Chapter 1

I had the lunch shift at Merlotte's. There was a fairly typical lunch crowd in, Portia with her usual salad, Catfish enjoying chicken strips, and Terry Bellfleur was stood mopping the same spot he had been for the last twenty minutes, I could tell he was having one of his bad days. It was a frightening and terribly sad sight, and I decided that now would be the perfect time to put my gift to good use.

Amelia had told me of a sixteenth century mystic who was actually a telepath, who used his gift to heal people. It seemed he could project thoughts and ideas straight into people's minds. So if say a couple were having marital problems he could reach into their minds see what the problem and project a solution into their heads. He was even documented to have been able to ease mental afflictions. I had been practicing on Amelia a few evenings before, I mentioned her father and every time I sensed her unease, I projected peaceful thoughts, I had by the end of the evening managed to calm her within two minutes.

I made sure no one was watching, and gently brushed past Terry his thoughts were filled with snarled and twisted colours, people running, explosions, and a young man sobbing, I thought of the happiest things I could, all the beautiful things in the world, places I'd seen in travel programmes, the bar at Christmas when everyone was in good cheer, I even allowed myself to think of the contentment I felt when Eric was close. I projected it all at Terry. He jumped as though he had received an electric shock, his eyes wide as he looked at me. He knew what I had done. Just when I thought he was going to get angry as my intrusion into his mind, he smiled a lopsided smile at me and for once it reached his eyes.

"You're a good girl Sookie" he said glancing down at the mop in his hands frowning at the spot he had cleaned, he then muttered barely above a whisper "thank you"

Wow was all I could think, that had worked better than I had anticipated, for some reason I couldn't wait to tell Eric, hmm the second surprise of the day. I had to help Terry it was in my nature I am part Fairy after all and even though I couldn't teleport or fight in battles like my cousin and fairy godmother (after a fashion) I could help people, in my own way.

I glanced over at the main door in time to see Arlene, and what looked like a gaggle of Fellowship of the Sun freaks enters the bar. A quick dip into their minds confirmed it. They thought they were being brave entering the bar of an unnatural creature, poor Sam I thought, I wondered if I could rile them enough to leave before Sam got back from the office where, for now at least, he was safely going over the monthly accounts.

Oh no, Sam entered the bar, and the Fellowship guys visibly shuddered at the site of him. Those jerks acting like Sam was the one that was wrong, they were I gathered from the largest one's mind, Killers, so far they had staked one vampire and burned a nest of five, and from the looks on their faces, they wanted to add a were or shifter to their count. "Speak of the Shifter" I thought to myself.

I walked up to Sam and hugged him, I whispered so only his sensitive ears could hear "They're trouble, but there's only four of them, I think we could take 'em" My eyes blazed with indignation, or that's how I felt anyway.

"Glad you have my back Sookie" He replied softly a small smile playing on his lips.

"Looks like I'm not the only one" I smiled as I felt Tray Dawson's presence behind me he was a big man and if it called for it he could turn into a big Wolf.

"What's she doing here? Thought you canned her" he said indicating Arlene with a tilt of his head.

"Stirring shit with her sun loving buddies, I still think we could take her" I muttered wondering absently when I had become so battle hungry, that was more of am Eric trait, hmm the second time I'd thought of him today. Tray smiled and winked at Sam and me.

Tray slowly walked past the group of extremists and Arlene our former friend, he growled so low that the party couldn't be sure they heard it, when they looked up at Tray he ran his tongue along his teeth and gave them a wicked toothy smile, a few shivered, and the short blonde man looked as though he'd wet himself. Tray wandered out turning to Sam and me as he reached the door.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you need me ok Sam, Sookie?" he called. Making sure the Fellowship and Arlene would hear.

It wasn't more than five minutes, when Arlene and her new friends disappeared. Cowards, I thought, I really needed to relax, then I remembered what Eric had said about picking me up, guess I wasn't going to get my pampering session tonight, "uck", I sighed, "damn Vampires".

Ever since the Shifters and the Were's had come out of the closet, Sam's bar had been getting more custom than usual, not that it didn't usually do all right, but Bon Temps is a small community and word of Sam's special ability had travelled fast. Some came to see if they could catch a glimpse of him change, some to condemn him (those people didn't stay long when they realised the strength of the support for Sam) interestingly there were more Were's and Shifters coming into the bar, once they had discovered there was a Shifter running the place they came by to meet Sam (true Shifters are rare and Sam it turned out was held in high regard because of this) and since Amanda (former owner of Hair of the Dog) is dead and gone, some of the local Were's seemed to have decided Merlotte's would make a good hang out. Interestingly Supes are the best tippers the Fellowship of the Sun idiots should think about that when they're judging people.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when a woman walked into the bar; she was quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Her hair was red, nearly to her waist eye's a gold that seemed impossible, and she was wearing a thin linen dress in a green shade that made her light tan glow. She smiled at me, then walked right up to Sam and hugged him. I scanned her mind, I had already guessed as much but it confirmed that she was also a Shifter. I'd bet anything she was even more stunning in her animal form. The two of them went back to Sam's office. When it got to four thirty and my shift ended I went to the back to collect my purse and say so long to Sam, the woman was gone.