A/N: WARNING! This chapter deals with child abuse of what I feel is the most severe kind. It does not go into detail, as I couldn't write it without getting sick. Also, I never thought terry got his just dues in the series so I am taking it upon myself to expand his character. Hope you like! Ty for every single review, just because I don't answer them all doesn't mean they are not appreciated! Enough of me, on with the show.

Previously:

"Shut the front door!" I look at her with confusion, I swear sometimes I don't understand my own child.

Chapter 6:

EPOV:

She was right, after a miniscule amount of torture Long shadow confessed to stealing the money. So that's why I find myself walking through the woods at ten at night with a stumbling stubborn ass fairy who wont let me carry her. I was following behind her to make sure she didn't fall when she stopped so suddenly if I weren't a vampire I would have ran right into her. She put her finger to her lips signaling for me to be quiet.

"Terry, it's Sookie, I brought someone to help." out of the corner of my eye I saw a man that looked to be about ten years older than Sookie with a rifle drawn checking us out.

"Sook, he ain't normal, what's his rank?" I looked at her, confusion was just at the front of my mind, what the hell is he talking about?

"He's supe ops with me. Rank sergeant, cover title Sheriff." the man terry looked at me skeptically.

"Listed abilities?" he shouted. Sookie didn't miss a beat.

"Strength, speed, heightened senses, advanced healing and flight." terry put his rifle over his shoulder and stepped out of his cover. He saluted Sookie then me and then hugged her close to him. Any other time I have envisioned someone touching her it pissed me off, but this was different. It was the embrace of a brother, of a protector and I found myself not minding It at all. He let her go and looked her over, I assume checking for injuries.

"You know, I wish they wouldn't send you out here, this area is ass deep in insurgents." she patted his shoulder

"You know they send me because I can get a drop on their locations." She tapped her temple. And that's when I started wondering who this man was to her. He had to be someone really close to her and important, I mean she made up a special branch of the military and kept in character just to give him peace of mind. She pointed to me.

"This here's Mr. Northman, Mr. Northman this is Terry bellflure." terry stuck his hand out to shake and I just looked at it. Unless it's a woman I really don't like to touch humans. He looked back and forth between Sookie and I and I could tell he was starting to get jittery, Sookie spoke calmly.

"He means no disrespect terry, remember what it was like for me at first with being touched?" he seemed to calm down and withdrew his hand.

"Yea, I can imagine with the heightened senses touching can be a bitch." he shrugged and turned around and started walking.

"Come on then now, Fort bellflure is just a little ways ahead." we came upon an old tree house of sorts that was enclosed in a boundary of wooden pikes, I took the time to look at them and I could tell they had all been done by hand. He picked up a bucket and handed it to Sookie.

"I cleared a path to the stream, I was going to get some water before y'all came by. Will you go fill it up?" she giggled an shook her head while taking the bucket from him, then she just walked off leaving me and the war vet to talk. He pulled out a folding chair and offered it to me, then brought out one for himself.

"So how did you meet Sook?" he smiled when he said her name, and that's when I realized he was grilling me for information, that's why she laughed when she was leaving. I smiled and shook my head.

"She helped me out with some trouble I was having in my area. How do you know Sookie?" he chuckled at me, he knew I knew what he was up to.

"I've known Adele my whole life, but I meant Sookie when she was seven just after her parents died. I used to do odd jobs for Adele before I enlisted." his face and body became closed off, so I tried to engage him in further conversation.

"Well you are very close, so I imagine your friendship did wonders for her growing up with her telepathy. What was she like as a child?" I don't know why I asked but as soon as the words came out of my mouth I knew I wanted to know. He smiled a little but his eyes misted over.

"She used to help me do repairs on the house, she said I had a happy mind so she was always around. I used to take her for snow cones as payment for her help. She was such a happy little girl, even when her parents died she still got through it with a smile and kind words for everyone. I knew that smile for a year before I first saw it fall from her face, it took me and Adele three long months to get it back." he shook his head and I sat up straighter in my chair.

"What happened? Her telepathy get to be to much for her?" his jaw set and the light went out of his eyes.

"No, that motherfucker stole it." this was going to slow, I wanted to know what happened now more than ever, I caught his eyes and glamoured him.

"Tell me what happened." his voice was rugged with emotion as he told me.

