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    10/3/17 Kett's Mechanic Shop

     

    Mack dug her fists into her leather jacket at she pushed open the door to the shop.  The air was turning chilly and rainy already and she scowled at it, though she likely would have scowled at it had it been warm and sunny as well.  Most things aggravated and pissed her off these days so she made it a point to stay in her home or have her head in an engine.  Case in point why she was here.  Simon was one of the underlings around here and had called her about a part she was waiting on for one of the hummers back in the HQ.  The Vanguard liked to be a picture of self sufficient but reality was they had a long back log on parts.  Usually you had to hope for someone to scavenge one up and hope it was your turn to get it.

     

    Mack was quicker because she didn't have a problem going hunting, or more specifically paying someone else to go hunting.  Good mechanics were hard to find so fixing a few more cars on the side to get a part was not something Mack was above.

     

    Simon was a mousy look to him and didn't look old enough to be in bars.  What he was though was an excellent scavenger and after Mack had helped him out of a jam that included an angry freak trying to turn him into a meat Popsicle.  She was willing to bet Simon was a freak to but whatever he could do, he never told her.  When he had gotten the job at Monk's Mack had tapped him for some parts to pay her back and they had settled into something of a trade.  When she needed a part he got it for her and she'd help him fix some of the more trashed cars and trucks after hours so it looked like he did all the work.

     

    "Simon what do you got for me?" she asked as she came up to the counter.

     

    The light brown head popped up and he got a big smile on his face.  "Your parts for one but I got a dozy for you if you want.  It'll pay for the next ten orders you ask for easily."

     

    Mack only rose a brow at that one.  A car had to be really jacked up for Simon to make that kind of statement.  With a jerk of her head she invited him to show her and could see why immediately.

     

    "Christ what the Hell happened to it?" she asked as she started inspecting the damage.  It took her all of a minute to realize exactly what had happened but she had repaired enough of the Vanguard's vehicles after they dealt with weres to recognize the tell tale points.

     

    "The question is if you can fix it," Simon asked sounding pleased with himself.

     

    Mack sent him a withering look, willing to bet he was thinking he had her in his debt or something.  It was almost enough to have her turning around and leaving because she was not tolerating that crap.

     

    "I'll do it for twenty," she said instead.

     

    "What!?  Twenty!?  Are you out of your mind?"

     

    "You're the one wanting me to perform miracles and we both know who's going to be seeing a pay check out of this.  Ten parts is hardly going to be a blink to you and you damn well know it.  Take it or I'll leave.  I know I can get the part elsewhere so the question is how much do you like this job of yours?" Mack sneered back, her eyes never losing their hard edge.

     

    Simon was not one for confrontations though and backed down quickly to agree to the terms.  Mack simply nodded and unzipped her coat while shooing him away.  The coveralls she wore underneath were stander Vanguard uniform but she never kept them on for the specific reason of possible problems.  Simon might have been human (or not she couldn't tell) but she was pretty sure he'd still try and blackmail her ass or something if he found out who she actually worked for.  Then she would have ended up hunting him down and putting a round in his head....maybe.

     

    Pulling the top of her uniform down around her waist so she was at least somewhat comfortable Mack gave a sigh as she hooked a dolly with her foot and got under the truck to start checking out how bad things were from the ground up.  Her mind kept saying she knew this truck but she ignored it completely like she had been for the better part of a couple months since finding out she'd been conned again by a beast in human's clothing with a cute smile and a kind demeanor.

     

    Freaks and monsters, she was really sick of her life being full of them.

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    Things had just continued to go downhill, so he ran in the rain. He hated the rain, the smells and sharp triggers.  They paled in comparison to the sterile stench of the hospital where he should have been waiting.  All he could do was run and hope the answers came.  For hours.  On a treadmill, the world would have known something was up with the man that never seemed to tire. Though he didn't care what people knew, he was more concerned with his reaction to their questions... Was he this monster?  He destroyed things, his anger was hairtriggered and violent.  He was losing control when he couldn't afford to show weakness.  Why was he losing control?  People had gotten under his skin. Was he protecting them, or just acting on the instinct of the cat to be possessive?  Why couldn't he sort this out?

     

    Through streets, parks, empty lots and a tough route through the harbor... he'd been moving for hours. Nothing had been solved.  The frustration and anger hadn't come close to being satiated and he needed to get back to the hospital.  He was freezing, and soaked; loose running pants and a thin hoodie not doing much to stave off the cold that had blossomed after dark.  He squeezed out his hoodie and slid it back on, pulling up the hood.  Stepping into Monk's, he went for the coffee first.  She always had fresh coffee.  It was late, and she usually went home before he came back to pick up his SUV.  The guy at the counter was relatively new, but he seemed like he knew what he was doing.  Kett didn't hire idiots, her tolerance for anyone that didn't know what they were doing was non-existent.

     

    "I can bring it back later, I just need the glass in one piece," he said quietly, hands wrapped around the mug to warm them.  No foam crappy cups in this place.  "I have to get back to the hospital.  What do I owe you?"

     

    He thought he'd explained it to the guy the need for the rush, maybe he hadn't.  So many things on his mind.

     

    *npc*  Hang here for a second, I'll check on it.

     

    Quiet eyes watched the guy slip back into the shop through the side door, scent of the paint booth ticking at his temples.  He needed air, slipping out the door to follow around to the open garage, the scent of coffee calming his nerves as his battered truck came into view.

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    Well from the looks of things at least claws had not been used.  Mack was starting to think the bashing was just a lot of pissed off people instead of a were though the amount of force needed point to that, or a freak with a hell of a lot of muscle power at their disposal.  The axles and wheels seemed alright though Mack was still needing to check the engine.  The framework had taken a pounding and showed signs of being fixed before.  This truck had seen almost as much punishment as some of the hummers she worked on normally.

     

    She was studying the driver's side door and the damage to the hinges when Simon suddenly popped up again. 

     

    "Boy...miracles take time and you know I hate being bothered," she snipped from her crouched position as she looked up at him.

     

    "Sorry Zielinski but the owner's needing his wheels here.  Think you can just do a quick switch on the windows?"

     

    That had Mack glaring and scowling.  "Tell the idiot to take a God damned cab then!  The the windows aren't going to hold with the framework bent out of shape like it is and-"

     

    She stood up as she ranted angrily at Simon only to find herself looking through the truck at it's owner.  Mack could swear every drop of blood drained from her head as her eyes went huge from the surprise.  Seeing Kai standing there was bad enough but he looked like death had warmed over and someone had run over him about three times.  Granted she doubted she looked much better with her own batch of sleepless nights and hitting the bottle more these days than normal it seemed but Kai...well the few memories she had were him being all smiles and somewhat on the cheery side.  Now he looked like some emo drama star in the middle of a depressive movie waiting for the director to shout actions so he could film the emotional screaming scene or something.

     

    There was a sudden slash of guilt as her brain automatically assumed the Vanguard had learned about him.  After all he had opened his mouth about things and she wasn't the only one out there.  At the same time though she was sure that wasn't it.  She had not said anything about it so surely it was just a weird and very wrong coincidence.

     

    Now if she just knew what to say or do.  How did one handle a guy who you had thought might be a friend (or maybe a little more) that came out as a were which you kind of should have reported but didn't and instead just walked out and cut all communications with turning up to be the owner of the truck you were fixing to get parts for said employers that hunted weres?

     

    Fuck she was getting sick of finding herself in this really awkward state.

     

    "It ain't ready," she heard herself snip out hastily.  "So you're going to have to wait like the rest of us mortals furball."

     

    "Uh...Mack-" Simon started to ask looking from the mechanic to the truck owner and back nervously.  It was painfully obvious he had no idea what to say or do in this situation and Mack completely ignored the fact that he was suppose to be in charge since he actually worked here.

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    Hackles were raising even before the warm light of the garage flickered on his face as he emerged from darkness.  The warmth of his coffee cup seeping into his fingers was a soft comfort at least, wasting away as the voice drew the feeling of fingernails down his spine.

     

    "Tell the idiot to take a God damned cab then!  The windows aren't going to hold with the framework bent out of shape like it is and-"

     

    He really wouldn’t have wanted to be the one looking back at his expression at that moment. It was cold, dark, and devoid of any emotion.  The worst case scenario.  The stereotype of every monster that roamed the darkness and ate the innocent.  Unfortunately, he had mastered it before he was ever one of those.

