3:30 pm came in no time (Apparently that’s what happens when you drive to Bon Temps, back to Shreveport, and then back to Bon Temps again all in one day).  Tara was exhausted, but too full of energy for a nap. 

She looked around at the familiar house wondering how she could ever have left.  Standing in the foyer she did a simple turn taking in the different rooms.  The kitchen and the living room were just as she remembered every time she closed her eyes. 

As Tara glanced outside thought the windows she noticed that the sunlight was waning.  That was the thing about winter.  Dusk came so early – too early.  She still had to get over to Merlotte’s to tell Sam that she moved back before he headed off to her Shreveport apartment for no reason.

“I can’t get all these by myself.  You coming?”  Sookie hollered from the top of the stairs.

“Sorry.”  Tara smiled and picked up the last two boxes from the floor.  She hadn’t meant to stand there lost in thought for so long.

Tara climbed the stairs and turned the corner into her room.  Sookie was waiting there with a huge grin on her face.

“It’s just like you left it.  You’re old room, and my old room.” Sookie chuckled and crossed her arms while Tara put the boxes on the bed.

“You know I’ve never felt more at home that I do here.  I don’t know how I could have left.”  Tara confessed putting her hands on her hips.

“I know what you mean.”  Sookie spoke softly walking over to one of the windows.

Tara stared at her friend.  She knew that Sookie must have been thinking about wherever she had been for the last three months.  Tara also knew that the blonde wouldn’t talk about it no matter how hard she pushed.  Tara sighed deciding to pick that battle later.

“I have to go.”  Sookie announced.

“What?  You’re not going to help me unpack?”

“Ugh.  I hate unpacking.”

“Me too.”

Sookie laughed and bounced towards that door.

“I have to go to Arlene’s, before work, so she can rip me a new one for not asking her permission to head out of town.  I’d almost rather be here unpacking.  Almost...”

“I’ll remember this.”  Tara called after her friend who was already downstairs grabbing her keys and heading for the door.

Tara turned back to the small mountain of boxes and bags on the bed.  Deciding to do the clothes first she unzipped and bag and began to hang up some items in the closet.  She hadn’t started the second bag before she heard the front door open.

“Sook.”  Jason called into the house.

“Hey Sook.  I need those jeans you were suppose to clean for me.  I want to wear ‘em tonight.  You get that stain out yet?”

Tara giggled as she wondered what had stained Jason’s pants so badly that he couldn’t just send them to the cleaners.

“Sook.  They’re my best jeans now.”

“She’s not here.”  Tara appeared at the top of the stairs looking down at Jason who seemed to stop in his tracks.

“Hey.  Good.  You’re still here.  I was afraid you’d run back off to Shreveport.”

“I did, but just long enough to pack.”

“You moved back?  Well damn.  Get down here so I can give you a welcome back hug.”

Tara descended the stairs shaking her head as Jason pulled her into a bear hug for the second time that day.

Jason released Tara and looked into her eyes.  “So you know where my favorite jeans are?”

Tara shook her head.

“Damn.”

“Guess you’ll have to wear your second favorite pair.”

“Guess so.”

Jason smiled that irresistible smile that has always worked so well on women.  Tara turned her head to blush and moved out of Jason’s arms and headed for the kitchen.  Tara had seen that smile before, but Jason had never really used it on her.

“I think Sookie has some beer in the fridge.  You want one?”  Tara asked as she crossed her arms.

“Depends.  What time is it?”

“3:45”

“Perfect.  I’d like to be buzzed before five.”  Jason smiled again and winked at Tara.

“Ok.”  Tara spun her heels leading the way to the kitchen.

 There was no denying that Jason was flirting with her a bit.  Maybe it was just good practice for him.  Tara shook it off and reached in to the fridge for two Budlight’s with lime.  She handed one to Jason, but he took both and just barely grazed her hand in the process.

“I’ll get that for you.”  Jason opened her’s and handed it back to her.  “ ‘sides you’ll be opening plenty soon enough.  You going back to work at Merlotte’s?”

It was half a question and half a statement.  Almost like working at the bar would solidify Tara’s relocation back to Bon Temps in Jason’s mind.

“Think so.”  Tara took a sip and sat down at the kitchen table.  Jason took the seat next to hers.

He took a long swig from his bottle and then wiped his lips before looking at Tara again. 

“Damn I missed you.”  Jason laughed.

“Oh please, Jason.”  Tara dismissed.

“I’m serious.  You know, I think you’re my only female drinking buddy.  It’s nice, being able to drink with someone who doesn’t feel the need to hit shit after they get shitfaced.”

