Pam approached the cage with Tara inside it; or rather a beast that she assumed was Tara. Sophie-Anne was escorted away by Eric and Bill. She went noiselessly after she taunted Pam with an address of where Tara would be. No one was around. She didn't hear or smell Lafayette, but she knew as soon as she arrived he wouldn't be anywhere near the cage.

The dark skinned man had some nerve using one of her own warehouses to aid fucking Sophie.

Tara hurled forward crashing into the bars. There's was nothing left of the human part of the immortal. She stood in al her hairy glory. Her underbelly was patterned with rough scales that shined under the halogen lights of the small warehouse. Trailing her eyes over Tara she immediately felt anger. She would have thought it might be disgust, but she was wrong.

"She's seen better days," Eric pointed out behind his progeny.

Pam narrowed her eyes, "no need to sugarcoat it, she's ugly."

The vampire watched the blond walk around the cage. She tugged on the ring on her finger, but it didn't look like she was having much luck taking it off. Pam found Eric's curious gaze.

"What?"

"She's still in there. You can be disgusted with her appearance all you like Pam, but she is still in there and you know it."

It wasn't what the blond wanted to hear. She thought she could beat the ring, but obviously magic wasn't easily fooled.

The Lansing was an impressive eight feet tall. The cage looked stifling, it wasn't meant to hold a beast, but someone had the forethought to enchant the cage. Pam hated magic. She had a bad experience with a witch once upon a time and since then she detested all things magical. She tried to pull at the ring. Tara's eyes followed the blond's movements crashing into the cage again as if Pam's action irritated her.

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"Is she upstairs, is that where you're hiding her?" the red head asked her upper body wrapped in chains.

Erci hadn't been too long left. The redhead didn't seem disturbed to have Bill all to herself. It looked like she was enjoying it. "That's none of your concern."

"I like concerning myself with things all types of things. People, lansings, vampires, fairies. Do you know how many of them there are out there?"

Bill stared, but he didn't answer.

"It's ok, there are quite a few, too many to count. Do you know why I'm looking for your fairy?"

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"Correct, I am. Because I unlike you know more about your fairy than you do. Tell me you want to know and I will…I just like hearing someone ask for permission."

"I want to know," Bill ground out.

"Say please," she taunted.

The dark haired vampire tilted his head contemplating how much the word might hurt to say. Then it came out and he realized it hurt worse than he thought.

She shook her head, "add pretty please that has a nice ring to it."

Bill looked at her dully giving the woman what she wanted.

"I wonder if she's as horrendous as Pam thought she'd be? I haven't seen a Lansing for ages, but I don't think they've evolved much over time. If someone wanted immortality there's a lot easier ways. She seemed attractive, all that dark chocolate," Sophie –Anne said the last part in teasing. "If only she had waited around for the right vampire. Hell, I would have turned her, she looked like she could be fun."

"Sookie."

"What about her?"

"Why her?"

"A royal line, her blood is a roadmap to their world. I like her hair."

Bill pursed his lips, "does it look like you're in any position to feel smug?"

"I have a hostage. And if Pam knows what's good for that hostage then she'll do everything in her power to get me what I want." The redhead crossed her legs swinging the top leg as she continued, "she doesn't seem to like your human anyway. How long do you think you'll be able to protect her from Pam?"

"I can handle Pam."

"Do you honestly think her maker will let you handle her? You're the only one in your corner Bill. Eric might not give Pam's dark chocolate a second thought, but Pam is and will always be his baby girl. And daddy's girls always get what they want."

Bill glared. He left Sophie-Anne downstairs as she ascended the stairs dialing Eric's number.

"What?" Eric answered.

"It wasn't a good idea to leave her with me," he slammed the door with his foot when he heard her begin to sing. The last verse he heard:

"One is the loneliest number…"

"It sounds like you're getting a show," Eric smirked from the other end of the phone, "now all you need is dinner, is Sookie around?" he joked.

Bill was not amused.

"Did you find Tara?"

"If this thing is indeed Tara," Eric offered. He watched as she ran into the bars again when Pam touched the ring. "She's not at her best at the moment." He stopped speaking to listen to Pam. "Pam says hello Bill," he edited her greeting.

"I'm not giving up Sookie."

"No one said that you had to give up anything," Eric stated diplomatically. "When Pam's unhappy no one will be."

"Give me the phone," he heard Pam say.

"Pamela," Bill heard Eric's warning, and rustling as if she was trying to wrestle the phone away from him.

Bill looked at the phone pulling it away from him when he heard her screaming into the receiver. Her voice sounded too far away to make the assumption she had overpowered her maker.

"Give me the phone!"

Silence.

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Eric ended the phone call.

Pam glared at her maker about to speak when she felt Lafayette. She sped towards him hanging him up over his head.

"Bitch let me down," he croaked. Tara slammed the cage in frenzy.

