Title: Jason's Story

Disclaimer: The Sookie Stackhouse universe and characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I am only playing with them.

Summary: Sookie met Bill, and it changed her life. Jason met Crystal, and it changed his life forever too. This is Jason's story about his unwilling entry into the supernatural world. Set after DAG, it begins as Jason, Michele, Hoyt and Holly head home after a double date in Shreveport. The night out was revealing. Inspired by the Every Picture Tells A Story Super Challenge.

A night out - 25 February 2006

Jason ran off, fast as a scalded cat.

Holly tried to line up her shot. Jason appeared in stark silhouette against the bright backdrop of the illuminated, downtown Shreveport fountain. In regimented lines, the fountain's water jets spurted straight up, assertively, as if to contrast with the frenzy of Jason's wild movements. Holly concentrated hard, following his dark outline. It bounced and bounded - high and then low, high and then low - while the sparkling waters sloshed and splattered and squelched behind.

"I'll have to adjust for speed,' Holly remarked. "He's not running now. He's high-hurdling ... and fast."

Holly adjusted, pointed and shot this time. She caught Jason mid-stride.

"Gotcha," she said, with a smile.

"Good, because I never knew Jason could move like that," Michele replied. Surprise accentuated her husky, southern drawl.

Holly squeezed off another couple of shots, just to be sure she'd got him. Before this double date, Holly would have liked to shoot Jason with something more lethal than a camera. In her opinion, Jason thought a lot of himself, and not so much of other people, not even best buddies. Slightly over a year ago, after meeting one girl, Crystal Norris, Jason had dumped Hoyt, his long-term sidekick, without a backward glance. Jason seemed to be just great at moving on. Usually, the girl got left behind, but this time, it had been Hoyt. Holly knew this, because Hoyt had been lost without Jason, and she'd been there to happily pick up the pieces and put Hoyt back together again. So Holly hadn't wanted to go on this double date, not with Jason involved, but Michele could be persuasive. Much to Holly's surprise, the night-out had been real fun. Jason was much more like a playful pussy cat, than his old horndog self, with Michele around.

By pressing the review button on the back of the camera, Holly flicked quickly through the photos taken. Earlier at the club, four happy faces, especially Hoyt's, stared out at her again and again. She finished up by returning to shots of Hoyt and Jason messing around like big kids by the fountain, and finally to a jumping-Jason alone on the tiny screen.

Holly's eyes widened. Jason's shirt was open. His exposed torso rippled with muscles, picked out by the glaring fountain-light.

"I guess Jason's plenty fit," she observed.

"He's a pretty physical kind of guy," Michele agreed. "Is there a good shot of his last leap?"

"See for yourself." Holly passed the camera over.

Michele looked closely at the amazing photograph of Jason in action – super-agile action. Soaring above the paving stones, Jason was caught with his legs hurdling, his arms pumping, his hair streaming out behind him.

"Wow! Good shot, Holly! But ... Does Jason's hair look longer than usual to you?"

Holly dragged her eyes away from Hoyt and Jason, who were getting mighty close to the fountain's water jets. She peered at the camera's screen.

"Hmm, maybe," Holly hedged, looking up. "He might have more hair, but he's definitely got less in the shoe department. One's missing! That might explain why Hoyt and Jason are actually in the fountain now, searching for something. I bet Jason shucked that shoe off on purpose. Any excuse to get wet. They're both just great big kids at heart."

Michele didn't raise her head. She still scrutinised the photo. "Jason's shoeless foot seems to have an extra-long toenail. Ick! And his fingers look real long, like ... like claws. See, Holly."

Holly saw. "Trick of the light," she said carefully, shrugging.

"I guess," Michele agreed, turning her attention to the fountain too.

Holly and Michele watched the two 'boys' emerge, dripping wet, with their prize. They shook themselves off. The impromptu hunt had been a success. Jason stooped to put on his drenched loafer, and then caught up with Hoyt who was lolloping back towards Holly. Pulling his dripping shirt closed over his chest, Jason smiled sheepishly at Michele, but she didn't smile back. She was giving him the once-over.

'Hey, please don't sweat it, Michele,' Jason said, on reaching her side. "I guess I got carried away. It's been a great night. And Hoyt's got stuff to cover the car seats, so they won't get wet on the drive back to Bon Temps..."