     

    The slow blink hid the change in direction of his fractured gaze to Simon, the kid all of a sudden putting two and two together of what exactly he was in the presence of.  The Were’s pupils had flushed wide, a chilling darkness to eyes that were always normally so light.  He thought about it, for longer than the split second it should have lingered on his conscience, it was there.  If the world couldn’t see him as anything more than a monster, then what was the point of denying it?  He could pick up the fucking kid in a heartbeat and snap his neck.  He could do the same to Mack.  For the kid, there was no guilt, no remorse.  He’d betrayed him.  He was supposed to do the work… not call in someone else.  The thought actually brought the cat curled in his gut to fierce attention.  Betrayal was not something he took lightly, and last time it had cost someone their life.

     

    "It ain't ready,"

     

    Fierce eyes snapped back to her, he swore he heard the kid start breathing again.  Eyes narrowed slightly at her overalls zipped down around her waist, unable to read what was on it.  It wasn’t from Kett’s.

     

    "So you're going to have to wait like the rest of us mortals furball."

     

    "Uh...Mack-"

     

    He set the coffee cup on a small Craftsman bench on wheels, moving toward the driver’s side of his SUV to open the door and pull his Navy beanie off the front dash, flipping his hood back to pull it on.  Quiet footsteps took him to the back hatch, pulling it up and bypassing asking for the keys as one fierce yank buckled the floorboard door to the storage compartment below.  Why hide anything anymore?  He was a monster; he would do things only a monster could do.  Hoodie was unzipped, taking his other military issued pistol and snapping it into the shoulder holster he was wearing underneath.  His personal duffel came out next.  There was nothing left in the compartment except for his camping gear, and at this moment he didn’t give a shit.  He pulled it over his shoulder, slammed the tailgate hard enough to shatter the rear light covers and made his way back to the front office out the garage door.

     

    “Fix that too,”  the uncharacteristic sarcasm was thick with anger and other things he thought he could never feel.  He didn’t want this.  If this is what it felt like to feel, he didn’t want it.  Ever.

     

    Reaching over the counter, the phone was snatched, an old world nearly frayed telephone book pulled over and rifled through before he found the number he was looking for and dialed.  He was put on hold, his patience wearing so thin the cables that held his resolve in place were snapping with frightening speed.  She’d been moved. What?

     

    What?!

     

    Beanie was slid off, fingers rifling tightly through his hair, listening to the rest.  She had been placed in intensive care, then a medically induced coma because they had to intubate.  He couldn’t remember a moment in his life where his hands had shook.  Even after being ripped halfway through the nevus and spit back out again… fatigue so terrible he couldn’t keep his eyes open, pain so terrible he couldn’t help but scream.  Never.

     

    He was going to lose her.  Face flickered through an emotion that chilled him to the core.

     

    Finger clicked the line off, swiping through the book again to find scribbled new numbers for cabs and he ordered one.  They were all out on runs, an hour at the least.

     

    Phone dropped back to the receiver, and he dropped to a chair in the lobby.  Bag plopped to the floor, elbows hitting his knees, fingers tightly rifling his hair back and forth.  If he could have controlled himself he could have driven there in his own truck.  If he wouldn’t have been so weak, he would never have to leave her every month.  Fingers rubbed his eyes, swallowing thickly before getting up and picking up his bag to return to the garage.

     

    “I need someone to take me to the hospital, cabs are an hour out...”  he could barely hear his own voice.  The expression that found the kid again was a desperate one, a stray cat in the rain… he couldn’t even find the strength to look at Mack.  “My last family member is dying, please… I need to get there.”

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    Mack managed to meet Kai's look with a clenched jaw.  The clenching was to keep her teeth from chattering together and she mentally braced for fight or flight out of habit.  The were didn't say anything though, simply moving about collecting things from the truck while Mack and Simon got out of the way.  So long as she wasn't retreating Mack was fine with that and waited for him to finish.  She only cringed when the light covers shattered while Simon let out a squeak from behind her, the wuss.

     

    As Kai went back into the office Mack looked at Simon who looked ready to wet his pants.  "You got a customer to see to Simon.  Try not to shit your drawers with him huh?" she told the kid with little sympathy.  Sure weres could be scary but Kai was...well she thought he was better than most but considering matters maybe he wasn't?  She was having a hard time remembering how Kai had been and reconciling it with how he was being now.  Maybe he was just pmsing, weres did something like that she was sure.

     

    She did her best not to waste anymore time on the matter though.  It wasn't her garage and she'd made a bargain.  She fully intended to keep her promise cause that was how she worked.  Promises were one of those things that separated humans from the animals.  Turning her attention back to the truck she set about clearing the way so she might see if maybe she could just hammer out the damage done to the framework.  It would be a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing the bones of the truck that was for sure.

     

    She was just starting to think the driver's side door might be salvageable and was working on taking it off when Kai came back in.  Her brows rose in an instant concern before she told herself to stop it.  That was not however helped by what Kai said next.

     

    Mack wanted to swear, it had to be a family thing, worse a family dying kind of thing that sliced her legs metaphorically out from under her.

     

    That didn't mean she had to do anything though!  She looked up from her work, pushing safety goggles off her face as she looked around.  "Hey Simon!" she called out.  After a moment of nothing but crickets answering though she called again.  Still nothing, which meant more than likely Simon had fled the scene rather than deal with an upset were for a customer.  The fucking coward.

     

    Swearing under her breath Mack threw down a wrench she'd had in her hands and barely managed to keep from spiking the goggles on the ground.  This all meant that if Kai wanted to get to the hospital that she had to take him.  Dammit the universe needed to stop doing this shit to her!  It never occurred to her that she could have refused and forced Kai to wait for the cab or just leave him to his own devices in getting there.  Her brain just automatically decreed that the fastest way for him to see his family would be for her to throw his furry ass on her motorcycle and take him herself.  For one thing she didn't adhere to things like traffic laws as much as cabbies did.

     

    "Sit down.  Five minutes and then we'll get going," she snapped out, clearly pissed off about the situation but not willing to let an emotionally compromised were go stomping out at night.  For one thing if she kept an eye on him she could shoot him in the head herself if he went psycho.  She just wished she had her shotgun.  She'd have to settle for a Beretta to his eye socket if it came to that.

     

    Mack quickly stole the bathroom to make sure there wasn't any grease or lubricant on her hands before getting rid of the coverall.  She really did not want Kai seeing it if he was already upset.  That would have made things much worse she was sure.  She switched them out for some clothes she had in her hard shelled backpack, her gun finding it's way into a holster under her leather jacket.

     

    She was ready in less than five and jerked her head for Kai to follow as she pulled the pack on and then her helmet.  She'd left her ride in the alley, hiding under a few wooden pallets as she wheeled it out and popped open a compartment hiding under the seat.  She pulled a spare helmet out, hoping the bloody thing would fit Kai's head because if not he was going to be out of luck.  She also hoped his bag was going to fit.

     

    "Helmet on and bag in the storage," she said, still pissy but with authority.  "The concrete ain't going to care how fast you heal or what you are, it'll still crush your skull on impact."  While that last part was certainly true she left out the part about him not going to be able to bite her while having the helmet on.  Since he was going to be right behind her on the damn thing she liked having at least that for insurance...provided the damn thing fit.  It was after all the most common size for the human noggin.

     

    "Where are we going and anything I need to know before moving out?  Ain't likely to hear you once on the road."

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    "Hey Simon!"

     

    He waited, just when he thought he couldn’t feel any worse.  Apparently his money was good enough, but his ass wasn’t.  He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt about freaking the kid out.  It was exactly what he swore he would never do, more damage done in a single second than good done in the years he’d been trying.  It was pointless to even try anymore.  Mrs. Kolcheck was all he had left, fuck everything else.

     

    "Sit down.  Five minutes and then we'll get going,"

     

    Lips parted slightly to say something, the utter helplessness of a lost kitten deep in the furrow of his brow.  If he could get where he needed to go, he would.  It was too far.  He thought for a moment about stealing cars, doing everything he could.  If she somehow managed to pull through this, his actions in the next few moments wouldn’t allow him to stay with her without being hunted down.  He blinked after her as she stole away, sinking in the overhead doorway to balance on the balls of his feet, forearms over his knees as a fragile calm descended over him.

     

    Stand was immediate when she emerged, following without a second glance.  Tentative need snapped into business in a split second.

      

    "Helmet on and bag in the storage,  The concrete ain't going to care how fast you heal or what you are, it'll still crush your skull on impact."

     

    He did a quick army roll on his shoulder bag and slid it into the storage, personal clothes, the rest of his tranqs and ammo compacting easily, taking the helmet and sliding it on. Visor flipped up, fingers made quick work of the chin strap.  This was not his first bike rodeo.

