Eric and Sam soared high over the marshland. Even with Sam's nocturnal vision as an owl, it was hard to see through the dense gathering of trees and swamp below. Could Tara really be down there somewhere? And if she was, Sam prayed he and Eric would find her in time.

"There," Eric said, pointing down at the cover of trees. He made a sharp dive and Sam followed, amazed that a vampire as big as Eric could fly with such ease. As they drew closer, Sam could make out a small glow of light and what appeared to be a roof peaking through the treetops.

They landed a few yards away from a small rundown shack that was nestled deep in the woods. Sam had to admit that this was a perfect place for someone determined not to be heard or found.

"Franklin and your human are here," Eric said, looking towards the shack. Sam morphed back into his human form. He hugged himself, as a chill went through his body. One thing he hated about changing was the inconvenience of not being able to carry clothes with him.

With a quirked eyebrow, Eric eyed Sam from head to toe. "Not bad," he said, "for a shifter." He wore a ghost of a smile.

Sam frowned, covering his private parts with both his hands. He was just about to give a snide retort when he words were cut off by a man's terrified scream. That had to be Andy. Sam turned to run towards the shack, but Eric moved with vampire speed to block his path.

"Wait. You will not be able to fight him in your human form."

"I'll change then," Sam said with irritation. Another scream was heard coming from the shack. It sounded as if the detective was being tortured.

"Franklin may still be too powerful for you. You will need my help to subdue him."

Sam's pride was rubbed raw by that statement. "Don't worry, I can handle myself. I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"That may be true, shifter, but you're dealing with a 600 year old vampire who is as ruthless as they come. Plus, there are some things you should know about Franklin."

"And that would be..?"

"Despite his invaluable service to me, Franklin has some…issues."

"Issues? What damn issues?"

"When he becomes attached to something or someone, he becomes distracted, possessive and insanely irrational. There is no reasoning with Franklin if he believes you stand between him and the object of his obsession. Apparently, he has grown quite attached to your Tara."

"What if Tara doesn't want to be with him?" Sam asked.

"To a vampire like Franklin, that is of little consequence. He is delusional and would rather kill your human than let her go. He once dragged a girl around for weeks until she was able to escape from a hotel at a Biloxi casino. Eventually, he tracked her down. When she refused him, he not only drained her but, in a fit of rage, ripped her body parts limb from limb. The most ironic part is that he mourned the poor girl for weeks."

Eric's face showed annoyance. "Not to mention, he was totally useless to me."

Sam was seething. He reached out and grabbed Eric by the collar. "And you set her up with that crazy bastard? If anything happens to her, Eric, I swear I got a stake with your fucking name on it, and I'm not afraid to use it."

There was a loud crash and a man yelled, "STOP LYING TO ME!"

Seconds later, a painful shriek filled the air.

Could that be Franklin? Sam wondered.

Eric and Sam, both moved closer to the shack, listening to the commotion coming from inside. It sounded like a war was taking place. Then they heard Tara's horrified scream. Sam's blood ran cold.

"I'll enter from the back and take him by surprise," he said. "You make sure that crazy motherfucker doesn't try to escape out the front."

Eric looked indignant. "I don't take orders from inferior beings, especially from a pathetic shifter who can't transform into anything better than an owl."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Is that right? Well, vampire, stand back 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet."

With that said, Sam took off towards the back of the shack.

MOMENTS EARLIER…

Tara's head was throbbing from all the screaming. The detective's nose was broken.. His lips were cracked and bleeding, and his left eye was swollen shut. Franklin had been torturing him for close to an hour. Why didn't Andy just tell the truth so they could end this once and for all? There was part of her that almost felt sorry for the broken, beaten man, sitting before her-almost.

"Andy, you stupid motherfucker, just tell the damn truth," she spat, her frustration and anger mounting.

She watched as Andy coughed up blood then spit the disgusting mess only inches from her feet. His voice came out hoarse and so low she had to strain to hear him. "I told you …I killed him in…in self-defense."

"Ah-ah-ah," said Franklin, waving the scalpel from side to side. Andy's good eye widened as the sharp instrument was pressed against his cheek.

The vampire gave him a disconcerting grin. "Liar, liar pants on fire," he chimed.

Andy trembled with fear.

"I suppose I could've just glamoured you into telling the truth, but the truth is, Andy, I'm having way…too…much…fun."

Franklin punctuated his last words with three shallow cuts across Andy's already bruised and bleeding forearms.

The man screamed in pain and thrashed against his binds. It was then that Tara realized that she was not cut out for torture. Every time the scalpel drew blood from Andy's flesh, she thought she was going to be sick.