"It was just a couple of days before I was suppose to ship out, I got leave to come home and see my family before I left. I saw Adele at the store in town and she asked me to check her gutters before I left. So I went straight over to her house after I finished my shopping." a tear fell from the corner of his eye.

"I remember her screams sometimes in the night, I wake up to them. I remember hearing her scream for someone to help her and for him to please stop. When I heard her I thought someone ha broken in, I ran up the stairs and almost tore the front door off it's hinges. He was laying on top of her, doing things to her no one should do to a little girl. I don't remember all that happened after that, but I do remember grabbing him up and throwing him out the front door on the lawn. The next thing I knew Adele was trying to get me off him and Sookie came running out the front door." his whole body shuddered and the tears fell freely.

"Her lip was split and her little panties were torn around her knees, as soon as I saw her I got off him and ran to her and she clung to me for dear life. I remember Adele getting in a few good kicks before she went in and called the law. When the police and ambulance got there they took him to the hospital and came to see to Sookie, but she wouldn't let go of me. She screamed and cried when anyone tried to remove her from my arms. I called my CO and told him what had happened and he gave me six months leave, telling me he would be proud to have me in his unit when the time came and not to worry about anything just to take care of the little girl. Her uncle Bartlett got off to easy in my mind. He left the hospital for prison in a wheelchair. It seems when I threw him off the porch he landed wrong and broke his back. I had to stay with them for a while, she had nightmares you see, and I was the only one who could calm her down. It took three months for her to smile again, then another two to get back to herself. By the time I had to leave she was doing ok, but she was never the same free spirited girl like before. You see he didn't just rape her once, he raped her mind. She saw everything he wanted to do to her and that's what broke her." and that's when I knew, even if she hadn't asked me to help him I would have. I put my hand on his shoulder and enthralled him further.

"You're a good man Terry. You will remember everything that has happened in your life but instead of the fear that takes root you will know only peace. Your home now and there are no insurgents here, I give you this gift in recognition of the little girl you saved so long ago. The enemy in your mind will haunt you no longer." I removed my influence and sat back just in time to hear Sookie coming back. Terry shook his head and smiled through new tears. Sookie took in the scene before her and her brows furrowed.

"What's going on guys?" Terry jumped out of his seat startling her enough so she dropped the bucket and grabbed her up and spun her around. Then he touched his forehead to hers.

"Only you little girl would go through the trouble of saving me from myself." she giggled and he kissed her forehead.

"It was selfish you know, I just missed ya too much to let ya go." he put her down and she ran over to me and threw her arms around me. Hugging me so tightly if I needed to breath I would have suffocated. Her happiness radiated through me and I put my arms around her warm body and hugged her back. She pulled back a little to look me in the eyes and then she smashed her lips to mine. We must have been lost in each other for a little too long because Terry cleared his throat.

"Y'all bout done? Cause I wanna sleep in a real freaking bed tonight. I swear I still got splinters in my ass from last night!" she broke the kiss giggling and shaking her head she put her lips close to my ear

"Thank you oh so very, very much." I pulled her back and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Any time Sookie, any time." and for the first time in my existence I knew I would give her anything. Her favor could have been for herself but instead she asked me to heal the man who healed her. Such strength and tenderness all rolled into one. It wasn't that I wanted her to be mine any more, I thought to myself as we walked Terry to his truck and sent him home. I needed her to be mine, needed the warmth of her spirit to unthaw mine. I was so lost in thought when I pulled up to her house I didn't even get out to get her door, didn't even know she was out of the car until the door shut and she leaned in the window.

"Thank you for tonight, you'll never know how much it means to me." there was something nagging at me from our date and I had to know.

"The night of our date, you said something to me, when I asked you why you cried you said, "You always want what you cant have." what do you want?" she looked at me for a long moment and then answered with a sad smile.

"You." then before I could tell her she had me she bolted up the front steps and was in the house. I shook my head knowing I wasn't getting anymore answers tonight and started my long drive back to Shreveport. All the while asking myself why she thought she couldn't have me.

A/N: I love terry and thought he deserved better then being with Arlene's dumb ass. I hope I didn't over reach. Next chapter we find out why she thinks she cant have him, and there will be a cliffy with the next chapter where enemies appear! Please review if you can!