Disclaimer: I own nothing TB. Just getting antsy for the new season.

I don't know where this is going yet. Will try not to write myself into a corner. Hope you enjoy..

Things were quiet in the bar. The customers were gone for the night and only a few members of the staff remained to finish preparations for the next day.

Tara wiped down the bar and tossed the towel onto her shoulder. She was doing her prep work while watching Sookie out of the corner of her eye. Sookie had seemed to be out of sorts all day, but Tara just couldn't quite make out what it was. She loved Sookie like a sister and was closer to her than anyone. She didn't want to pry, but something wasn't right and she was frustrated that she couldn't put her finger on the problem.

Sookie finished her own prep and headed toward the office to retrieve her purse and head for home. As she came out of the back and walked out the door to the parking lot, she hollered, "'Nite Sam. 'Nite Tara."

"G'nite Sookie," called Tara.

"'Nite Sooks," Sam said over his shoulder as he restocked the cooler.

Tara wiped down the already clean bar. She had been stalling for time to talk to Sam until Sookie had gone. "Sam, how does Sookie look to you?"

"What?"

"I said, how does Sookie look to you?"

"She looks like she always does, I guess. Why?"

"I'm worried. She ain't been looking right. She looks tired all the time. And she seems distracted. Half the time I talk to her she ain't hearing a word I say. Lafayette says she doesn't hear him, either. He has to call out the orders twice before she even hears the call, and y'all know that ain't like her."

Sam grunted and kept working.

Tara leaned on the bar. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What do you think, Sam?"

"Y'all don't want to know what I think."

Tara rolled her eyes at Sam in exasperation. "If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked. Spill, Sam."

Sam slammed the empty box on the bar. "Tara, I don't know what y'all want to hear. I've been saying it over and over. Mixing with vamps is just no damned good. What the hell did y'all think would happen when Sookie got mixed up with that damned bloodsucker? She looks tired? Of course she's tired. She's probably up all night with him, every night, then running errands during the day and working full time here. How long can she keep it up? And that's just because vamps don't sleep at night. Don't even get me started on the rest of it..."

"Well hell, Sam, don't let me stop you..."

"...she's been hurt how many times? He's got her mixed up in all that vampire shit. Just being around 'em puts her in danger. First that mess with Rene, and then she damned near got blown to bits in Dallas! And don't you think for a minute he ain't been feeding off her. Nothing about her being with a vamp is any good. It's gonna get her killed, or worse."

"She loves him, Sam. And it seems pretty clear that Bill loves her."

"Well, it's no good. No damned good at all. If he really cared about her he would just leave her be." Fuming, Sam gathered up the empty boxes and headed out back to break them down.

Tara watched him go, Sam's rant having done nothing to help her figure out what was wrong with her friend. She grabbed her keys and her purse and headed home herself, muttering under her breath as she walked out of the bar. "Sam, y'all are one hell of a sore loser..."