"Okay…okay, please just don't cut me anymore," Andy cried. "I'll tell you anything you wanna know. Please, just make him stop."

"Then tell me what really happened that night?"

Andy sniffled, tears and sweat dripped down his face. "You were right. I didn't kill Eggs in self-defense. It was…was Jason Stackhouse."

Tara jumped up from her chair so fast that it flipped backwards. "You piece of shit! Don't you dare try to put the blame on Jason. He's my friend…he would never-."

"It's true, Tara. Jason saw Eggs coming towards me with a knife and thought he was trying to kill me, so he shot him. He was so scared afterwards that I told 'im to run. Then I covered the whole thing up and made it look like I shot Eggs in self-defense."

Tears burned the back of her eyes, as she tried to comprehend what Andy was saying.

"Y-You're lying. Why would you do that?"

"Jason thought he was doing the right thing by saving me, even if he did make a mistake shooting Eggs. I couldn't let 'im go to jail for murder."

Tara's bottom lip trembled as she turned to meet Franklin's dark gaze. He nodded slowly, confirming Andy's story. He was telling the truth. Jason Stackhouse, her protector, the man she'd loved since she was ten years old, was responsible for killing Eggs and causing all this pain.

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her rage to grow like a cancer. To spread to every fiber in her being. Instead, the only emotion she felt was disillusionment and despair. She stepped back, shaking her head.

"No...no," she said, wanting to deny the truth. She reached behind her for her chair. She needed something solid to hold onto for support, but all she felt was empty space. Her knees buckled beneath her and she felt herself falling. Somehow she ended up in Franklin's arms. Using his quick vampire reflexes, he must have caught her just before she hit the floor.

He held her in his arms as if she might break. Considering her state of mind, Tara thought that notion wasn't far from the truth.

"Speak to me, my sweet," he said, caressing her tear soaked cheeks. Tara hadn't realized she was crying.

The vampire's expression turned dark. "He made you cry. I'll kill him," he growled.

If he wasn't such a psychopath, she'd find his over-protectiveness sweet.

"No. Don't," she whispered. She pushed away from him and walked over to Andy's chair then held out her hand.

"Give me the scalpel," she instructed.

Franklin smiled like a proud papa. "Attagirl. I knew you and I were like twins."

She took the instrument from his hand and glared down at Andy's quivering form.

"It's over," she said. Andy shrank back as she began cutting the rope to loosen his binds.

"What are you doing, Tara?" Franklin said, sounding alarmed.

"What the fuck it look like I'm doing?" she snapped. "I'm letting 'im go."

"We had a deal, Tara. After the detective dies, you become my vampire bride."

She stopped cutting and turned to face him. "Yeah, about that Franklin, we need to talk."

"Don't say that. My last girlfriend said that and I woke up surrounded by her body parts."

Shit!

She gripped the scalpel tighter, thinking she'd better take a different approach.

"What I meant was, we need to talk more about the wedding plans and our honeymoon. You know, shit like that, but first, I need to let Andy go so you and I can plan our future together without any distractions." She tried to give him a believable smile. It didn't work.

"You're lying to me. I can hear it in your voice," he whined.

"No, I'm not. I'm just nervous is all…with...uh…pre-wedding jitters," she lied.

In a flash, Tara found herself sprawled on the floor across the room. He'd thrown her against the wall and she landed on the ground with a painful thud. Her head and back were on fire. She literally saw spots before her eyes. Before she could think straight, he grabbed her up by the throat, lifting her onto her feet.

"STOP LYING TO ME!" he screamed. "I thought you were different. I thought you and I were kindred souls." Red-tinted tears stained his pale cheeks. As far as she knew, vampires didn't have souls, but she wasn't about to argue that little detail.

"I love you so much, Tara, how could you do this to me? I was a gentleman. I treated you like a queen. How can you go back on your word?" He leaned in close. He could either kiss her or tear her throat out if he wanted. "I know why. It's because you're a liar, Tara. A FILTHY…FUCKING…LIAR!"

Tara thought her heart was going to bust right out of her ribcage, it was beating so fast. She was struggling to breathe. She had to do something to make him let go. Then she remembered the scalpel. She tightened her fist around the handle.

The face. Aim for the face.

She raised her arm and slashed at him with all her strength. He let go, howling in pain as he covered his face with his hands. She sunk to the floor, gasping for air. She looked towards Andy who was partly untied and slumped over in his seat. There was no way she'd be able to drag him out of here before Franklin recovered from his injuries. Her best bet was to lure Franklin away. Maybe she could hide in the woods somewhere or swim far enough to cover her scent in the water.

Yeah, and become a late night snack for some lucky gator.

