Title: A Different Kind of Lining
Author: camerashy06
Characters: Pam, Tara
Summary: A normal night at Fangtasia goes south in a hurry...
Author's Note: I may expand this beyond one chapter. I haven't quite decided yet.
Being around Tara frequently no longer seemed like such an imposition to Pam. Her progeny had her quirks, but most of the time the blonde found herself not minding – and perhaps even liking – the younger vampire's continued presence around Fangtasia.
Sure, she was stubborn and every demand Pam made of her was met with some form of resistance, but Tara was slowly starting to turn into a good vampire companion.
Things weren't always sunshine and rainbows, but the good outweighed the bad a large portion of the time. And despite Tara's questionable employment record, she was shaping up to be one of the better employees Pam had ever had at the bar.
It also helped that things had been quiet on the outside drama front. As far as the blonde knew, Sookie hadn't gone and pissed off another unknown sup and dragged everyone and their brother into another bloody mess.
All in all, everything was good.
The night at Fangtasia had progressed just as swiftly as many that had come before. There had been no drunken bar fights or religious fanatics chanting obscenities outside the entrance. Ginger had even held out until hour three of being open before she let a complete stranger make a meal out of her neck.
Scouring out over the collection of people inside, Pam sat upright in her throne basking in the calmness of the night. Scanning her eyes over the crowded room once more, she finally landed her wandering sight on Tara, who was busy serving the throngs of people stationed at the bar.
The blonde always made sure to keep a close eye on her progeny when she was tossing around alcohol. Drunk humans always seemed to get a little too handsy with the younger vampire and while the sight made Pam's blood boil on occasion, she was never worried about Tara. She was worried about what Tara might do to the poor schmuck who thought it was a good idea to reach over the bar top and swat at her ass.
What the fuck do you think you're doin'?!
Just as the older vampire began to relax back into the embrace of her throne, she heard Tara's voice ring out from behind the bar. The blonde's eyes darted over to witness a wasted David Copperfield look-a-like hurdle himself over the counter and slide right in front of Tara.
Pam's ears zeroed in on the conversation, but she held her position in loo of making a scene. Her progeny was a big girl. She could take care of herself.
Tara slammed her palm into the guy's chest hard to keep him from moving closer. "Are you deaf?" she asked, annoyed more than pissed off. "Get the fuck outta here."
The man made no move to budge from where he was standing.
"I just want some service, baby," he said in a low, husky voice, the stench of alcohol seeping out of his mouth. The man ignored the force pushing against him and moved forward, reaching around to grab at the vampire's ass.
Tara Thornton didn't exercise much patience when she was human. As a vampire, she didn't exercise any at all. In one swift movement she snatched the booze-soaked man's arm, flipped him onto his back and stuck her four-inch heel hard against his throat.
Pam rose from her throne, but didn't make any movements past that. Again, an act of concern for her patron - even if he was a little redneck dick - and not her progeny, who was handling things at a mighty fine clip on her own. The scene unfolding before her, caused the corner of the blonde's mouth to tweak up into a small smile.
As far as fighting went, Pam didn't have to teach Tara anything, a fact in its own that delighted the older vampire. Her progeny was only a few weeks old and already kicking some serious ass. Sure it was a human, but she hadn't ripped his vocal cords out yet given the enticing opportunity.
"What part of 'get the fuck outta here' don't you understand?" Tara seethed, increasing the pressure beneath her foot.
The man tried to speak, but his words - or lack thereof – only stuttered out in a hoarse whisper.
"Didn't your mama teach you how to treat a lady?" she growled, letting the heel of her boot dig sharply into the side of the man's neck.
Pushing up on Tara's foot with both of his hands, the man was finally able to relieve some of the pressure. "You're not a fuckin' lady. You're a fuckin' dead whore."
Pam took the few steps down from the stage to the main floor, but progressed no further, making sure to keep a keen ear to the ongoing conversation.
Tara snapped her head back, allowing her fangs to elongate with force before she reached down and vigorously yanked the man up by his collar. "I should suck your ass dry, you fuckin' ball bag piece of shit."
"Suck away, bitch," the man countered, clearly amused by what he perceived as empty threats. "Only take that Hoover you call a mouth and move a little further south, if you know what I'm sayin'..."
Severely tempted to rip open the man's flesh and expose every main artery throughout his body, Tara gritted her teeth and refrained. Instead, opting to look over to catch a quick glimpse of her maker. Pam locked eyes with Tara and gave her a encouraging look of confidence. One that said that she trusted her progeny to do the right thing and not succumb to temptation just to get even.
Bringing her hardened gaze back to the man smirking like an idiot in front of her, the younger vampire growled lowly before releasing her grip and shoving the man a few feet away from her. She retracted her fangs and walked over to the other side of the bar to collect new drink orders, not bothering to give the man another second of her time.
The blonde vampire still had her stare trained hard on the man, who had yet to use what brain cells he possessed and vacate from his position behind the bar. She could see the intensity in his eyes and smelled his bubbling aggression. Her eyes darted down to the man's pocket where his hand was frantically trying to fish something out.
Feeling overly protective in combination with the anger brewing inside of her, out snapped Pam's fangs, ready for any stupid stunt that the blood bag would most assuredly pull. Humans were ridiculously stupid when it came to making the most sound of decisions.