Jason's words trailed off, as Michele tweaked his short, saturated hair. Next, she examined his fingers meticulously.

'Do I pass inspection, Ma'am? Do you need to see anything else?" he flirted, deciding to make the most of the intimate, if unusual, attention.

Michele held the camera up so Jason could see the photo of himself, mid-leap. "When we get home, Jason, if your big toenail is as long as it is in this photo, there will be no inspection of anything else, until we get you one serious pedicure."

Jason looked at the screen, and then looked a little pale.

"Um, trick of the light, honey, but your wish is my command. Once we're home, I expose and you inspect. Sound fair?" He smiled at Michele, using all his considerable charm, and kissed her forehead lightly.

Michele's brow smoothed.

Jason glanced back at the shot. "And what's that, sticking up between my legs?" He winked suggestively.

Michele giggle-snorted, then handed the camera back to Holly, so Hoyt could see too. "You are too much Jason," she said, rolling her eyes.

"That's what all the women say! I'm too much." Jason pouted.

Michele tugged the loose end of Jason's belt sharply. "This is all that rose up during your frisky display, Jason. Tuck it back in, big boy, and don't you lump me in with all women. I am the woman that matters."

"Okay, okay. You are the one," he laughed, stuffing the belt back through the loops on his waistband.

Michele looked pleased as punch, instead of like she could punch him for reminding her about his reputation with the ladies of Bon Temps ... and the neighbouring parish. Make that parishes. She helped him do up the press studs on his shirt.

"C'mon," said Holly, "I'm driving. Let's make tracks or we'll be going to bed at the same time as the vampires. We need to get you two boys dried off 'nall, before you catch your death too." It was a mild night for winter, but Hoyt was already starting to shiver.

So they did – make tracks, some real wet.

Bon Temps still slept when Holly and Hoyt dropped the other two off at Jason's.

"We should do this again," Jason said, with a hopeful glance at Hoyt, then Holly. "Maybe, head on over to the Bayou in Clarice sometime?"

They all agreed. Why not? They'd enjoyed each others' company some.

As she got out of the car, Michele asked Holly, "Could I borrow your camera card? I'd get it back to you real soon. I just want to look the photos over again. Maybe, get one of Jason enlarged."

"Sure," Holly replied, as Jason opened his mouth to speak.

But Michele chimed in first. She knew him well, or so she thought. "Jason! Not a word about anything enlarging, until I've seen your toenails! Remember?"

"Sure, honey, you know me. I aim to please." He didn't say who though.

Holly passed the card to Michele, before heading off home to warm Hoyt up.

The next weekend – 4 March 2006

"I am not pleased," Michele told Jason, firmly. Those softly-spoken words twisted into Jason's gut like a corkscrew gone turbo. And that surprised him.

He threw Michele an open-eyed, disbelieving look, before flopping into the folding chair next to her. Things had been good between them, or so he'd thought. The two sat side by side on the deck behind his house. Jason looked out across his pond to the woods beyond. He loved the outdoors, especially in sunshine. This afternoon, the sun's warmth was even more welcome on his skin, because Michele's words left him chilled, as did her steady and determined look. Jason knew that look. Michele had something to say, and when she had something to say, she said it!

On the table in front of them, Jason noticed a large photo-frame, face down. A photo? His brain scrambled. Hell! If that was what he thought it was... As if ice water flowed through his veins, he froze. At the same time, he burned with the need to flee. But he didn't. He puffed out a breath instead.

Jason was as edgy as a cliff; one wrong step and he'd knew he'd be gone. Of course, the old Jason Stackhouse was already gone, had been for just over a year now. Old Jason departed this life on New Year's night, 2005. New Jason had that date etched into his memory through pain and fear and blood, during his birth in a shed in Hotshot. New Jason knew that every New Year for the rest of his life, he would remember his capture and torture at the hands, claws and jaws of Felton Norris. New Jason glimpsed Old Jason in the mirror sometimes. He looked the same - hot, with a smile that could charm the pants off a vestal of virgins - but the pre-torture, carefree (some might say careless) Jason, just wouldn't return. He'd tried, but he couldn't slip back in under the now sometimes-hairier skin.

Numbly, the new Jason willed himself to concentrate on what Michele was saying. And on breathing!