     

    "Where are we going and anything I need to know before moving out?  Ain't likely to hear you once on the road."

     

    “New York First Methodist.  You need to be armed.  It’s not a friendly neighborhood to outsiders.  Drop me off at the door and get the hell out of the neighborhood.”

     

    It was an old neighborhood, and not a good one.  Old Russian families and traditions, cliques of families… everyone knew everyone.  Very suspicious of outsiders, as apparent by the first round of broken glass to his truck.

     

    “They broke my window.  I broke my truck instead of breaking them.”

     

    He slid behind her on the bike, reaching under his hoodie to adjust his shoulder holster straps tighter so their handles didn’t dig into the bottom of her shoulder blades when he would have to hold on.  Hoodie was zipped up.

     

    “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead,”  last words ominous before his visor flipped down and he waited for the lurch forward to lift his feet and lean forward to hold around her waist.  The less he touched her, the better…  for his own sanity.  The rain, the wet world was bad enough, being so close to Mack was not going to be an easy ride.

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    Mack blinked at Kai as he spoke, it slowly filtering through her brain that he was concerned about her being in a bad neighborhood.  It was almost sweet if it had not been so ludicrous.  Mack had grown up in a rough neighborhood after all though Kai couldn't know that.  She was use to rough, and things had only gotten rougher since the world went to hell in a hand basket.

     

    "I can handle a couple of angry rampaging trolls, I think I can handle a grouchy neighborhood.  I'll park it and go in with you thanks,"  she told him as she got her helmet settled.  She didn't say a word about going in to make sure he didn't flip out on hospital staff.  People did that kind of thing when they got upset and emotional and considering the state Kai was in and his admitting he broke his truck... Well Mack figured it was better he had someone with to get him away from people.  Her surviving such an encounter was another matter really but Mack had never thought of herself as having an abundant amount of time left in the world.

     

    Which of course made Kai's comment all the more grating on her as he got on the bike.  She clamped her teeth together a minute as he got settled, already wishing there was a better way of driving someone somewhere that didn't feature a were snuggling up to her back and clinging to her waist for dear life because she drove like a maniac. 

     

    The comment though grated as she started up the bike and sent an arch look over her shoulder at him.  "Death and me are old buddies by now Kai.  I ain't afraid of you."

     

    She didn't give him the chance to ask anything about it before she revved the gas and they shot off.

     

    Now Mack was never asked for rides and there was a good reason for it.  She had learned how to drive a car primarily by running away from police when she had been younger.  This left her with a disregard for traffic laws that earned a large number of tickets daily and only became worse usually when pressed for time or agitated.  As she was pressed for time, pissed off, and wanting to get this over with so she could go back to life without issue one would think her driving would not have been on the edges of suicidal.  After whipping through several stop lights and jumping curbs to run on the sidewalk and get around traffic in a way that was definitely illegal she got them there in record time, if a little wet and with her wondering if Kai had claws she was going to need to ease out of her leather jacket.  She didn't even pull up to the front of the hospital but instead weaseled into a parking space between two cars.  Not that the space was actually meant for parking either but she wasn't really caring right then.  How she had managed not to get them arrested for reckless driving on the way was anyone's guess.

     

    "You have arrived," she stated in a mockingly robotic tone as she sat up and started looking over her jacket for any damage from terrified hands...or claws.  She really hoped he hadn't sprouted claws in there from the ride.  Maybe she should have been more careful but he'd been the one in a huge hurry here.

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    "I can handle a couple of angry rampaging trolls, I think I can handle a grouchy neighborhood.  I'll park it and go in with you thanks,"

     

    "You don't need to,"  it was so quiet he barely heard it himself.

     

    It was a reluctant truth, if not an honest one.  He'd tried.  He really had; making himself accessible to everyone, trying to fit in even though most of the damage was not from the infection, disparaged from birth in some weird affinity to be the perfect soldier.  He didn’t need anyone to babysit him.  If he’d wanted to kill anyone, he would have done it already before heading out the first time.  Despite everything so far, he’d showed considerable restraint.  Being treated as an outsider, not family, abandoned by those he trusted, called nothing but a monster, feared for no reason.

     

    Yes.  He’d shown nothing but restraint.

     

    "Death and me are old buddies by now Kai.  I ain't afraid of you."

     

    Kelly eyes narrowed at her through the visor, hands locking her waist at her navel with a distinct tug.  Maybe it was on purpose, maybe it wasn’t… the Were not known for antagonizing anyone.  They were either a friend, or a foe.  There was no inbetween.

     

    Dark eyes closed at the slingshot forward.  The light edged upturn on his lip at a distant memory.  It had been a long time since rampaging through the world with no control, usually at the back of a boat in the darkness through choppy water, jumping from a plane in the worst of weather with no ground in sight.  He was oddly calm with it, not even waiting for her to completely park in her chosen skinny before he was off the bike. 

     

    "You have arrived,"

     

    “I never asked you to be afraid of me,”  was a bit consonant in his teeth as he let go and flipped up his visor, obviously not forgetting either dig.  He should have waited until he got off to flip it up, the rain soaked mechanic setting deep into the back of his brain.  Irreverent to his bag still in her seat, the helmet was pulled off at his speed increasing jog.  He pushed through the revolving door and stopped impatiently at the reception desk, still holding onto the helmet.  He hadn’t forgotten to give it to her, it had her scent on it… and it would keep him from killing everyone. Everyone.

     

    “I need to know where a patient has been moved?”

     

    The smile was there, fake or not… it was instinctual, and keeping him from trying to claw his skin off.  He hated hospitals, the smell of disinfectant, the scent of disease… it grated his nerves and ticked at any shred of tolerance he had.  The nurse was slow, probably in the middle of a shift change, he having to repeat her name several times to her before she found her.

     

    *npc*  Ah yes, ICU… room 306

     

    He nodded in thanks, realizing after a few steps his running shoes were squeaking on the polished floor and immediately changed his gate to silence them.  Button was pushed multiple times impatiently waiting for the elevator, finally stopping to look and see if the mechanic had come after her helmet.

     

    Fuck the elevator.

     

    He made a beeline for the stairs, up them two at a time and smacking the panic bar at the top to fall into a more calm stride before sanitizing his hands and quietly stepping through the double doors into the quiet ward.  Families were everywhere, on duty for the dying, the scent of stale tears on crushed tissues shivered his skin.  Footfalls were silent until he stopped at her room, the note on the doorknob that it was not to be opened glared at with such anger that he his teeth chattered together and clenched tightly to calm a tick in his jaw.

     

    Dark eyes snapped to the nurse, the plastic of the helmet creaking slightly under his grip.  She came over.

     

    *npc* You must be her son, Kai.

     

    Fractured irises flared wide with pupil before narrowing to pinpoints. Son?  Eyes flicked back to the sleeping woman in the room, her long black and grey braid along her arm.  She looked so pale, it was hard to see her like this.  Head cocked slightly as he watched her through the glass, fingertips reaching absently to touch the see-through wall.  He said nothing.

     

    *npc*  She’s tough.  Said not to worry and go home and eat something, she’ll see you in the morning.

     

    Expression was unreadable as he watched her walk away.  Helpless.  What did he do?  Did he leave like she told him to?   Gaze travelled to others that were camped out waiting for their loved ones to either snap out of it, or die.  What was he supposed to do?

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    Mack rose a brow from the clipped tone Kai took when they stopped.  She wanted badly to retort but had to settle for a look of disbelief.  He had other things on his mind after all.  Case in point when he ran off without even leaving her spare helmet behind.  He'd obviously forgotten he'd been telling her to leave.

     

    With a sigh and a mental shrug Mack followed behind.  She didn't try to keep up but she did manage to keep Kai in sight, least he do something stupid.  Mack did not have anything particularly against hospitals.  After all she was in them often enough be it from herself or from something work related.  Nowadays you were either in a hospital or having a private doctor handle things, like Atticus had after the aforementioned troll incident with her back.  It was a good thing it had already been scarred up from burns or she might have been upset about the scars the stitches left.

     

    The depressing thing about hospitals to Mack, besides the obvious one of mortality, was the families and people.  Everyone always had someone to visit or help in these places and it was a stark and painful reminder that Mack didn't have anyone.   Sure she had a few people here and there.  Trent might have been one but a dragon in a hospital worrying about a human was a bad idea to her.  Cris too she could imagine but lately Cris had been busy between work and something else she was dealing with.