While Franklin was distracted she crawled away and headed for the front door. Just as she reached for the knob, he was upon her, grabbing her roughly by her braids. She screamed, trying to swat his hands away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He turned her on her back. She stared up at him. The gashes on his face were now just thin red whelps. She swung at him wildly with the scalpel, trying to do more damage. But, this time Franklin was anticipating her assault and easily twisted the weapon from her hand.

"You're mine, Tara! Mine!" He tore at her shirt, using the scalpel to rip the front of her bra in half.

She screamed again as he started pulling at her jeans. "NO! STOP!" she cried.

His eyes were that of a mad man's, wild and vacant.

"I am going to fuck you then take my time draining your blood until I have consumed every last drop of it," he sneered.

Anger and desperation overrode Tara's fear. She was not going to let this bastard rape her. She'd die first before she let that happen.

She fought like a wild woman, using her legs, fist and teeth, but his strength was too much for her. He pinned her arms to the floor with one hand and straddled her legs so she couldn't move.

"You make me fucking sick to my stomach," she screamed at him. "You wanna hear some real truth, Franklin. You're a psychopath motherfucker and I'd rather die than let you touch me." She saw him wince and knew her words had somehow pierced his cloud of insanity.

He began crying uncontrollably. His bloody tears dripped on her cheek. "Why, Tara? Why don't you love me?" Then he changed modes and started mumbling to himself, saying things like, everything would be okay and she was just having cold feet.

"All couples have lovers' quarrels," he said, nodding his head. "You and I are no different, right? We'll work it out. Get to know each other better, maybe have a longer engagement. Does two weeks sound good?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you fucking serious? You just threw me against a wall and tried to rape me!"

There was a loud crash and the back door flew off the hinges. They turned to see what had caused the damage. Tara blinked several times, not believing what she was seeing.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaimed.

Standing in the doorway was something she never thought she'd see in Louisiana, except for maybe in a city zoo. It was a real, live king-of-the-fucking-jungle LION. Its ferocious roar filled the small shack, sending a chill down her spine.

Franklin quickly rose to his feet, hissing at the large feline. "GO AWAY, SHIFTER! SHE WANTS TO BE WITH MEEE!"

Tara scrambled backwards as the two predators charged at each other. The powerful beast knocked Franklin to the ground. Stunned, Tara watched in horror as the lion mauled the vampire with its sharp teeth and claws.

"Tara…Tara."

She turned to the voice calling her name. Andy was struggling to free himself but was too weak to undo the rest of the rope. She crawled towards him, careful not to get too close to the non-humans, fighting in the corner of the room.

"Dammit, I can't get the knot loose," she said in frustration.

"Then allow me," said a familiar male voice.

Tara looked up and up and standing before her was Eric Northman. His pale blond hair was glowing from the moonlight streaming through the cracked windows.

His hand moved faster than she could follow. Soon Andy was free. Eric picked up the detective and threw him over his shoulder.

"Where are you taking him?" asked Tara.

"Somewhere safe." With that he disappeared in a blur of motion.

Tara heard the painful roar of the lion and turned to see that Franklin had somehow gotten the upper hand. The beast was trying his best to buck the vampire off his back, but Franklin held fast, sinking his teeth in the back of the lion's neck. The animal roared then fell forward. Tara looked around for something she could use as a weapon. She saw her gun on the floor, next to the turned over chair.

She pointed the gun at Franklin's back and pulled the trigger. Blood exploded where the bullet struck him. He turned to face her, a look of hurt in his eyes. "Please tell me you did that by mistake."

Tara pulled the trigger again, this time hitting him in the shoulder.

"TARA!" Franklin screamed. He let go of the lion and charged towards her, his fangs bared. She closed her eyes, knowing she'd probably be dead before another bullet left the gun's chamber. She felt a breeze rush pass her. She opened her eyes to see Eric had pinned the other vampire against the wall. Franklin screamed and tried to fight him off, but he was no match for the older vampire.

Then something amazing happened. Tara turned her attention to the injured lion. The beast transformed into Sam Merlotte right before her eyes. Her jaw dropped.

What the fuck?

This could not be happening. Maybe she hit her head harder than she thought. She blinked, but he was still there, lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. She rushed to his side.

"Sam?"

He was barely conscious. Franklin had drained him within an inch of his life. If she didn't get him help soon, he could die. She cradled his head on her lap, tears stinging her eyes. She tried pressing her fingers to his wound to stop the bleeding.

"TARA!" Franklin screamed, over and over.

"SHUT UP!" Eric shot back. "This is over, Franklin."

"No! She is mine!"