"Since we began dating, I've found out that I really like you, maybe more than just like. I want to spend time with you, maybe a long time. I want you to meet my Mom. I want to meet your sister, Sookie. I'm being straight with you, Jason. And I've been straight up with you about who I am, too." Michele paused to take a breath. Jason was very quiet, quieter than she'd expected. He usually liked to talk.

She watched him. He watched the photo frame.

Michele continued on in the only way she knew how, forthrightly. "So what I'm saying is... I'd like for us to get tighter, but for that to happen, you gotta be straight up with me too."

Jason still didn't speak. He couldn't. His mouth was as dry as a bone from a werepanther's kill. He struggled to swallow. Finally, an audible gulp rewarded his efforts. And that was it, the response.

Showing more wisdom than she knew, Michele refrained from saying, 'Cat got your tongue?'. Instead, she reached out with a steady hand and turned the photo frame over. Jason looked at it and saw ... yet another 'Oh Shit Moment' heading his way. You'd think I'd be used to 'OSMs' by now, Jason thought, as he felt himself disconnect; it was that out of body experience again. But this time, he wasn't watching himself from quite far enough away. He wasn't quite numb enough either. Jason's heart pounded and blood beat in his ears. Now he couldn't think or speak, although he wanted to scream long and loud; then use up all the curse words he'd even known, and after that, make some up.

Jason didn't know if he could do this. And he didn't mean the swearing.

In the black-edged frame, a silhouette stood out. The stunning action-shot of Jason jumping, in front of the Shreveport fountain, appeared even better enlarged. It showed even more detail.

It was Jason, but not.

Michele broke the silence again. "With me, Jason, what you see is what you get. I know you like that about me. No skeletons in the closet. Nothing hiding to jump out and bite you in the ass when you least expect it. Well, I need the same from you, honey. Tell me what I am seeing in this photo."

Jason's face had turned white under his tan at the mere mention of biting. He'd thought he was over that reaction, but then, seeing Sookie's injuries after her 'car accident' had dredged up a whole truckload full of bad-memories-with-bite again. And Jason knew a bite mark when he saw one; Sookie'd had a few. She'd been captured in her own yard too, just like him. Now, he remembered the bruising force and the shooting pain, as his flesh had torn open between the jaws of the werepanther who'd taken him down - right here in his own back yard. Jason still wasn't 100% comfortable being out on the deck. It wasn't a logical feeling - he'd told himself that 100 times - but he just couldn't help avoiding the place, unless he was with someone else. He grimaced. He knew it was stupid, but there it was.

Michele waited. Jason was obviously struggling, big time. She stood the frame up on the wrought-iron table before them.

They both stared at the photo.

Spectacular, Jason thought. Spectacularly supernatural! Spectacularly stupid 'nall to get caught like that - partly-transformed. That night, he'd become overexcited, because he'd been enjoying himself, really enjoying himself, with his best buddy and his best girl, and he'd lost it a little. He'd actually been living in the moment, instead of just pretending he was. Jason felt trapped... But instead of panicking, like he would have once, at the very thought of being captured in any way, he slowed his breathing down, just as Calvin had taught him to do during their mentoring sessions. He wasn't helpless, he told himself. He wasn't.

Jason concentrated on Michele's calm voice, as she started to explain her suspicions. Her voice always sounded husky, sorta sexy to him. He could listen to it a lot. She was saying, "You know, it's not just the photo that's made me think there might be more to you than your good looks and charm, Jason. Every full moon, you go hunting ... or fishing ... or just somewhere else, and you never miss. You don't get back before dawn either. And sometimes before you leave, I've seen your eyes look different ... golden."

Michele waited again.

Through fogged senses, it gradually dawned on Jason that this situation had been bound to happen, one way or another, sooner or later, like it or not. After all, he was practically living with a ... human, and Michele was anything, but ... stupid. Yes, it had been an accident waiting to happen, that photo.

"C'mon, Jason. It's me you're with," Michele told him. "And I've been with you through the shocking death of your estranged wife and the loss of your unborn child, the disappearance of your friend, Mel, and the warnings about a crazy guy called Drake or Dermot, who weirdly is a dead ringer for you, wanting to do us harm." The husky voice he liked stayed level. "If we're going to be in this together, you need to trust me. Every picture tells a story, Jason. Tell me this picture's story."

Somehow, those words relaxed Jason. He'd always been able to tell a good story; be outside looking in. Suddenly, he yearned to tell Michele his tale. He'd never told it before. Jason's mind cleared and he raised his face to the sun. It always made him feel better.