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”  Tara laughed “I hit shit all the time.”

“Yeah, but it’s different.  It’s not annoying when you do it.”

“Thanks, I think.”  Tara giggled.

“You know you and me….and Sookie, we’re tight.”

“Yeah, like a family.”  Tara drank again.

“Well…yeah, but no.  I mean, you and me…we’re not family.”  Jason reasoned.

“What was your first clue?  The fact that I’m black and you’re white?”

“Damn it Tara.  How could you wait all this time to tell me that I’m white?”

Tara and Jason busted out laughing.  When their laughter subsided Jason finished off his beer and grabbed another.

“You want one?”  He called over his shoulder.

“Nah, I’m good.”  Tara declined.

Jason sat back down and pulled his chair closer to Tara.  He placed his hand on one of Tara’s forearms so she’d look up at him.

“I never told anyone about that Vamp I killed behind Merlotte’s before you left.”

“Franklin.”  Tara remembered.

“I even been watching what I think around Sookie so she won’t know either.”

Tara nodded it.  It hadn’t occurred to her that she would have to do that unless she wanted Sookie to know about it.  That might not be safe for everyone involved.

Jason watched Tara silently for a few moments.  “Tara, you alright?”

Tara nodded silently.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.  I was just thinking about…what led up to Franklin’s death.  If I’d known how to kill a Vampire the right way you wouldn’t have had to step it.” Well I’ve been trained.”  Jason informed Tara seriously.

Finishing off her beer Tara stood and threw the bottle into the trash. 

“What did lead up to his death?”  He asked.

“You really want to know?”  Tara’s brows drew down.  Jason was usually only worried about Jason.

“Of course.  If there’s stuff out there hurting the people I care I about I need to know so I can protect them.”

Tara shook her head and headed into the living room.

“It’s not your job to protect me Jason.

“Well sure it is.”  He followed her.  “We’re…I mean…you know.”

“No I don’t know Jason.”  She snapped, taking her anger out on him.

Jason walked up to Tara until he was only a couple of feet from her.

“I’m one of the few people who knows that I’m not the one you’re mad at.”

Closing her eyes Tara’s face fell and she sat on the arm of a nearby chair which would have upset Jason’s grandmother back in the day.

“I moved back to Bon Temps because a Werewolf came after me.”  Tara confessed.

“What?”

“That’s not the only reason, but if it hadn’t been for that…”

“Wait a what?”  Jason tried to wrap his mind around Tara’s words.

“A Werewolf.”

“You mean a man who changed into a wolf and back again.”

“Yep.”

Jason sat on the edge of the couch adjacent to the chair.  “Go on.”  He nodded ready to hear more.

“That’s it.”  Tara shrugged.  “We don’t know any more.”

“You must have been terrified.”

“A little.  A lot.  Not the first time I’ve been chased by a Were.”

“This happens regularly?”

“No.  But that’s part of what led up to Franklin’s death.  He was keeping me hostage in Jackson with the help of other Vampire’s and Were’s that were high on Vamp blood.”

“Weres that do V.  Holy shit Tara.”  Jason stood and started to pace back and forth in front of her.  “I wish I’d known about that.  Fuckin’ bastard.  You know I’m glad I killed him.”

“Me too.”

Jason stopped pacing and ran his fingers through his hair.  “I understand why you ran off now.  Hell, I’ve run off before and it only led me right back here.”

“Can’t escape no matter how far we run.”  A tear formed in the corner of Tara’s eye and escaped before she could turn her head.

Tara stood to get away from Jason, but he caught her arm.

“Fuck.”  Tara hated that he saw her crying.

“It’s alright Tara.  You don’t have to hide from me.  Come here.”  He gently pulled her into his embrace.  “I’ve got you.  You’re safe.” 

Jason rested his head on top of Tara’s why she silently cried.  He could feel her shoulders moving as she sobbed.

“You and me, we’re the same.”  Jason whispered leaning back so he could look at Tara’s tear stained face.

Using his thumb he wiped her face clean as she took a deep breath.

Tara tried to smile and laugh in spite of herself.  “Last time he were this close I kissed you.  I’m sorry.”

“No.”  Jason placed his hand under Tara’s chin.  “I should have been the one to kiss you.”

Gently Jason pressed his lips to Tara’s.

Tara pushed back out of Jason’s embrace.  “Oh my God.”

“Tara, I wasn’t trying to take at advantage.   I just…  I mean you don’t really think of me as a brother do you?”

“No.”  Tara shook her head unsure how to proceed.

“’Cause I always kind of got the feeling that…maybe you…” Jason reached up to touch Tara’s hair.