     

    Vacily popped to mind amusingly enough, but somehow Mack couldn't imagine him fretting over her.  Guy saved her ass and she was grateful for that but at the same time she had no illusions that she was a pawn in a game of chess in his head somewhere.  At least that was the feeling she always got though she had to admit she thought the pawns were the ones to get sacrificed all the time.

     

    With her thoughts mildly grumpy from having to be in this damn place Mack gave a small forced smile and a wave when Kai looked back.  She didn't think he was paying much attention though as he moved from the elevator he'd been jabbing the button of non-stop to the stairs.  He was really worried about whoever was here that was for sure.  It had Mack's brow furrowing as she followed and hoped she didn't have to deal with a were creature raging due to this.  For one thing she wasn't sure how she would handle it without calling for back up.

     

    And while Kai was a monster in there...he was somehow not deserving of being annihilated in her mind.

     

    That had Mack scowling to herself as she gripped her helmet with a sudden urge to bash something in frustration.  This was exactly why she had walked out of his little class to begin with.  The minute he'd mentioned being a were meant she was suppose to report his ass and she had not wanted to because...well he was trying to help.  He was trying to teach prevention which the Vanguard had a habit of ignoring because to them this was war, a plague that the only purging possible was of fire.

     

    Wait when the hell had she started thinking of the Vanguard as...them?

    To much thinking was going on here.

     

    As the nurse spoke to Kai, Mack settled on the floor to stick her helmet in her pack and pulled out a silver flask.  It was unscrewed quickly and she took a hit of whiskey before sealing it and putting it away in a pocket.  She had a feeling she was going to need more before the night was out.

     

    She was unsurprised to hear Kai be referred to as the woman's son though she was fairly certain he wasn't.  She remembered when they had met and he had been buying things for the older resident on his floor.  However it was hardly uncommon for people to count each other as family on records these days, particularly given so many had lost family members or like in her case, the whole family.
     

    When the nurse walked away Kai just stood there, quiet and staring.  Mack just sat waiting for a few but he wasn't moving and looked...lost.

     

    Christ but this night was going from bad to worse.  How she wished she could rip whatever made her empathize with people out of her skull.  She knew the feeling of being lost though, she dealt with it every night when she walked into her apartment.  Sometimes it was so crushing that she'd escape out to the bar or to the gym to get away from it.  It was always there though, lurking and waiting after the day was done and all the work was put away leaving her and her empty life.

     

    That train of thought lead to a stronger pull from the flask before she moved to stand by Kai and held the flask out to him.  "So what happened?" she asked, trying to get her mind off things.  She had to admit she was hoping he'd snapped or something but given the relatively good condition of the old lady she doubted it so there was something else wrong and she wasn't going to get out of her mental rock and hard place that easily.

    Link to comment

    Cat was impatient, butting against the inside of his flesh like an animal that ached for comfort. It needed contact, to get into that room and hold her hand, be calm next to her warmth. It was making him a volatile mess, the man’s personality at a sharp contrast to the animal. He was a soldier, and soldiers accepted death. Even without a pack mentality bone in his body, the tomcat had its extreme loyalties- and wanted to yank her out of here on its own terms. It wanted to be by her side, and he couldn’t go in, agitating the already thin restraint he was struggling to maintain.

     

    Long drawn breath allowed the scent of engines and wet leather to calm, or at least distract, the anxious cat… whisky ticking at the corner of his eye. He wasn’t a drinker, never had been. He was an insatiable lightweight, even was a Were, and being completely shitfaced with a gun behind enemy lines was never a good thing. Being a shitfaced Were was an even worse idea.

     

    Sniffle quiet, he was trying to decide what to do when Mack appeared at his shoulder, eyes settling on the flask she offered. Not a good idea… not a good idea. Sharing with a Were? Wasn’t she afraid she’d get cooties? He knew she wouldn’t get the furry plague… not sure if she knew it, or didn’t care. It ticked at the edge of his inflated sensory abilities, metabolized and engrained in her clothes just underneath the scent of leather and metal.

     

    "So what happened?"

     

    “I wolfed out and tried to kill her,” the quip under his breath for only her ears was deadpan, taking the flask and swallowing the acrid liquid before nearly snorting it through his nose as he handed it back to her, breaking the smartass comment in one fell swoop. “Oh my god, that’s awful…” another drink swiped however before he handed it back, the same coughed swallow as he contemplated whether or not to tell her the truth or to fuck off.

     

    Sigh long, a distinct wheeze seethed in a constricted throat, regretting his uncharacteristic smart assery. Despite his malfunction in life, he wasn’t a cruel person, he did what was necessary to protect those that needed protection, and made sure by whatever means necessary that those that had harmed them couldn’t do so anymore. He didn’t have to act like a monster, in this world and the last, he already was,

     

    He opened his mouth to speak several times, hesitating before he finally committed under his breath.

     

    “I leave every month for the mountains. Go to somewhere safe and tranq the hell out of myself for a week. This last time was… difficult, longer. When I got back, a cough had progressed into pneumonia.”

     

    He left out the part where even for a Were, he was a freak. The “normal” wires that the rest of them had twisted somehow with him. Lashes lowered, watching the putrid green color of one of her monitors bounce across a black screen and shiver slightly as his vision reacted to the two shots of whisky… feeling the tension of the cat curl back into his gut. Alcohol was never a good thing. Lack of ironclad control, good judgment. Last time was when his secretary had gotten the drop on him, narrowed lashes trying really hard to be suspicious… not quite able to with Mack.

     

    “I can’t stay in the city, I can’t leave her every month. I don’t what I’m going to do.”

     

    At the moment, she seemed safe. Maybe she was better off here. The nurse was right, she was a tough lady, and who was he to question what she wanted? She told him to go home, get something to eat and see her in the morning. Turn was slow with a sigh, eyes flicked to the mechanic before moving. He had been given “orders”. He didn’t want to leave, she wanted him to leave. He would do what she wanted. Hood was pulled up to keep out the remnants of rain, returning to the bike to retrieve his bag. It was a long walk, or run home. Food, shower, a few hours of sleep and back again by cab or subway.

     

    “She told me to get something to eat and go home,” he wasn’t sure if she’d followed, the wet world outside sending too many stimulants crashing over him, it even warped the edges of sound. Footsteps were distinct, listening for her gate as he took it upon himself to get his bag and sling it over his shoulder, setting the helmet on the seat. “So I’m getting something to eat and going home."

     

    His expression, was not pleased. Not angry, not determined… unhappy, sad even. A lost, stray cat.

     

    “Thanks for the ride. Keep the truck as long as you need... tell your friend I'm sorry and I won't eat him.”

    Link to comment

    Mack sent Kai an arched look when he snipped about wolfing out.  She considered it a small measure of karma when he coughed from the whiskey.  "It'll put more fur on your chest.  All the girls will come out of the woods for ya," she commented before taking the flask back.  One more swig for herself was taken before she put it back in the pocket with a firm note to self not to take another swig.  She knew exactly how much she could drink before she needed to start thinking of cabs or other rides home.

     

    She waited with surprising patience as Kai's mouth worked and he mulled things over.  He wasn't required to tell Mack anything and she would understand if he didn't want to.  After all they hadn't parted on the best of terms the last time she had been around.

     

    The reminder of her walking out of Kai's class had her mentally cringing even as she folded her arms across her chest.  She felt guilty over just pulling that on him without an explanation but how the hell did you explain to someone you couldn't hang around them because you worked for a group that hunted them down and exterminated them?  Maybe Mack didn't agree completely with all of the dogma the Vanguard had but she did agree with the idea that someone needed to counter all the beings that weren't human.  Someone had to keep the interests of humans at heart because others sure as hell were not going to.  Case in point the dueling mage organizations that liked to stomp about here and there.

     

    There had to be something still worth surviving for in the world.  Otherwise Mack might as well have just put a bullet in her head and called it.

     

    Kai finally seemed to manage words again, leaving the mechanic listening quietly.  She had to wonder why this time had been different but could honestly say she had no idea.  After all she only knew the were-plague turned people into mindless monsters following the phases of the moon.  There wasn't a cure really but there was some handy anti-virals that the Vanguard stocked up on. 

     

    “I can’t stay in the city, I can’t leave her every month. I don’t what I’m going to do.”

     

    Mack had a thought on that but refrained from saying anything as Kai pulled up his hood and started off towards where they had left the bike.  She scrambled a moment to catch up before falling into pace with him.  He commented on what the old lady had left for him to be told and Mack had to agree that it was sound logic but she was still worried about him being left alone.  He still had that lost look about him that made her worried he'd get bad ideas.