Ungluing his tongue, he turned to Michele and said, "Pour me some of that sweet tea, you've got there, honey?"

"Sure," Michele replied. "I could do with a drink myself." She pulled the tray she'd prepared earlier over and filled two, tall glasses. Then, they both drank. Jason guzzled, almost happily. Michele sipped, quietly relieved that Jason seemed to be able to function again. For a while, she thought he'd gone catatonic. Michele hadn't thought this would be such a big deal for him. After all, wereanimals were out, weren't they? Still, she'd been there at Merlotte's with Jason during the shapeshifters' Big Reveal, and he hadn't said a thing, let alone transformed into something else.

Jason set down his empty glass. "Okay then, Michele, I'm going to tell you the story," he said, with a tiny smile.

"Good," Michele replied, while pouring him another glass of tea. She beamed a reassuring smile back his way. Jason wrapped himself in the warmth of it, forgetting his earlier chill.

He began - no more pussyfooting about.

"Once upon a time, at about 11 o'clock on a cold winter's night ... New Year's night in 2005 ... a man named Jason Stackhouse came home after helping out his sister, Sookie. She'd had a problem. A big, vampire problem called Eric, right there in her house. Jason'd always thought she was crazy, gettin' involved with vampires. They weren't nothin' but trouble, the way he saw it. Still, on that night, he helped her get a real good deal - $35000 worth of deal - for her trouble and he'd been pretty pleased with himself, coz he knew some of that would come his way. Yep, by the time he got home to his new lover, Crystal Norris, he sure was happy. Little did he know, he had a big, supe-sized problem waiting for him at his own house.

"When Jason pulled up out front, he saw something run around the side of the house. He wasn't sure what he'd seen, but without thinking much, he jumped out of his truck fast and ran right after it. That was a mistake. He should have run inside to pick up his Benelli. Things might have been a heck of a lot different then.

"Once Jason had circled round to the back, he thought he'd been wrong. There was nothing or no one to see on the deck. He decided to check out the pond, and began walking down towards the dock. It was then that something or someone jumped him from behind. Wham! Bam! It walloped him on both shoulders. The jolt snapped his neck back, but the rest of him staggered forward and then something tore right into the flesh on his back. It hurt like hell. Jason fell and hit the ground hard. He yelled, but it was more like a gargle. He'd no air left to make a noise with, not after the wham-bam. Jason lay flat out, stunned for a moment. Then something that felt like wildfire shot through him. Adrenalin, maybe. Anyway, his blood was pumping and it made him move. He got back up ready for the fight, but he prayed real hard too, that the enemy had gone away. But it hadn't.

"He saw a half-man, half-animal standing staring at him, panting. The outside lights were on, so he could see this ... thing, mighty clear. The thing was covered in pale hair, all sticking out in tufts. It had claws for hands and feet, and a face like a cat's with weird-shaped, yellow eyes. It was like something from outta a horror film. And its teeth... Think real big and pointy, with red all around them. Blood! Jason's blood! He'd been bit.

"Jason just about passed out cold, when the thing spoke.

"You can't have her," it said, all growly-like. Suddenly, Jason got it. This was about a woman. But which one?

"Then, the thing stalked towards him, real graceful 'nall. Jason began backing up, and fast. The thing circled around and herded him down towards the pond away from the house. He hoped Crystal was alright and that she was ringin' the police or an animal tamer right that minute.

"She's mine," the thing snarled out.

"Jason didn't have a clue. 'Who?' he asked, in a voice all choked up with fear. His whole body practically vibrated with it.

"Then he remembered again that Crystal was in the house and that he should yell for help, so he opened his mouth, but at that moment, the thing leapt and when it leapt, it changed into a freaking panther. Just like that. A panther! Jason didn't have time to run. His disbelief ... okay, panic ... made a statue outta him. Maybe he yelled or screamed. The animal definitely yowled real loud though, as it pounced.

"That pounce struck Jason with a fierce force, shunting him backwards and then down. He hit the dock's planks with a wallop that hurt so bad, he didn't think he'd ever get back up again. And warm blood washed down his arms. He musta lifted them up at the last second to protect himself. As if! Those panther claws slashed like razors. Each cut stung like a bitch, but the fear was worse because Jason started to think he might be this thing's dinner. The panther just stood there though, sorta purring at him. Jason lay still, wondering why the big cat didn't go in for the kill. It looked mighty hungry to him. He prayed it didn't like Jason Stackhouse flavour. Then Jason had a nasty thought... Cats liked to play with their food before eating!