Whatever the man had finally extracted out of his pocket was small enough that Pam couldn't get a clear glimpse of it. Suddenly feeling a rush of panic course through her body, the blonde took a few more cautious steps forward, continuing to track the man's movements like a hawk.
In the back of her mind, the blonde knew she couldn't act on her animalistic urge to rip the man's fucking head off because that act would undoubtedly land her in an ever bigger pile of shit. And that was something she would not do to Tara.
Pam had learned to control her irrational impulses a long time ago, but she was dealing with a completely different kind of beast if anyone ever harmed or threatened to harm someone she cared about. And with the indescribable feelings the older vampire had been suppressing over the past few weeks, she knew Tara fell into that category.
After obtaining a few new drink orders, Tara turned around to head toward the beer tap, but nearly bowled over the man in the process. "What the hell?" she groaned in agitation. "You so stupid you can't take a hint? I'm not gonna say it again. Get'cho sleazy white ass out of my bar."
The man threw his hands up, apparently conceding defeat. "Okay, okay. Damn, calm down," he said condescendingly. "I just wanted to give you a token of my affections..."
Without thinking twice about it, the man swiped his hand across Tara's face, slamming a silver cross into the vampire's cheek. "How you like it? You dead cunt."
Tara let out an ear-curdling howl and collapsed to the ground in a heap as the silver cut deeply through the exposed flesh on the side of her face.
Straightening his leather jacket and spitting down at Tara's agony-filled form, the man cockily turned around and headed for the exit. He made it all of two steps before Pam's blurry form had him slammed up against the wall by his throat.
"Goin' somewhere?" Pam fumed, a distinct fire burning behind her eyes as she tightened her grip.
"Pam, don't!" Tara yelped from her position on the floor, finally able to pry the silver off of her cheek, scalding her hand as she tossed the piece angrily to the side. "He ain't worth it."
Tara didn't need to see her maker carted off by the Authority or whoever the hell was in charge of vampires, for killing a worthless meat sack. She needed Pam. Whether or not she wanted to admit it to herself - or anyone else for that matter - was an entirely different story.
The man grimaced under Pam's vice grip, but continued to hold his resolve. "Yeah, listen to that weak pile of shit, you fuckin' fanger."
The blonde reluctantly tore her eyes from her wounded progeny and pierced her anger through the man. "You really are stupid, aren't you?"
Narrowing her eyes and letting her influence flood over the man, Pam began to glamour him. "You are a worthless fuckin' idiot. You will stay far away from here. If you ever step foot inside this bar again, I will rip off your fuckin' dick. Comprende?"
The man nodded obediently. Releasing her hold, the older vampire personally escorted the man outside before rushing back in to tend to her progeny.
Amazingly, by the time Pam had returned to Tara's side, the bar was back to functioning as normal despite the fact that a human/vampire fight had just broken out. It was a rare occurrence, but it did happen occasionally.
The older vampire crouched down, snaking her arm around her progeny's waist as Tara threw one of her own around Pam's neck, the combined effort effectively helping her to her feet.
The blonde carefully ushered Tara into the back office of Fangtasia and gently set her down on the leather couch. "You need to rest," she said in a soft but commanding tone, trying to hide the worry in her voice as she lightly stroked the younger vampire's hair. "When was the last time you fed? You're not healin' fast enough."
Tara inhaled sharply when her leather-clad arm accidentally made contact with her facial wound as she tried to adjust into a more comfortable position. "Quit fussin'; I'll be fine," she assured, but Pam's expression suggested that she wasn't even remotely convinced.
"Why do you have to attract all of the fucktards missing chromosomes in this town?" Pam quipped, resting a hand protectively on her progeny's thigh.
Feeling weaker than she realized, Tara tried to suppress her laughter. "It's good for business."
"It's not good for business...or me, if you wind up splattered all over the walls," the blonde countered, settling beside Tara's head. "You better fuckin' rest, y'hear?"
She looked at her progeny longingly, not wanting to leave her side, but with the events that had just transpired - and as a responsible business owner - she needed to be out on the floor to watch over things.
Tara nodded silently before Pam stood upright. As she made a move for the door, Tara reached out and latched onto the blonde's wrist, effectively stopping her maker in her tracks. "Thank you," she breathed out, a hair above a whisper.
Pam slowly turned and her eyes slid down to where her progeny was holding onto her. It was impossible to feel heat from a vampire, but somehow Tara's touch radiated out an intoxicating kind of warmth through the older vampire's body. She stared at the clasp and slid her own hand up to encase her fingers with Tara's.
The blonde gave her progeny's hand a firm squeeze as a non-verbal confirmation, then released her hold and made her way toward the bar, pausing before she got to the door to look back over her shoulder. The younger vampire had already succumbed to the pull of exhaustion and let her eyes flutter close.
Pam sighed contently as her lips curled up into a small smile, slipping out of the office and quietly closing the door behind her. She leaned against the wooden surface and stopped to regain her thoughts. Her calm and in control demeanor soon flooded over her body again, smacking the blonde abruptly with a dose of reality. She shook her head and proceeded to strut her way back through the cascade of bar patrons to her rightful perch on her throne.
Thinking about Tara again had another smile tugging at Pam's mouth. Realizing her slip, she huffed in frustration and went back to surveying the bar.
She hated having feelings.