The blond squeezed tighter, and then she paused and dropped him. He would be more useful alive, and she could always make his death long and painful for his betrayal. She watched him crawl away from her closer to the cage. Tara slammed it again.

"Shit," he struggled to take a breath.

"Am I at the right party?" the small framed palm reader asked.

"Who the fuck is this?"

"I'm here for that," she pointed to the cage sitting her bag on a nearby desk as she got out tools to complete the binding spell to save Tara.

Pam watched her warily then looked down at Lafayette sitting on the floor holding his throat.

"Sophie-Anne said you were working for her."

"I am," he rushed holding his hands out when he saw Pam about to advance. "But I'm working for you too bitch. Shit."

Pam stilled.

Lafayette admitted that what Sophie-Anne had said that night at Fangtasia was correct. For a long time he hated Pam, but time got the best of him. His scars healed and he got to know another side of Pam that made her more approachable. When he remembered his deal he thought now would be as perfect a time as any to play both sides to end Sophie-Anne's scheming. He lured her there, but he didn't know about Tara or Thornton, but when it came to his attention he made sure she felt secure in having him as an ally.

He waited for Pam's response while the witch circled the cage of the agitated Lansing.

"What' with the protection spell?" she nodded toward the cage she couldn't get into.

"How the hell did I know the crazy vampire bitch wasn't coming? She couldn't get her hands on Tara and have you tried to keep a Lansing in check? The bitch is difficult."

Tara hit the cage again. All eyes turned toward the beast and the palm reader reticent to get any closer than she needed to. They couldn't be upset over her bill since she was risking life and limb for this spell. She stepped forward again and jumped when Tara hit her head on the metal. Her eyes glowed yellow. The palm reader followed her gaze and turned to the blond vampire.

"I need her calm," she started toward the audience of three.

"Goodfuckingluck," Lafayette wiped the dirt off his pants. "She's been like this since she turned," he frowned. "I'm lucky I even got her in the cage."

The witch shook her head beginning to pack her things.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Pam glowered.

The witch turned to the caged beast and then the blond, who looked like she wanted to make it difficult for her to leave. "This is a very hands on spell. And I'm not interested in putting my on that, in there. She could take it off…and what's a palm reader without a palm."

"So you're just going to leave her like that?"

The reader shouldered her bag, "yes."

"You can't."

"Are you going to stop me vampire?"

Pam stood to her full height, "if I have to," she threatened deadly serious.

"Why?"

The blond faltered. "What the fuck kind of question is that?"

"Why should I risk my hand, my life for that," she pointed a crooked finger in Tara's direction.

"This isn't fucking Oprah fix her!" Pam was becoming agitated.

Tara crashed against the cage. The palm reader silently observed as well as Eric who didn't understand the witch's motives. The leggy blond was too blinded by her emotions to see that she was being tested. And so far she hadn't won the witch over, even as the smaller woman was giving her every opportunity to say whatever it was she wanted to hear.

"No."

"How much?" Pam caved knowing she couldn't eat a witch with the power to help Tara. "I can write you a check."

"She can write me a check she says. Are you going to buy me the hand she's going to rip off?"

"I'll buy you as many hands you need."

"Why, for a drooling, stupid, smelly fur ball?"

"If you bad mouth that drooling fur ball again you'll be mourning more than a fucking hand. I love her; she's the most infuriatingly stubborn woman I know. But she's sexy and hot," the palm reader frowned at the description as she eyed the beast in the cage. Pam continued, "intelligent, witty, the most amazing lover," Pam brought herself back, "and I can spend eternity with her like this until I find a witch who can change her back."

The witch smiled knowingly.

Tara howled from the cage. Pam stepped toward the beast about to ask what was happening until she watched Tara transform from beast to human in a matter of minutes. The transformation looked painful, but when it was done the large yellow eyes became the deep brown Pam hadn't realized she missed until this moment.

"Tara."

The dark naked immortal smiled holding herself up on a bar.

The witch said a few words and the barrier keeping Pam out fell. Rushing toward the cage she ripped the door open falling to her knees to Tara. They embraced lips fighting for control as both women celebrated the immortal's return to her human form. There were traces of hair on Tara from where her hair had shed as she changed. Her moth of full of blood, but it seemed to fuel Pam's desire to consume the dark skinned woman.

Pam pulled the immortal to her by the small of her back.

"Well played witch," Eric complimented.

The woman shouldered her large back shrugging. "That one's an emotional handful isn't she?" she nodded to Pam.

Eric nodded. "It's her way."

"It's an extreme compliment to have such a declaration of everlasting love."

"And I suppose it's more poignant when it restores a beast to her human form."

The witch smiled knowingly, "that and the bill," she handed Lafayette the bill when he joined them after handing Tara some clothes. "I don't take checks and I don't trust plastic. You can never go wrong with cash."

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Thank you guys for being patient with me and these short chapters. I bit off more than I can chew when I decided to continue this, but it's coming along.