"That nasty thought scared him silly, but it made him hope 'nall. He might not get killed! Not yet, anyhow! The nasty thought started an idea in Jason's brain. Run! It wasn't much of an idea, but run, run, run kept on repeating itself over and over. Jason knew it made no sense. Runnin' prey only excited the hunter. He knew that for a fact, cos he'd always been the hunter before, and he'd been plenty excited doin' the chasin'. When the panther slinked one step nearer to him, Jason scrambled up and ran for it, back towards the house. He couldn't help himself. He just ran like a bat outta Hell, and prayed to God for a miracle. He yelled for help too, but not for long.

"The panther leapt on Jason from behind, whacking him across the back of the head this time, and he thought he was dead meat. He fell on his face and that was it.

"But it wasn't. He woke up alive! And being bit, like a pet's chew toy gets bit. The panther's teeth sliced right through his shirt and..." Jason licked his dry lips. "The panther never bit out a chunk though. It just chomped on him. I screamed and I screamed. I thrashed and I thrashed, but the animal's teeth tore into me more if I moved. I gradually realised I was trussed up like a turkey 'n gagged 'nall. Soon, Jason lay as still as he could, so the bites wouldn't tear so much, but I couldn't stop screaming, even though it was useless. Duct tape muffled me up completely."

Jason's voice had sped up, but now he paused, remembering. "The pain was beyond belief," he went on, almost to himself. "The fear, too. When the animal started to gnaw on the blood-stained shirt, tears ran down Jason's face. He thought he'd be eaten alive."

Jason took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. He'd thought he was a goner. He'd thought he hadn't done much with his life. He remembered the hot tears running down his cheeks and the pee and poop running down his ass cheeks. He wouldn't be revealing that last bit though. A man had his pride. Michele sat still, as silent now as Jason had been earlier after the 'Reveal' in the photo frame. Jason found he wanted to fill it, the silence, so he kept right on talking, to Michele, even though it looked like he was talking to the photo in its frame.

"I prayed for help," he said, "like I'd never prayed before. I didn't know where I was, but it wasn't my house, or my yard, or my woods. I was in a cold ... no, freezing ... room on a hard ... and freezing ... concrete floor. Somewhere! And I thought I was panther take-out."

Jason stopped again and took sip of tea. So did Michele. She wished the drink was hot; she felt chilled now, despite the warm sunshine. She'd noticed that Jason had gradually slipped into using 'I' instead of 'he' during the story-telling, and she hoped that talking like this was helping him. Better out than in, she'd always said, but for once, she couldn't think of one forthright thing to say. She didn't have to, as Jason took up the tale again.

"Then the panther changed into a man, right there in front of me. I thought I'd gone mad as a crawfish tossed into boiling water, but naw - the pain had cleared any foggy bits in my brain right up. It was a man alrighty, and one with my blood on his face. And he looked hungry, just like the panther had. Yep, that pale-haired man stood there all naked, just lookin' at me and lickin' his lips. I guess I was tasty, in a way I never wanted to be. Then, he left real quick, sayin' nothin'. He turned off the light on his way out and I heard the door close and lock. It was completely dark and I was completely alone. But I was real glad to be left alone. Then, I started shaking so hard, that it hurt too.

"My thoughts were mighty shaky 'nall. I knew I was in big trouble, but at the same time, I couldn't believe what was happenin'. Don't get me wrong now. Right from when I was young, I knew bad stuff happened to people. Hell, I was still a child when both my parents died. Murdered, I know now... But that's another story. Back in that shed, I just couldn't believe it, is all. There I'd been in my own yard, when a thing that could change from an animal into a man and half-way-in-between too, kidnapped me. Then, it seemed to be tenderising me, before going in for the kill or somethin'!

"'Course, I got to believe it was really happenin', real quick. Every day the man brought me water, and meat that ain't hardly touched a grill. Every night he changed into a panther in front of me, bit me ... however much he liked, changed back into a man, and left. Every day and every night! Every day and every night I thought I would die. Badly.