Eric looked over his shoulder. "It looks to me that your human has already chosen another."

"No, she wants to be with me. ME!"

"You are a huge freak, Franklin, but valuable. If you do not want to meet your final death, I suggest you forget Tara Thornton ever existed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Never!" Franklin sneered.

"Do I need to contact your king and let him know that one of his subjects is disobeying a direct order by the Sherriff of Louisiana's Area 5? I don't think that will go well for you, considering he's negotiating with my Queen to merge our two states together."

A flicker of fear showed in Franklin's eyes. The King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington, who was over 3000 years old, ruled with an iron fist and was known to harshly punish anyone who opposed or disobeyed him. Many a vampire had met his final death by Russell's hand for much lesser offenses.

Franklin lowered his head in defeat. "No. I-I won't contact her again, I promise."

"Now go!" Eric commanded. "And give me the keys to the Lincoln."

Franklin dug in his pocket for the car keys and dropped them into Eric's outstretched hand. He walked towards the front door and paused.

"Tara," he said in a low voice. She tore her gaze away from Sam's pale face to glare at Franklin. He glanced down at Sam before meeting her eyes again.

He gave her a tense look then said, "I'm sorry to have caused you more pain." He then walked out the door and into the night. Despite, his promise to Eric and show of remorse, Tara had a nagging fear that this would not be her last run-in with the insane vampire.

"He won't bother you anymore, but you might want to think twice about deceiving me again. I won't be so forgiving next time."

Tara looked up into Eric's stern handsome face.

"I'm sorry I lied," she said. "But, I thought Andy had taken away the most important person in my life. Do you know what it's like to lose everything in the world you love and know that the person responsible is still out there? And no one is willing to do one damn thing about it."

Eric got a far off look in his eyes. "Yes, I do know," he answered quietly.

"I thought avenging Eggs' death would mean something. I thought it would take some of the pain away." She looked down at Sam. His eyes were closed and his breathing faint. "Now, because of this dark hatred I carried inside me, I'm going to lose a man who means more to me than Eggs ever did."

There was a long silence.

"You're not going to lose him, Tara."

Eric knelt down beside her. He bit into his own wrist, making a crunching sound then held it to Sam's lips.

"Drink," he instructed Sam. Sam did not respond at first, but slowly he began to suckle Eric's wrist. After a few moments, Eric pulled his arm away.

"He will live," he said matter-of-factly.

Tara stared down at Sam. The open wound on his neck and shoulder began to heal right before her eyes. Even the color returned to his cheeks.

"Tara?" Sam whispered.

Tara began crying, hugging him close to her breasts. She'd never been so happy and relieved in all her life.

She kissed his forehead, feeling his fevered warmth. "It's me, baby, I'm here. Everything's going to be okay."

Sam opened his eyes and glanced around the room. His gaze landed on Eric.

"Did you…?"

"Yes," said Eric. "You owe me, shifter."

Sam rolled his eyes and sat up. "Shit! Not again."

Eric looked amused as he tossed Franklin's car keys to Sam, who caught them in one hand. The vampire turned his back to leave.

"Wait," Tara said. "What did you do with Andy?"

"He's outside. I gave him some blood to heal his wounds. I'll fly him home."

"He'll probably be coming to arrest me in the morning since I did torture and conspire to kill 'im."

"That will not be a problem. I'll make sure the detective remembers nothing about this night."

Eric looked to Sam. "She has seen your true form. Do you want me to make her forget as well?"

"Hell No! Nobody's fucking around in my head again," Tara protested.

Sam shook his head. "She's fine, Eric. Leave her be."

"Very well," said Eric. "See you in your dreams, shifter."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Sam called after him.

Tara helped Sam to his feet. She couldn't help staring up at him in awe. "Sam, what are you?"

Sam looked uncomfortable. "I'm what you call a shape-shifter, but in the supernatural world they call our kind shifters."

"Our kind? You mean, there's more of you? I swear this world is getting weirder every day."

"You don't know the half of it."

"Really?" she said in surprise. Were vampires, werewolves and shifters just the beginning to uncovering a supernatural world unknown to most humans? Tara wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that.

"Yeah, I'll tell you whatever you wanna know, but first let's get back to Bon Temps and get cleaned up. Okay?"

Tara nodded then paused. "Sam, I wanna thank you for saving me."

"Don't you mean, Eric?" He sounded bitter.

She placed her hands on his cheeks and stared up into his pale blue eyes. "No, I mean you, Sam. You saved me from myself, and I can never thank you enough for that."

She pulled him to her. Their lips met in a soft, lingering kiss that sent fire down to her belly.

