"I'm here to say goodbye, child. You know with my new position, I can't have a monster in the family."
Tara didn't blink an eye.
"What family? Your only family was whatever liquor bottle you could get your hands on. Goodbye."
Lettie Mae said nothing for a few moments, before answering Tara.
"Goodbye, Tara."
And with that, Lettie Mae walked out of Fangtasia and out of Tara's life. Tara sighed, then noted that Eric and Pam were staring at her. She walked over to them.
"I hope she wasn't too annoying. Listen, I talked to Bill and he made a deal with me." Tara told them.
"What kind of deal?" Pam asked suspiciously.
"He's giving me a week to find a replacement wife for Russell Edgington. If I can't then..." Tara trailed off, eyeing Pam.
"Then you damned well better!" Pam countered. But Eric tapped his fingers along the arm rest of his throne.
"It is not an impossible task." he conceded.
"No, it isn't!" Tara said excitedly. "And Bill doesn't think that the woman has to be a vampire! That means we have a lot more to work with."
"What stupid human bitch would marry Russell Edgington?" Pam noted with disgust.
"Yeah...uh...Bill said he has no more money either. Without it, he isn't much." Tara said.
"I'm glad you ladies can agree on something." Eric noted. Still, Bill was giving them an out. But only because he had found it to be a daunting task. And he didn't think Tara would be able to do any better. But Eric could also see that Tara didn't agree. He stood up from his throne.
"Let's continue this conversation in my office."
"Actually," Tara began, "I just came here to tell you that I'll find a wife for Russell and tell Bill about her. I'm really here to pick up my things and say goodbye."
Pam rolled her eyes!
"What is this shit? Are you planning on staking yourself again? Just make sure you find a wife for Russell, that isn't me, first!"
Tara ignored Pam and looked at Eric.
"I'm taking a job with Alcide Herveaux and I'm going to be living with Sookie. And I understand that I have an obligation to you both. I'll make sure Pam doesn't get stuck marrying Russell."
And with that, Tara turned to walk away from them. She went in the back, her destination, the basement door. It was best to make a clean break now.
Pam stared after Tara, then looked at Eric.
"So? What now?"
"Tara will get us out of trouble and then she will come back here."
Pam raised a brow.
"Did you hear her? She's going to work for that werewolf and live with Sookie."
"I doubt that arrangement will work out." Eric answered.
"Which one? The job or the new digs?" Pam asked. Eric looked at her and smiled before answering.
"Both." he said.
Meanwhile, Tara made a small stop before leaving Fangtasia for good. She eased into Eric's office, turned on his computer and plugged the USB drive into the console. She found a file that was labeled 'Sex Act'. When Tara clicked onto it, she could see it was a video. She took a deep breath and opened it.
If Tara had been able to turn red, she would've! But her eyes never left the screen as she watched herself and Eric. There had been a small part of her that hoped Eric had been lying somehow, and that she had indeed been with Jason.
But no. This was Eric Northman alright! Tara tilted her head as she watched not herself, but him, as he was clearly immersed in the throes of passion. She was a little thrown to see that he had kissed her at one point, she didn't know why but she as. And Eric didn't sound as if he were just groaning! Tara turned up the sound slightly. Was that some kind of foreign language he was moaning? It sounded kind of...uh...sexy...
Tara pursed her lips, as she watched their bodies sensuously mold and blend into one another, her dark flesh against his white skin. How long did Bill stand there taping them anyway? The filthy bastard!
Tara stopped the video, dragged it to the trash, pulled out the USB drive and turned off the computer. Unfortunately, in her rush to get out of there, she forgot to empty the trash itself, leaving a nice copy of the video for anyone with access to that computer, to view. She then picked up her things and left the office, walking out into the bar. Pam was at the door ordering one of the bouncers to drag two human drunks out into the alley. She glanced at Tara, then dismissed the bouncer.
"Well, well. Off to Sookie's?" Pam asked blithely.
"Like you care. I meant what I said. I will make sure that Bill has another wife to offer Russell. I am grateful for what Eric and yourself have done for me."
Pam grinned!
"If you think you've seen the last of me, or Eric, you've got another thing coming. He does OWN Sookie's house, in case you didn't know. Frankly, I don't understand what the fuck either of you see in Sookie Stackhouse. Eric just slobbers over her and you'd let someone blow your head open for the bitch."
"Sookie is my friend. My girl. Clearly you've never had a friend you would die for?"
Pam raised a brow. It then lowered.
"I'd die for Eric."
"Then you do see. I have to get going." Tara said and looked around. She didn't see Eric anywhere...
"You did a good job of covering before." Pam said. Tara turned back to face her.
"Covering?"
"When your mother all but cut you off. You did a good job of acting as if you didn't care. You know in a hundred years, you won't remember what that bitch looked like."
That was probably the nicest thing Pam had ever said to her, so far, Tara thought. And she certainly didn't want to spoil their 'tender moment'.
"Thanks. Where did Eric go? I wanted to tell him goodbye and thanks for everything."
Pam grinned again!
"Didn't you hear what I said? You 'll be seeing us soon. But enjoy the job with that mangy werewolf." Pam said and turned to walk off. Tara sighed, looked around, then left Fangtasia. Her destination: Sookie's.