"The thing kept me as his 'house-guest' for 4 days and 4 nights. That time's mighty hazy now, sorta all rolled up together, messy 'nall. Sometimes I wondered if Crystal was the 'her' he'd meant on the night he'd grabbed me, but it didn't seem real important. He never said nothin' anyhow. I just kept on thinkin' I should be able to get away, but I couldn't think how. Stupid's how I felt. Sorry for myself too. I tried to sleep. I damn well tried for unconsciousness, but it was so cold ... and I was in so much pain from the cuts and the bruises and the bites that I couldn't get any rest. I hoped that Crystal had the police looking for me. She didn't, but Sookie did.

"After a while, I got weak. I'd lost a lot of blood and upchucked a lot of my 'rare' dinners. The thing didn't even need to keep me tied up or gagged then. I could hardly move or speak, let alone think, though I did. Maybe I went a bit crazy, coz I prayed that Sookie would ask the vampires to find me and kill the thing. I figured vampire monsters would have to know about shapechanging monsters, right? And then I prayed that if the vampires couldn't kill it, they'd kill me instead. Yep, real batshit crazy, I got. I did deals with God 'nall. I promised to change my ways and be a better man, if I lived. Hell, I hadn't done much with my life - just looked out for myself after my parents died. But I promised God, I'd shape up, settle down, get me a wife and have some kids. Be a regular churchgoer 'nall. It sounded like a mighty fine deal to me. If only I could be saved.

"And then I was. Saved! Sookie and Sam Merlotte came for me. I'd about given up. I think I'd even begged the thing to get it over with and eat me up. But I was glad to be saved. Real glad."

Jason looked at Michele. Her eyes were round like saucers. She finished off her tea in one big gulp. Jason sipped his drink, calmly. He glanced towards his dock and he didn't shiver, not once.

"Just one question," Michele said, getting herself together, quick. "What happened to that biting ... number one ... asshole ... werepanther?"

"Dead," said Jason, looking into Michele's eyes. "Real glad about that too."

Michele looked a whole lot happier then, as did Jason. Michele wasn't freaking out and he liked that. He liked that a lot.

"After the rescue, Sookie fixed me up at her house," he told Michele. "She explained about shapeshifters and how she'd come to find me. She saw a panther paw-print out on my dock, but Sookie never knew about the werepanthers, not until she mentioned the print to Sam. He knew, being a shapeshifter 'nall. Felton Norris, the werepanther who captured me and kept me in his shed, was Crystal's ex-boyfriend ... who didn't wanna be so ex. It's kinda complicated, but he figured that if he changed me from a human into a werepanther - biting will do that – then, Crystal wouldn't like me so much."

After a pause to collect his thoughts, Jason explained, "Now, it's sorta hard for me to say, but I don't think Crystal liked me that much anyhow." He shook his head as if he still couldn't believe that that had happened. "I've thought on this some, 'n I guess Crystal just wanted me for a good time, not a long time." He shrugged.

Michele didn't say anything, but she could understand Crystal's point of view. After her own divorce, she'd been out looking for a good time, and Jason, with his horndog reputation, had fit that bill. Who'da thought she'd still be dating Jason Stackhouse three months later? In horndog-time, three months was probably more like three years. Michele kept her thoughts to herself for once, as Jason went on.

"Crystal wouldn't stay faithful to me, even after we married, even when she was pregnant. Not that she wanted to be pregnant! But I thought it was all meant to be. I'd promised God, if he saved me, I'd do the right thing. I figured Crystal, being pregnant was my test. It was my time to step up, settle down and marry, especially with Crystal being a werepanther 'nall. That last bit seemed real important at the time, coz Felton's plan worked."

Michele heard raw pain in Jason's voice, as he spoke, and she'd been with Jason long enough to know that Felton Norris hadn't been the only werepanther he got bit by. In her own way, Crystal had caught him, chewed him up and spat him right back out too. Spat him right into my lap, Michele thought, and so far that hadn't been a bad thing, for either of them she hoped.

Jason stared at the photo in its black frame. "Yup, Felton's plan worked," he confirmed. "He bred himself a werepanther, one named Jason Stackhouse. Hell, I was real mad about it at first. After getting saved, all I wanted was for my life to get back to normal, and after a while, I could smell food again without feeling sick and I could sleep again, without waking up yelling. But I knew I was going to change, even before that first full moon. My bites and bruises healed up fast – no scars!" Jason recalled how happy he'd been about that – the no-scarring part, not the turning-into-a-monster part.