     

    "Ehhh, Simon's not so much a friend as a...weird kind of salesmen," Mack commented with a shrug as she shuffled from side to side.  "He's good at salvaging but terrible at being a mechanic.  I'll fix up cars that are harder for him in return for him getting me some parts that are a bit harder to find.  Keeps both our bosses happy and no one gets hurt."

     

    When she had parked the bike she'd done her best to maneuver under a small awning so the seat would stay dry.  It hadn't worked the greatest but that was why she carried towels and such in her bag for just such weather.  With an annoyed huff she moved under the awning herself, pulling out a smoke and her trusty zippo.  Alcohol might not be allowed anymore until she got home but she could be a smoke stack whenever she wanted.

     

    "Give me a minute for a smoke and then I'll give you a lift.  You got anyone at home to...um help?" she asked lamely.  She wasn't quite sure how to say keep you calm so you don't terrorize your neighbors without sounding like a complete bitch.  "Just saying most people get someone to cry on the shoulder of.  Figured it might do you some good cause you look like hell Kai."

     

    And she was obviously one to talk about looking like hell.  She saw it every day in the mirror.

     

    "You can ask someone about checking on her while you're out of town at the same time.  Just need someone you trust to look in on her and help you out is all.  She isn't helpless and this isn't your fault Kai."

    Link to comment

    "It'll put more fur on your chest.  All the girls will come out of the woods for ya,"

     

    He blinked at her, resisting the urge to glance down at his chest, brows furling oddly.  He knew humor, he liked humor… just was having a hard time finding it and separating it from the “his and her” sarcasm.  Lip perked slightly as he tried to explain his dilemma, lost again in his woes and the fact she seemed to honestly be listening to him.  He didn’t know if she would really understand his quirks; most normal people would stay despite what the patient wanted.  In the end, he would respect Mrs. Kolcheck’s wishes. If she wanted him to go home, he would oblige.

     

    The silence coming from her room terrified him.  It was a crushing, visceral feeling; distressing, drowning.  She’d been with him since the beginning, after returning to New York and finding nobody and nothing of his former life, the woman had picked him up in a grocery store like a stray and got him back together.  For someone that could travel the world as a ghost, he was unusually unable to function in civilian life.  She taught him how to find a schedule on his own and organize his life without someone telling him what to do.  Be independent, begin to move on from what happened on the other side of the world.  He couldn’t imagine his life now without her, footsteps moving out of the building felt like nails slamming into a coffin. He needed food, a hot shower, and days of sleep; pretty sure he was going to get none of it.  Eyes peered up at the sky as Mack fell into step, and seemingly apologized for her friend.

       

    "Ehhh, Simon's not so much a friend as a...weird kind of salesmen,  He's good at salvaging but terrible at being a mechanic.  I'll fix up cars that are harder for him in return for him getting me some parts that are a bit harder to find.  Keeps both our bosses happy and no one gets hurt."

     

    Hands were stuffed in his hoodie pockets, standing just outside the awning to flinch slightly at the scent of cigarette smoke… forever the stray distrustful of a bit of kindness.  He was already shaking his head at her offer, half from a “no” to the ride, the other to whether or not he had anyone at home to babysit him.

     

    “No, it’s just me,” he swallowed thickly, avoiding looking at her.  He was attempting to be suspicious, always looking for an ulterior motive while trying to presume positive intentions.  He couldn’t get over the fact she’d blown him off when before she seemed so eager to help; knowing it was because he was a Were- trying to still figure out where exactly she stood. Why was she helping now?

     

    "Just saying most people get someone to cry on the shoulder of.  Figured it might do you some good cause you look like hell Kai."

     

    Tired eyes blinked and finally fell on her,  “haven’t slept since I got back… am sore… just need a hot shower and sleep… food.”

     

    …and a shoulder to cry on?  Someone to spill his Were woes to?  Somehow he didn’t think Mack wanted to hear all the gory details, and he definitely didn’t want her near his place, let alone in it.  He liked her, and he didn’t want to hurt her by feeding into whatever prejudices she had to make her go away and leave him alone… Problem was, he didn’t want her to go away.  It was too dangerous if she didn’t.  He didn’t trust himself enough to not do something stupid… there was a reason he didn’t bring women to his place.  It was too damn close coming off a full moon run, and it was just a recipe for disaster.  This wasn’t his office, or his gym, the safe spaces he’d come to terms with keeping distances in.  It was the street, and his apartment.

     

    "You can ask someone about checking on her while you're out of town at the same time.  Just need someone you trust to look in on her and help you out is all.

     

    “I don’t have anyone…”  he interrupted, the hum in his voice dark and a bit abrupt.  “Last person I trusted tried to kill me after her Vanguard boyfriend talked her into it, the others… left,”  it was a dig, a deep one even though he didn’t know it.

     

    “She isn't helpless and this isn't your fault Kai.”

     

    “It is,” he corrected, then stopped himself as he felt his top lip sheer from one of his unusually large canines… feeling the anger ticking in his temples.  She knew nothing, and he wasn’t sure she wanted to.  Last time he opened his mouth to tell the truth, she took off.  What changed?  Why was she even here?  Desperation had turned to anger, and she was the last person he wanted to lash out at, a calm wash settling over his skin as he sighed.

     

    “It is my fault, I made a promise to take care of her,”  tone had changed considerably, regretful, matching the tired expression.  “Should have been strong enough to avoid all this,”  wistful smile finally softened his features. “Wrong place, wrong time and all that… should have been finished and gotten out faster, paid for it… Africa.  I’m not the bitten kind,”  the insight on his infection was something he’d never confessed, to anyone.  “You don’t need to hear all that.  Hashtag Were problems… or something,”  he could be funny, he knew humor.  “I won’t turn down a ride home, I really don’t want to walk… there’s a pub a few blocks from my apartment, you can just kick me off as you drive by and I’ll grab some food and go home.”

    Link to comment

    Mack frowned as Kai said it was just him.  She had to admit that letting a were sit and brood and potentially explode seemed a really bad idea.  Maybe she should call someone.  Who the hell was she going to call though?  The Vanguard would have him killed on the spot and she didn't exactly have many acquaintances outside of it.  She thought of Atticus and wished vainly she had his number or something, he'd likely have been able to help some...maybe.

     

    As it stood though Mack was on her own and would have to make do or call in reinforcements of the murdering kind.  For now she was going to opt for no murder if she could get away with it.  Specially since from the sounds of things Kai wasn't in a condition to do much more than pass out.  She was hoping that was the case because it made things so much easier.

     

    At least it would have.  The mention of the Vanguard alarmed Mack and had her brain jumping into overdrive of bad.  Even though Kai said the girl's boyfriend talked her into things Mack's brain combed her memory to see if she had slipped up at some point and mentioned him to someone.  She'd purposely not talked about Kai at all.  She knew better than to even make jokes or the like about it after the last mess she'd gotten herself into being a little to close for comfort with something that wasn't quite human.  The guilt from his little dig didn't help matters either.  He didn't mean everyone had abandoned his class had they?  It was a useful thing after all and she'd left for...well obvious reasons to her but she couldn't really get into them.  Surely not now with him having already had someone turn on him, though she wanted to hunt down that boyfriend and shoot him in the face for being an idiot.  What Vanguard in their right mind thought to try and get their girlfriend to deal with a were instead of getting a proper team?

     

    Pot and kettle the situation might have been but Mack didn't consider it so since she wasn't trying to kill Kai here.  Just help him manage...well himself.

     

    She had to admit she questioned the wisdom of her decisions when Kai snipped at her for correcting him on it being his fault.  Maybe it was the flash of pointy teeth or just some deep seated knowledge that under the skin he was effectively a wild animal that could maul her and that did cause a bit of fear to lurk in the gut.  Either way it had her eyes narrowing as Mack continued her ever bull headed and suicidal behaviors of metaphorically head butting with creatures that could probably make her a smear on the pavement as much as her bike.

     


    She set a firm hand on Kai's shoulder, a potential mistake she didn't even know of.  Mack was a physical person, and in an effort to comfort and get Kai to focus on reality instead of beating himself up she didn't see a reason not to treat him like she might a squad mate. 

     

    "It is not your fault," she repeated in a firmer tone than before with complete conviction.  "What were you suppose to do?  Stay in the city when you changed and risk how many more people?  Her to since she would have been the first person you'd see likely.  You can't predict things like this, you have to trust that she did her best to look after herself.  You got there in time to help her out and that's the important thing.  You're making sure she's getting the care she needs now.  You're only human dammit so you can't be everywhere covering everything at once!"

