic vampire who already has put a time clock on our lives." Tara paused letting her reasoning sink in for a couple of seconds, "Do you think it's wise to go running to Marnie half-cocked? I'm damn sure not going back to Shreveport tonight and neither should you."

"Can we all just get some sleep and worry about it in the morning?" Lafayette asked tiredly as he trudged toward the house.

Jesus still looked torn but he finally acquiesced and followed the two cousins into the house.

-x-

Halfway across the globe, deep in the nearly obliterated ruins of King Solomon's Temple, a sarcophagus burst open with a deafening boom. A figure steps from the wreckage assessing their current situation. With a screech and a wave of their hand, they formed a crater in the ground and stepped from their tomb into the balmy air of dusk.

With a hiss of great agony the figure shielded themselves from the final rays of sunlight. Their wounds healed slowly, much too slowly for this being of great age. They cast cool eyes over the people gawking at the spectacle that was this pale, nude being standing before them. The being's fangs protracted with all but deafening snap as they sped forward obliterating the humans that didn't have the foresight to run. After nearly a ten mile trail of bodies, the being's hunger was finally sated as their body was now covered in a slick, scarlet costume of death.

"שלטװ וה ׳ה׳ה בפלא" They proclaimed, holding two bleeding hearts in their tightly clenched fists with a maniacal laugh that froze the night air with its fanatic cruelty.

-End of Chapter One-

Whew! So that was a hella long chapter but I like reading long chapters so I figured no one would really complain about the length. ^_^ What do you think of the start so far? How about almostasbattyasBellatrix!Marnie?

If you'd like to, let me know all that and more in a PM or review! I'd love to hear all of your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!

~MC

P.S. The translation for the antagonist's language is as follows: "This reign shall be glorious."

BETA NOTE: If anyone has a better Hebrew translation, leave it in the comments? I'm a Jew, and it doesn't look quite right to me…

P.S.S. If any of you are reading any of my other multichaptered fic there will be an update soon, I just really needed to bang this out so me and my muse would get back on speaking terms.