He slowly raised his head and smiled. "That kiss was definitely a start."

Considering his state of undress, it was obvious to Tara the effect that kiss had on him. She took hold of his hand, feeling smugly satisfied with herself.

"C'mon," she said, giving his hand a little tug. "Let's go home. There's a blanket in the back seat you can cover up with."

Tara stared out the passenger window as they headed back to Bon Temps. The sun was peeking over the horizon, coloring the Louisiana landscape in hues of orange, yellow and red. She couldn't recall seeing a more beautiful sunrise. She wondered if it was because it marked a new beginning, one in which she could finally let go of the darkness once and for all.

Eggs was gone. There was no bringing him back, but she was still here and it was time for her to start living again. She glanced over at Sam. His hand rested in her lap, the other on the steering wheel. She knew things would be different between them this time. It would be a real relationship, not perfect or pretty, but something solid. For once, she would have a man she could really count on.

Sam briefly took his eyes of the road to give her a comforting smile. His hand gently squeezed her thigh.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine."

And this time she really believed it.

Tara rolled over onto her back, fully sated. Smiling up at the ceiling, she said, "I think you just took king of the beast to a whole new level." Sam bent down, planting soft kisses along her neck and chin.

"You bring it out in me," he teased.

"I still can't believe that cute little collie I used to see hanging around Merlotte's was you."

"Not every time, but I can pretty much imitate any animal I want."

"Even a bird?"

Sam laughed and nodded his head.

"Sookie asked me the same question."

Tara felt a flare a jealousy. "You mean to tell me Sookie knew about this?"

Sam turned on his side, propped up by his elbow. "She found out by accident two summers ago, around the time her grandmother died. I have to admit you took the news a helluva lot better than she did. The whole thing sort of freaked her out at first. She wouldn't talk to me for close to a week."

Tara stared up at Sam's solemn face.

"I think you being a shifter is pretty fucking amazing. Way better than being a lame-ass vampire."

Sam looked surprised. "Really?"

"Hell, yeah! And it does explain a lot."

"Meaning?"

"You bark in your sleep."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her. "So? You grunt like an athlete when you-."

"Hey, watch it!" she warned, turning on her side and swatting him playfully on the arm.

Sam chuckled, rolling her over on her back. He gave her a look that made her insides flutter.

"Maybe this time, I can make you purr." He began kissing a path down her breasts and stomach and after ten minutes she was purring and grinning like a very satisfied kitten.

"My turn," said Tara. "Let's see what animal sounds you can make."

Sam laughed as she winked at him then dipped her head under the covers. Soon his laughter turned to heavy breathing. Then as he reached his climax, a howl rang throughout the trailer.

Afterwards, they lay in each other arms, her head resting on his chest. She trailed a finger lightly over his torso. "You're so warm, Sam. I always wondered why that was."

Sam sighed. "Just part of being a shifter. The two-natured are more warm blooded than your average human, but my temperature seems to go up the more excited I am."

She lowered her hand down to his sated member. "When you were inside me, it felt like you were on fire."

He kissed her on the top of the head. "You do that to me always, cher."

She smiled and closed her eyes, but his next words had her sitting erect in his bed.

"Tara, I know my trailer's kind of small. We could always find something bigger later, but maybe you might wanna…"

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

Sam gave her a sheepish grin. "Well the trailer could use some work and you're pretty good at fixin' things so…"

"Fuck you, Sam Merlotte!"

"I'm just kidding, cher, but not about the moving in part. I love you, Tara. I want you here with me."

"You're really serious about this?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't."

"I have to warn you, I ain't the easiest person to live with. Both Sookie and Lafayette will tell you that."

"I think I'll take my chances. Besides," he pulled her down on top of him, his hands gripping her backside, "I got a pretty good incentive."

"Sookie's gonna be so shocked when she comes back from Mississippi."

"About us being together?"

"Yeah, I hope she doesn't get pissed off like she did last time."

"If I know Sookie, she'll be happy for us."

"I think you're right, Sam." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "So, I guess I'm boyfriendable after all."

Epilogue

They spent the rest of the day and night in bed making love and talking about their new future together, a future Tara couldn't wait to begin. As for Jason Stackhouse, she knew it was going to take time for her to truly forgive him. She realized Jason had only done what came natural to him, being a savior just as he'd done when they were kids. It still hurt that he chose to keep his involvement a secret.

Then there was Franklin. A part of her still feared him. She would always be checking over her shoulder, wondering if he was lurking in the shadows. But she would not let her fear stop her from living her life and being happy. Sam had brought her out the darkness and into the light and there she was determined to stay. If Franklin ever did come for her again, she would be ready.

The End