     

    Mack did not miss his comment about Africa and not being the bitten kind.  She did not however have a context really for them and had bigger concerns.  It stuck in the back of her head though because she couldn't think of how one got to be a were without getting bitten.  Right that minute though she had the issue of Kai having no one to help him out with things and him being stable instead of strung out was far more important.

     

    She finished her smoke and flicked it into a puddle.  "How about, we go back to your place.  You get a shower, I'll get some Chinese or whatever ordered to deliver, we'll sit down with whatever method of stress relief and escapism you pick, and then once you've passed out I'll leave and we can go back to ignoring each others existence.  Doesn't sound to me like you remember to do a damn thing for yourself there and aren't likely to until someone kicks you into it.  A healthy dose of normalcy and relaxing sounds like what the doctor ordered for you."

     

    The plan seemed a good ish one to Mack, if strange.  The normalcy to remind why it was important to Kai to not hurt people and the relaxing to make sure he just stayed calm and didn't freak out.  She had to admit she would have rather he had a friend to sit with him but since Kai had pretty much admitted his only friend and family was the one siting in the hospital and causing him to freak out Mack would have to do.  Just leaving him to his own devices seemed a bad idea when he might snap.  Granted if he did Mack would just have to hope she hit the 911 on her phone fast enough before she got mauled.

    Link to comment

    She’d frowned at him, tentative eyes glancing at her.  He’d seen that look before, right before she took off on his class.  Seethed defeat came out in a slow breath, he was going to have to start walking soon if he would make it home in time to catch a shower and short nap before returning in the morning- her narrowed eyes giving him more of reason to start the trek home.  Tired, distracted or otherwise, he did not see it coming; hand on his shoulder causing muscles to jump and freeze beneath it.  A cord began to tick in his neck, the scent of her skin flaring into his nostrils from contact with his wet hoodie, pupils wide under narrowed lashes.  The Were had become completely still, her hand like a clamp on the scruff of a feral cat; lips were pressed together, about to tell her not to touch him when she began her terse scold.

     

    "It is not your fault, What were you suppose to do?  Stay in the city when you changed and risk how many more people?  Her to since she would have been the first person you'd see likely.  You can't predict things like this, you have to trust that she did her best to look after herself.  You got there in time to help her out and that's the important thing.  You're making sure she's getting the care she needs now.  You're only human dammit so you can't be everywhere covering everything at once!"

     

    Human?

     

    The words that had welled up behind his teeth to defend himself dissipated.  Since when was he only a human in her eyes?  Brows rose in soft question.

     

    "How about, we go back to your place.  You get a shower, I'll get some Chinese or whatever ordered to deliver, we'll sit down with whatever method of stress relief and escapism you pick, and then once you've passed out I'll leave and we can go back to ignoring each others existence.  Doesn't sound to me like you remember to do a damn thing for yourself there and aren't likely to until someone kicks you into it.  A healthy dose of normalcy and relaxing sounds like what the doctor ordered for you."

     

    Say no Kai.

     

    He wasn’t breathing, unwilling to move as he mulled it over in his brain and tried to keep the cat calm that was trying to rub and curl against Mack’s hand.  It liked her.  It trusted her.  Too much.  Stress relief?  This would not go well.  Gaze moved to her hand on his shoulder, then back to her.  It was a dangerous thing, the scent imprint.  Now she was all over his clothes, he would have to wash them immediately when he got home, then scrub down the house.  Nobody had ever been in his apartment except the landlord, repairman and Mrs. Kolcheck.  The last person that got close ended up with a gun in their face.  Even during his sometimes insatiable romps- which he was not proud of- he still never brought anyone to his apartment.  He shouldn’t have thought about that, the muscle again in his neck twitching. 

     

    The animal under his skin wanted her there.

     

    Say no Kai.

     

    The internal argument escalated, justification and condemnation slinging in every direction.

     

    He did have a television, Mrs. Kolcheck liked to watch old westerns with him while they baked cookies in his oven. The smell would linger for days.  Teeth were on edge just thinking about her, glancing back toward the hospital, unable to shake the urge to go back and sit by her side. She told him to go home.  He would go.

     

    …what to say to Mack?

     

    No.

     

    Normal people spent time with someone they trusted during tough times.  Not with someone that thought they were a considerable asshole-ish monster and would probably shoot him in the face as soon as he fell asleep.  Why was she suddenly trying to help?  Besides, he was fine.  What would they do, watch westerns and bake cookies?  A furball baking cookies.  He was stressed, angry, exhausted, and too close to rolling off a week of change.  He hadn’t even been home to his own apartment since before the moon.  The Were was completely capable of controlling himself.  He should just go home, tranq his ass and try to sleep.

     

    Nothing was ever that simple. 

     

    “Inwood. First and Sixth, park in the fenced lot behind the building,” fingers were already reaching for the helmet- pushing back his hood to put it on and rolling his bag again to put in the under seat.

     

    What the hell was he doing??  This would not end well…  this would not end well at all.

    Link to comment

    The silence stretched just long enough for Mack to wonder if she had done something wrong.  Scratch that she knew she was doing a long list of things wrong.  If any of her bosses or co-workers found out she was going to be fired at best, possibly shot at worst.

     

    So she was just going to have to make an effort not to let anyone know about it.  Wasn't like she was going to tell Kai either.  Just one little night of being a friend like they had started out before returning to the way things were with them ignoring each other's existence.  Or well, her ignoring his existence so he didn't have the Vanguard really after his ass.

     

    She was completely oblivious to his plight but not to the tension that seemed to seep in.  Maybe he wasn't going to be able to relax with her around or something?  She thought to tell him never mind and she'd just drop him off but he beat her to it letting her know where they were going.  

     

    Mack wondered for a minute but shrugged it off and pulled her own helmet on after making sure her lighters was stowed in her own bag.  Starting the motorcycle up and climbing on she waited with relative patience for Kai to get on as well before shooting off much like she had before though lacking snappy words from their original trip.

     

    She did wonder as she drove if maybe she shouldn't explain matters better.  After all if Kai found out later that she was working in the Vanguard he was likely to get really pissed off.  At the same time she wasn't sure how stable he was currently so telling him right that minute seemed like a really bad idea for continued living.  Maybe when he was calmer and in a better place to listen it would be a good time to bring up why she wasn't hanging around with him.

     

    Yeah that sounded like a sound plan there.

     

    It didn't take her long to find his place though she ended up passing it once on accident.  Sooner than she had thought she had the bike off and was sitting up with her zombie bite marked helmet keeping the worst of the rain from her head.  "Home sweet home," she commented on a stifled yawn as she headed for the door to get out of the wet.  "Any special rules to know of before going in?  Leave the hall closet closed cause it hides your whips and chains?"

     

    Mack had learned the hard way that poking about people's homes usually told more than she was willing to know.  Frankly she had no intention of going anywhere beyond the kitchen, living room, and bathroom.  She didn't see a reason she would end up anywhere else either.  At least she didn't have to worry about falling asleep, not with the nightmares she'd been having for the last month or so.

     

    She should really consider talking to someone about those probably, but Mack didn't like talking to shrinks at the best of times.  Besides if she was going crazy, how was that news to anyone?  Most people considered her a few sandwiches short of a picnic anyway.

     

    Link to comment

    He slid behind her easily, snapping down his visor sans the stiff disdain at Monk’s and the snark that had dug along with it. Today was not the day he wanted to deal with any more shit, normally hard fought for even keel had started to sway with his mood. Under ordinary circumstances, Mack’s smartass aggression toward his kind would have earned her a place on his quiet hate list- but he couldn’t quite figure out what her flip flopping in his presence meant… she helped him then she hated him, she hated him then she helped him. Nearest he could figure there was some sort of prior run in with a Were.  Like everyone else in the world, there were the good and bads of everything.  Some more adept than others, but even humans could be as much of a monster.  Less teeth, but given the right firepower their intentions could do more damage in a heartbeat than his ever could.  She seemed to be struggling with it, which meant she could think for herself; one of the reasons why he wasn’t telling her to fuck off, the other… compounded by a growing whiskey fuzz in his brain.