"Anyhow, I did change into a werepanther," he said to Michele, who nodded. "The first time was on a Wednesday night, 26th of January 2005. Sookie took me to Hotshot for it and Calvin Norris - he's the werepanthers' leader – he helped me. The first transformation can be mighty dangerous. Some die, but I got through it easy. Calvin ain't sure how come, but changin's real simple for me. And I can transform a bit outside the full moon time too. Bitten weres – that's me – ain't normally able to do that. Maybe I can, coz I got bit so much, or maybe transformin's just somethin' I'm good at." Jason shrugged. It was a mystery.

"'Course, I ain't never gonna turn into a proper panther. I'm not 'blood'; that means born to it. I'm 'bitten', and bitten weres change into half-man, half-animal creatures, not beautiful animals. Sorta horror-movie style." He knew how he'd rather look. He sighed.

Jason nodded towards the photo on the table. "I'm just starting to change there, but even when I'm fully changed, I ain't much different to that. I look like a hairy man with a panther face and claws. I'm plenty scary and strong for the hunt, but I'm sure no pretty picture. Calvin didn't let us transform at the Big Reveal and I was disappointed about that back then. But now I'm glad. I ain't sure I'd like regular folk to see me as a bitten were just yet. Don't get me wrong. When I'm changed at full moon, it's totally ... wild and exhilarating. Every single full moon, I feel like being a werepanther is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

"But the full moon change is the easy bit. Learnin' to be a werepanther the rest of the time when I'm livin' in the same house and doin' the same job, as I ever did... And then keepin' the whole thing secret... Well, it ain't been easy. Calvin's been teachin' me werepanther ways – some of 'em takes some getting used to 'nall – but I'm learnin', coz I want to survive. Back at the start, when Crystal and Mel, blood werepanthers both of them, were around, their company kinda helped ... but deep down, I knew I was faking it. The Hotshot werepanthers ain't so trusting neither, and after Calvin got shot that time, they wanted to kill me. They thought it was me gettin' even for being bit. And I bet the same thing happened after Crystal's murder, but both times, Sookie found the real murderers and saved my ass. She came through for me. 'Course she couldn't fix Crystal being unfaithful. Neither could Calvin and that ended up being a mighty big mess." Calvin's hand too, Jason remembered. Things went right downhill after that.

"Faking it did work, more or less, 'til Crystal was unfaithful. Then everything I thought I'd been doing right seemed all wrong." Yup, this horndog bit off more than he could chew when he dated a werepanther, Jason thought. "Crystal being pregnant and unfaithful really shook me up," he admitted, "coz I was trying to keep my promise to be a better man and that meant being a good husband... And I cared about Crystal."

Michele didn't say anything. She'd been there and done that once herself – cared about the wrong person. She'd even married that wrong person too. Knowing that Jason could actually care about someone, other than himself, was the thing to remember, the way she saw it.

Jason was grateful for Michele's silence. She usually had a lot to say. But her silence kept him talking, and it felt right. "After Crystal fucked Dove Beck," he continued levelly, if not easily, "I wanted my life to get back to normal again ... like it was before, but Hoyt wasn't around to hang out with. He was all about Holly. But people say 'fake it till you make it', so I did. I kept right on pretendin', even when I felt like I was watching my own life goin' on around me ... like it was a story, a horror story, that is. Anyhow, I kept faking it, coz I wanted to make it, real bad. So I decided to start dating again, and that's when I met you and you've been with me through some real tough times, especially Crystal and my baby being crucified. But you've held it together. Hey, you probably held me together!" He paused, and caught Michele's eye. "So I will tell you now that Mel nearly killed Crystal, and he thought he had ... because he loved me, sick love, but Crystal and my baby were finished off, crucified ... by others."

"What happened to Mel then?" Michele asked. She'd always wondered about Mel. Jason hadn't been himself after Mel's disappearance.

"He's dead. Were justice ain't no picnic." Jason felt the corkscrew twist tighter in his gut. Hunting was one thing; tearing someone you knew limb from limb in your own yard was another ... even if they'd done something mighty terrible.

"And those 'others' who finished Crystal off?"

"Dead now too." Not soon enough though, Jason thought, considering how Sookie looked.

Michele nodded, satisfied.