“I really like you’re hair.”  He confessed as he leaned down to kiss her again.

“Sam.”  She blurted out.

“No…Jason.”  He corrected.

“No…Sam.”

“Uh…Tara?”

“I’m with Sam.  I can’t kiss you Jason.  I can’t….do any of this.”  Tara crossed the room to put distance between them and illustrate her point.

“Since when are you with Sam?”  Jason scoffed.

“Before I left.  And now that I’m back.  And before Eggs.”

“Before Eggs?  How come I never knew about this?”

“Well, at first we were just fooling around so we didn’t tell anyone.  I was hung-up on you and Sam wanted Sookie.  But then it got real serious, then I screwed it up, then Maryann came and took advantage and practically made be break it off with him, and…”

“You were hung-up on me?”  Jason asked and Tara nodded.  “And now you’re hung-up on Sam.”  Tara nodded again.

“Sam.”  Jason seethed and started wearing a hole in the floor again.  “Sam doesn’t deserve you.”

“Why?”

“He’s a womanizer Tara.”

“If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black…”

“You said yourself that he wanted Sookie.  Then there was that Daphne person, who died…”

“Neither one of us can talk about people we slept with dying.”  Tara reminded Jason

“Tara.”  Jason looked hurt.  She had been the main one to defend him when everyone though he was a serial killer.

“I’m sorry Jason…”

“You see…you see what Sam Merlotte brings out in you.  I don’t like this Tara.”

“Well that’s too bad because we’re in love.”

Tara could see that he words stung Jason, but she couldn’t understand why.  The Jason she knew when she left wouldn’t have cared…right?

“Maybe I’ll just let Sam know that I’ll be watching him.”

Jason stormed out into the cold leaving the door wide open.

“Jason Stackhouse you get back here!”  Tara yelled over the engine of his truck.

Jason tore out of Sookie’s driveway fuming.

“Fucking idiot!”  Tara grabbed her keys and ran over to her pinto to follow him.

A few minutes later she arrived at Merlotte’s just in time to see Jason cut the engine.

“Jason.”  She yelled, but he didn’t hear her above his rage.

Tara pushed the door open as Jason called for Sam.

“Sam Merlotte.”  He yelled again.

Sam rounded the corner to see Jason and Tara standing in the middle of the bar with everyone staring.

“Jason, everything alright?”  Sam asked.

Tara tried to walk past Jason over to Sam, but he stopped her.

“Damn it Jason stop.”  She threw his arm out of the way to stand between the two men. 

Sam attempted to read the situation from Tara’s face, but all he got was stress.

“What’s going on?”  He asked her.

“What’s going on…” Jason answered taking a few step towards the bar owner “…is that you can’t seem to make up your mind.”

“What are you talking about?”  Sam shrugged

“One minute you’re in love with my sister and the next you’re all over Tara.”

“Now hold on a minute…”

“No you hold.  You never asked my permission to court Sook and you don’t have it to date Tara.”

“Excuse me.”  Sookie entered the bar for work.

“You’re permission?”  Sam stepped into Jason.

“Jason, knock it off.”  Tara warned trying to step between the two men, but Sam calmly pulled Tara behind him.  She’d never realized how strong he was.  Stronger than Jason, who never could have done that.

“If Sam is going to ask anyone for permission to date my cousin, it's me.  And last time I checked this was 2011.”  Lafayette emerged from the kitchen.

“Hey.”  Tara smiled at her cousin.

“Don’t ‘hey’ me hooka, we need to talk.”  Lafayette walked around Sam and Tara to stand between Sam and Jason.

“Why you two making this scene?  Who Tara dates is her decision and you need to respect that.”

“So you think Sam is good enough for Tara?  That man has a trunk full of secrets and Tara can’t handle anything else being thrown at her.”

“It’s her decision.”  Sam told him.

“And as her friend.”  Lafayette emphasized the word friend.  “You need to respect that.”

“Fuck this.”  Jason spat as he turned, stormed past Sookie, and left the bar.

Lafayette, Sookie, and Sam both turned to Tara wondering what brought that on.

Sookie hiked her bag up on her shoulder and walked up to Sam and Tara.

“Again?”  She accused and she went to the office to put her bag in the bottom drawer of Sam’s desk.

“What did she mean again?”  Sam looked at Tara who shrugged

 “Guess you don’t need to come to Shreveport tonight.” 

“I think we need to talk.”Sam leaned into his love still not understanding Jason’s outburst.

“It’ll have to wait.”  Lafayette informed him as he took Tara’s arm and led her to the supply closet.