Alcide was about to switch off the desk lamp, in his construction, office trailer. Tara would be here tomorrow night. Debbie's sister, Sandra was going to stay late to help train her.
Sandra didn't seem as if she thought anything was suspicious about Tara, though she had asked him repeatedly if he had seen Debbie. Alcide told her part of the truth. That Debbie was on V again. He then said she had up and run off.
He had no idea how long that story would stick. But when it didn't, he'd think of something else.
Alcide was about to walk towards the door, when it opened and Eric Northman stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind him.
"I hope I haven't caught you on your way out." Eric said, then helped himself to a chair. Alcide took a deep breath and turned to sit on the edge of his desk.
"Would it matter if you did?" Alcide asked.
"No," Eric admitted, "so, this is where Tara will be working. It seems rather cramped."
"I'll pass along your concern for her comfort tomorrow night. Now if that's all..."
"I think you know it isn't. I watched you with Tara the other night. All of this 'concern' for her, isn't just about protecting Sookie, or making Tara's sudden vampirism, up to her, is it?"
"I don't need to make anything up to Tara." Alcide said gruffly.
"Again, you take me for some kind of fool, Alcide. I was actually on the premises after Debbie Pelt shot Tara. When Bill Compton and I arrived, there was Tara AND someone else. That someone else was dead...by Sookie's hand." Eric answered, his eyes boring into Alcide's.
"Stop eyeballin' me, Northman! If you think you're going to glamour me into taking back my offer to Tara, you can forget it!"
Eric stood up.
"I wouldn't be so crude. This arrangement isn't going to work out. And it isn't going to work out, because eventually, your dead girlfriend's people are going to put two and two together. Tara can now protect herself. Sookie can not."
Alcide folded his arms.
"So this visit is about Sookie and not Tara?"
"This visit is about how you plan to handle a mess that you created."
Alcide unfolded his arms.
"Let's cut the bullshit. You turned Tara so that, as usual, you could get into Sookie's pants."
"I'd say the same for this job offer." Eric replied.
"But," Alcide continued, "Sookie isn't bitin' or isn't as grateful as you expected. Worse yet, we know what a pistol Tara is. And yet you need to keep her under your thumb, to make points with Sookie."
Eric said nothing to any of it. Alcide continued.
"I'm doing what I'm doing, not only to help Tara, but because I think you're a piece of shit. You already used the money my father owed you, against me to weasle work out of me. I didn't mind protecting Sookie, but that burying Russell Edgington bullshit was out of line. The Herveaux's have paid you back fifty times over!"
"Is there a point to this?" Eric asked coolly.
"Yeah. There is. Tara told me about what you did to her. Fucking her when she wasn't at herself. She's been through a bad experience, no thanks to one of Edgington's vamps, so..."
"And she'll get past it and put it out of her mind." Eric answered. "Now let me tell you what MY point is: I suspect...no...I KNOW that you now harbor a prurient interest in my progeny. Tara is free to fuck whomever she likes...within the vampire and human race. But I will not tolerate any interspecies relationships. Are we clear?"
"My ass you won't! I know that other vamp you sired, fucked two girl werewolves last fall!" Alcide snapped.
"That was an unfounded rumor. Pam would never be so crude. And you won't either. Are we clear?"
"I think it's up to Tara." was Alcide's reply, before the door to the trailer opened, and Sandra Pelt stepped in.
"Oh! Excuse me, Alcide! I just forgot some paperwork from earlier." she said, eyeing Eric. Eric gave Alcide a parting, chilly look, did not acknowledge Sandra at all, then left. Sandra stared at the closed trailer door briefly, before facing Alcide.
"What was HE doing here?"
"He's Tara's maker. He's not happy about her working here."
"Jesus! He doesn't want her to better herself?"
"I don't want to talk about that sonofabitch anymore," Alcide said tiredly, "will you lock up?"
"No problem, Alcide. I'll lock up and then meet my parents. We've organized a prayer vigil for Debbie. I know you'll want to be there too." Sandra said, kind of slyly.
"Sandra, we talked about this. I abjured her. I have no interest in finding a woman that betrayed me like she did, okay? But I hope she's okay. Goodnight." Alcide said, then left the trailer. Sandra slowly walked over to the window and watched as Alcide got into his truck and drove off.
Her eyes then glinted murderously.
She knew fucking well, that her sister's car was found no less than a mile from that waitress/whore, Sookie Stackhouse's place! Debbie had bitched a bluestreak about that skank! And Debbie suspected that Sookie had fucked Alcide behind her back!
Now this vamp bitch was 'night secretary'. A vamp bitch that becomes one, the night her sister goes missing AND Is Sookie Stackhouse's only fucking friend!
Sandra allowed herself a small smile. Tara Thornton would be 'trained' alright. Trained to tell her where the fuck Debbie was! She then walked over to one of the desk drawers, opened it and pulled out a small stake.
Tara would talk, otherwise Sandra would stake her AND flush her remains down the toilet! And Alcide, Sookie or Eric Northman, would be none the wiser.