     

    Palm found its way flat on her stomach to hold on, not the tentative locked wrists of before, his other over top of it.  Lifting his foot to let her take off, he stayed close as he leaned with her through the bat out of hell driving in the rain.  It was an adrenaline rush to an already uneven thought process that was teetering on instability.  This was when he ended up in the bathroom scrubbing his skin until it bled, when he buried himself under mountains of comforters and refused to move for days to avoid someone he thought attractive, obsessively found himself cleaning every inch of his apartment to keep his brain from exploding.  His world was spinning in every direction, sinking into the distinct downward spiral he tried to avoid; feeling like he should warn her.  He would, but it was kind of hard to do with a bike helmet on.  It would be uncomfortable… and she’d regret she had come- suddenly very aware she’d missed his place. He said nothing, savoring the few last moments of silence before things would get awkward again. Why exactly had he said yes?  He couldn’t shake the reality that this was definitely a bad idea.  It had gone far enough.  Parking brought a pause, not really wanting to halt the whole goodwill encounter. 

     

    It was for the best.

     

    "Home sweet home,"

     

    He lingered on the bike as she beelined for the door, finally sliding off and retrieving his bag.  Helmet was pulled off, approaching the door and trying to decide what to say that wouldn’t piss her off.  Snatched keys from the side zipper pocket of his bag gelled the words together, halting his train of thought as he watched her yawn.

     

    "Any special rules to know of before going in?  Leave the hall closet closed cause it hides your whips and chains?"

     

    Key was turned in the general entrance, holding the door for her and then stepping inside the tastefully art deco lobby out of the peppering rain.  The keys were being flipped through again, eyes watching them calmly so he didn’t have to look at her.

     

    Tell her goodnight Kai.

     

    His footsteps weren’t listening, walk toward the elevator met with a produced tiny key to turn it on, hit the button to call it down, then lock it again.  Doors opened, and he stepped in, pressing the button to hold it open for her.

     

    [kai]I don’t have any,[/kai] eyes finally flicked up at her through unusually expressive brows.  [kai]Never had anyone over before that wasn’t the maintenance guy or Mrs. Kolcheck.[/kai]

     

    Kai!

     

    His Jiminy Cricket was stuffed down the proverbial hole, pressing the button to the top floor.

     

    [kai]I hide the bodies anyway.[/kai]

     

    Smirk was light, the humor there… knowing she really had no clue how true that was. Of course, they were only people that had tried to kill him in one way or another and they were already fish food in the harbor.  Only fair right?  You tried to kill someone, you deserved everything that happened afterward.

     

    Stepping off, it was at the end of the hall; a corner place, directly across from an identical door that had a pretty wrought iron wreath around the peephole.  He was avoiding looking at her apartment, key had already clutched into his hand, snapping the lock and opening the door.  His open floorplan apartment smelled like fresh linen, even before he flicked the light on it was swathed in a warm glow filtered from the streetlights outside.  Shoes were pulled off at the door and put on a small rug, sliding open the closet immediately to the left behind the main door to expose the washer and dryer.  Helmet was placed on top of the dryer, bag dropped next to his shoes, opening the next closet to point if she wanted to hang up her coat to dry, his own several unique leather coats hanging there.  Not wasting a moment, hoodie was yanked off over his head and tossed into the front load washer, shoulder holster exposed.  Both pistols were slid out and placed carefully on the dryer, holster methodically unbuckled and hung in the closet.  Tee shirt was yanked off along with his socks and thrown into the washer too.

     

    He reached above on the shelf and pulled off a few fluffy white towels for her and another grey hoodie and a teeshirt, setting them on the washer as he turned it on.

     

    [kai]For your hair, and if you want to change… probably a bit too big for you though.  You can throw anything wet into the dryer,[/kai]  wet curls nodded toward the far end of the apartment past the dining room table.  [kai]Balcony if you want to smoke.[/kai]

     

    Hazel rimmed eyes were unreadable a moment, fingers reaching up to fuss with his hair.  He really should’ve just stopped talking, eyes flicking toward the various places in his humble… exceptionally clean, normal abode.

     

    [kai]Tv, couch… kitchen, fridge is full.  Make yourself at home.[/kai]  Fingers rubbed the back of his neck, blinking away the fuzz in his brain.  The cat was wide awake, curious, and eying the woman that had somehow found herself where no one had before- the man finally putting together he was half naked in front of her before suddenly padding toward his bedroom.  The cat was upset as he stepped away from her, bubbled growl hidden by a soft clearing of his throat..  [kai]Sorry not the whips and chains you were expecting.[/kai]

     

    He paused at the doorway to his bedroom, predator’s glance never quite making it to her before he disappeared inside and closed the door behind him.  Once inside, his forehead thunked on the inside of the closed door, rolling to tap the back of his skull silently on it a few times before sliding to sit on the floor, shoulders leaning against it with his hand still on the doorknob.

     

    What the fuck was he doing? 

     

    Hand slid over his features, it was too late.  She was in his apartment.  Under his skin from the first encounter, and now in his apartment.  He had to somehow get out of this before making a complete jackass out of himself.  She was not someone met on the street the cat would follow home for a romp...unsure what the difference was. Fingers tightened in his hair, jaw clenched to tell the excited cat to shut the fuck up.  It wanted to just, touch her.... nuzzle under her ear.  Fuuuck...  He would be cleaning her scent out of his apartment for days after this.  Rolling up to escape his thoughts, he retrieved a fresh set of clothes and reemerged, stopping in the kitchen to grab a bottled water to obliterate before vanishing into the bathroom and snapping on the shower.

     

    Get the alcohol out of his system.  First and foremost.  Food in his stomach, calm the hell down.

     

    The whole situation was irresponsible, Kai.  Really, really unwise.

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    While Mack had noticed Kai's grip differing on the ride, she had not thought anything of it.  After all most people were stiff the first few rides on a bike but when you knew what to expect it wasn't so bad.  As such she thought nothing of how slow he was being or the ride, instead keeping her focus on getting him relaxed and settled in for some shut eye.  She had to admit some envy at the thought of sleep, her hand itching for her flask even though alcohol hadn't been helping the purge the nightmares from her brain.

     

    His confession that he never let anyone in his place earned a look of sympathy from Mack.  She didn't usually like people in her place either to be fair.  Though in her case it was a combination of place, chemicals, and people potentially blowing things up.  Nothing like folks finding the pipe bombs she made or the potato canon that she used to help with home defense.  Most things didn't like taking potatoes to the face she was pretty sure, specially at high speeds when they could start breaking jaws.  When people were in her place they wanted to touch things and such and well...it usually lead to injuries.

     

    As the elevator doors closed, Kai muttered about hiding the bodies.  Most people would have taken that comment and ran away thinking they would be next.  Mack couldn't help but snort a bit, remembering their comments about him transporting bodies when they had first met in the grocery store.  In spite of her good humor though she bit her lip and scolded herself.  He probably had hidden bodies before he figured out how to handle matters.

     

    What the hell was she doing?  This was another one of her terrible ideas really but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to be calling in the Vanguard on Kai.  He wasn't a bad person, hell he was trying to teach people how to get out  of situations they might find themselves in with his kind.  He didn't want people ending up like him was the only logical reason Mack could think of for that.

     

    Kai's place made Mack feel like an invader somehow.  For one thing it was better than her cheap basement apartment that featured concrete everything with only a few small windows.  Secondly the sheer amount of white and how clean the damn place was had her afraid to touch anything for fear of making it filthy.  She had been working on cars and trucks all day after all.  Christ the place even smelled nicer than hers, which usually smelled like a garage or a locker room.  Mack was a slob and she knew that, but she knew where every single thing was in her place.  Was likely the other reason she didn't really have people over.

     

    She took two steps in before noticing Kai taking his shoes off.  She cringed a bit before backing up to do the same.  After all it was his place and if he wigged out she wasn't really going to be able to out run him, shoes or not.  She was still tugging her boots off and mentally hoping her feet didn't stink to badly for Kai's super snout as the were-whatever went waving her to hang up her jacket and yanked off wet clothes.

     

    She had to admit she was a little surprised to see the guns.  When you could turn into a hulking beast what was the point of pistols after all?  It struck her as odd but then maybe it was a comfort thing, he had mentioned being in the Navy to her once.  She didn't claim to know how Kai's brain worked.  She wasn't even sure hers was when he went yanking off his t-shirt, leaving himself half-naked but for some pants.  Thank God he kept those on.  She didn't recall anything about if weres were particularly loving of running around naked.  She ended up standing there gawking like an idiot for a moment and hoping she wasn't drooling.  Noticing all the scars that went with military life didn't help matters either as her brows drew down in curiosity that she had to swallow through a dry throat.  Damn why were all the freaks built well?

     

    All the better to eat people with likely.

     

    Mack set her boots down near his shoes, her feet shuffling together self consciously due to some holes in her socks.  When she straightened there was some towels being held out to her along with some dry clothes?