Relief washed over Jason, like the Shreveport fountain's illumination once had. He'd exposed himself, but Michele wasn't calling him a freak. He soaked up the moment and it felt great, just great, having someone to tell, someone who could handle herself, someone to be on his side. He went right on talking.

"I've wanted to blame everyone and everything for all the bad that's happened. But I just went out with the wrong girl, is all. Me and Sookie, we both dated a supe – Sookie got Bill; I got Crystal - and then we couldn't get away from that supe's world, even when we wanted to. I ended up with werepanther blood in my veins, and Sookie's got a lot of... Well, that's her story to tell, I guess."

Jason picked up the photo in its frame. "In this picture," he said, "I was real happy for once, not just pretendin'. I thought that things were gonna to be okay, not the way they used to be, but maybe even better, werepanther 'nall."

Michele looked at the photo and then at Jason. "You've done real well to man up and survive so much. But I've gotta ask you, have you been faking it with me?" Michele knew what she needed to know.

"Naw, you're about the only thing that's felt right. I like you real well and you're the first human I've come out to. I'm not sayin' I'd feel right telling anyone else just yet, but I feel better for tellin' you." And he did.

Michele considered. "Well, that's some story Jason Stackhouse. I sure didn't expect it. And I'm sorry those things happened to you. But you being a werepanther 'nall hasn't bothered me one bit so far." She'd take the werepanther over the horndog any day, now. "So that's the picture's story," she concluded. "No more to tell? No fairies at the bottom of your garden or bats in..."

Michele stopped. Jason looked a bit sick. What now?

"Aw hell, Michele! Sometimes what you see is not what you get." He held the photo up for Michele to see. "I'm telling you straight. This photo," he shook it a little, "is of me - a once-human werepanther and a part-fairy."

Michele gave her head a shake. "'Well, I know you're not even a little itty-bit gay Jason, so that must mean fairies exist. At the bottom of your garden?"

"Naw, not my garden. Maybe over at Sookie's though. They like her a real lot. Me? Not so much, coz I look like Crazy Dermot, who might or might not want to hurt me or people I care about. Fairies ain't out yet though, so you gotta keep this just between us two." He hoped he didn't end up getting Michele killed like he did Crystal. Those fairies hadn't crucified her and his baby for nothing. All Crystal had done was date the wrong person too; him!

Michele took the photo from Jason's grasp and placed it face down on the table again. She took one of Jason's hands in her own. "You should know by now you can trust me," she said. Their fingers entwined.

Jason nodded. Michele'd been mighty grown-up about all this. He liked that. He just kept on liking things about Michele. The corkscrew twist in his tummy unwound, as he realised his new self was smiling on the inside, as well as on the outside.

Michele smiled back at him. "Let's you and me get ourselves a stiff drink. Your story had a real bite to it, honey," she said, with an affectionate wink. Yup, he'd take affection over rejection any day.

Jason actually managed a snort, not a sniffle, at Michele's 'biting' comment, and that snort turned into a purr of contentment as they made their way inside - photo forgotten. Jason might just have landed on his feet.

After settling themselves inside the house, all cosy and warm, they held hands tightly and nice, big bourbons easily. Michele said, "Alrighty then, tell me your fairy story now, Jason." So he did.

Later, Michele and Jason got a lot tighter, in more ways than one.

No biting, of course.

Two weeks later – 18 March 2006

The steaks were ready. Jason planned on cooking them real well - real well-done, that is. That's the way he liked his meat these days, except at the full moon. As he cleaned down the grill out on his deck, all alone, he knew something good had happened. He was happy in his own skin, in his own yard, with his girl in the house making salads, while waiting for his sister to come by. It felt right, and he didn't want to go back any more. He wanted to go forward.

Michele shouted out from inside, "Fire up the grill, Jason! I just heard Sookie's car pull up out front. I'll bring her through, and then finish up here, while you cook. You okay?"

"Sure am, honey," Jason shouted back. "Sure am." And he wasn't pretending.

Through blood, sweat and tears, he'd moved on. It hadn't been easy, but he'd changed, and not only into a werepanther. New Jason knew what he wanted now. He still wanted to be a better man, a better boyfriend, a better brother - just better. He wanted to keep his deal with God, the one he'd made in that fear-filled shed in Hotshot.

Just maybe not the regular church-goin' bit, is all!