     

    "Oh, uh...thanks," she managed even as she could feel her face turning red.  Call her weird but the thought of wearing a guy's clothes popped pictures to mind that had no business being in her head.  It was compounded by Kai being shirtless, since that was simply not helping matters.  Neither was the sudden gut feeling of being Red Riding Hood with the wolf.

     

    When had she started holding her breath?  Mack forced herself to take a deep one as Kai moved off to whatever part of the apartment.  A laugh with a pinch of nervousness working though at his apology.  

     

    "Eh, it's ok.  Never been much of a whips and chains girl in spite of a love of wearing leather," she commented as she put her bundle down.  Her leather jacket came off next and she started drying it with a towel to get the excess water off.  Even after magic coming into the world, leather and water did not mix well.  She was nervous about being without her things but at the same time if she kept asking like Kai was a beast he might feel a need to fill expectations.

    Didn’t mean she wasn’t keeping her gun somewhere she could get to it quick though.  She figured resting with Kai’s on the counter was good enough and moved it there.  After all leaving them on driers was a great way to  have it heated, dumped on the floor, and otherwise damaged perhaps.  Mack would rather be safe about that then sorry.  It would have been humiliating to die of a random gun accident in a werewolf den.

     

    She was still in her damp clothes when Kai popped out and grabbed a bottle of water real quick.  Maybe it was her imagination but he seemed angry.  She wanted to cringe and ask what he wanted to eat but he was off in the bath for that shower before she could manage the words really.  

     

    Good thing she didn’t mind improvising and knew pretty much every delivery place in the New York area.  Mack herself did not cook, oh sure she could manage ramen or mac and cheese on her own but normally if she wanted a real meal she ordered food somewhere.  Tonight she would opt for Chinese and hope she ordered something Kai would eat.  If not, well she wasn’t picky and could take the leftovers home to eat over the next few days herself.

     

    It took her a few minutes on the phone to find out what Chinese place was closest that didn’t mind some strange delivery instructions.  She figured just having someone drop the food off at the elevator door on the floor should help with the invasion of smells Kai was likely already suffering from her presence.  A quick dash down the hall to leave the money, leaving her boot holding the door open, and she no longer had to worry about the food.  At least for now.

     

    Thankful she could still hear the shower going, Mack did her best to squish the urge to stay in her wet things and quickly peeled them off, tossing them in the dryer as the went and using the towel to get excess water off.  She was already getting chilled from her clothes hanging on her  and they were sticking to her something fierce.  She might have suffered through it but that whole need for normalcy negated it.  Thank God Kai wasn’t much bigger than she was, just taller.  She also drew the line at her underwear, which was thankfully not so damp that she needed to remove it.  Being naked with just Kai’s clothes on...just...no.  It felt weird enough being in his shirt and hoodie and...um…

     

    Where were the pants?

     

    Immediate panic had Mack pulling on the t-shirt and hoodie to try and cover her butt better.  Dammit there had been pants right?  Where the hell had she put them if they weren’t with the rest?  Did she drop them?  Throw them in the dryer?  She might have managed just a t-shirt and hoodie if she had been way shorter than her 5’8 but there was no way she was sitting about in electric blue undies with anyone that she wasn’t intentionally trying to show her underwear too.

     

    She looked around, retracing steps but couldn’t see them anywhere.  She had to have thrown them in the dryer with her wet things at some point.  Either that or Kai had just missed giving her pants.  

     

    Hoping for the former and not the latter for which she’d have to be insulted about on principal, Mack dove back into the dryer, pulling things out and searching her small load for the pants while hoping Kai didn’t come out to find her with her pants...well gone.

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    The cat was unconsciously drawing air over his palate, knowing the second after he’d done such a kneejerk thing that it wasn’t the best choice. It was instinctual through years of training and survival -get the wet clothes off- , a bachelor with nobody in the home to care, as well as a cat not wanting to remain soaking wet… the clothes came off and he didn’t even think about the reaction to his actions.  She was uncomfortable, the scent on her skin itching at his nostrils, and he needed to leave… fingers absently scratching at a perfect circle of shiny scar tissue from a bullet hole on his right shoulder.

     

    [kai]Sorry…[/kai]  was murmured under his breath as he broke from the front door to get on with his quest to warm up.  [kai]Instinct. Bachelor.[/kai]

     

    The entire encounter was leaving a tiny nagging voice prickling in the back of his head. It was too easy.  Others had wanted into his apartment for a variety of reasons. Women in his classes whom he felt just joined to ask him out and the Were kept politely refusing, people trying to sell him something or ask him to sponsor things.  A person with their own businesses seemed to be prime targets these days for others trying to jumpstart their own livelihoods back to life.  Some had found out where he lived, no doubt followed, and nonchalantly ambushed him at the door. He’d avoided those encounters as much as possible.

     

    Mack seemed to have just waltzed right in.  After calling him a furball, and walking out on a class.

     

    He’d let her in.

     

    It kept picking at the back of his mind.  Ulterior motives?  He wasn’t sure, and he definitely knew it wasn’t going to go over well when he got up the wherewithal to ask.  There was something on her mind, he knew enough about behavior to realize she was also asking herself questions through this whole encounter.  In truth, he really didn’t want to ask. He was quite content playing the little charade, the company different than he was used to… but being alone with his thoughts in whatever dark direction they would probably go would have been a bad idea.  Her being in his apartment with a Were consciousness that wanted nothing more than to rub and roll all over her seemed to be a worse one.  He had to get this thing under control.

     

    The Navy man’s shower was anything but… his commanding officers would have kicked his ass.  Normally thirty second in and out was replaced by a linger of several minutes to let the hot water sluice straight down the back of his neck over sore muscles.  He was different, more than anyone realized.  He’d never met or even knew of another like him.  Remembering the changes, feeling the pain as his body transformed into something terrible.  The rest, had it easy per se… he was such a damn mess he didn’t even bother to try and figure it out any more.  The searing water felt amazing, fingers kneading the muscles in the back of his neck before lifting his face to the streams to rinse his hair out one more time, an appreciative rumble in his throat that signaled he was getting too comfortable- too many ideas.  Cold water was shocked with a deep and hateful inward hiss through his teeth in attempts to drown the damn cat, snapping off the water to once again stiff muscles... but with his sanity intact.  Drying quickly, he peeled on a dove gray v-neck teeshirt and a pair of dark navy scrub pants, tying them off to step out of the bathroom and lace the towel around his shoulder after drying his hair.

     

    Pause was too long as he found himself watching Mack dig through the dyer, lip ticking upward over a pronounced canine, swallow thick. The fierce burn of an eager kitty raged across his skin as he crossed the short distance to his room and pulled open a drawer.  Brand new pair of gray running pants were retrieved, eyes to the floor as his silent footsteps made their way to the dryer that Mack had her head nearly completely into, probably looking for of all things… her pants.

     

    It hadn’t been on purpose, he really never thought she would…

     

    They were set down quietly on top of the dryer, picking up his weapons without a word -not trusting himself to say anything-, retrieving another towel and his bag and padding silently to the kitchen table to sit down with his back to her.  Breath was finally let out, he’d been holding it… too close to her.  Wet bare skin, wearing fresh clothes that smelled of him now mixed with her only to someone keen enough to scent it… good god, he had to do something else because in his head he sounded like a fucking serial killer. Eighteen year old college kid?

     

    No.  Just a…  lonely Were trying to find his humanity?  God, that sounded even worse- internal facepalm drawing a tight sigh.

     

    He wasn’t in his office, in his element where he could say all the right things and smile on cue.  This was Mack, she was in his apartment.  He had no idea what to say, or do- especially since…  Food, when the food got here it would be better.  He rolled out the towel, dropped the empty mags and began to field strip the weapons on top of it with incredible agility, laying them out perfectly to inspect in case they were wet.  Bag had the actual ammunition.  He never had loaded weapons when he was out of town, couldn’t imagine his shifted self would ever even think of handling a weapon, but he didn’t want to risk it.  Or, risk someone finding them to shoot his ass.  They were kept separate; his skill to be able to put them together in time to save his own life if necessary was unquestionable.

     

    Deft fingers were polishing the bits, catching himself more than once with narrowed eyes trying to cast back over his shoulder toward the front door and its washer and dryer... ears a raging burn as he realized he HAD caught a flash of blue when he was trying desperately not to look on his way to grab his pistols a moment ago.  He blinked, fingers from both hands immediately rubbing tired eyes in effort to stave the blush from his cheeks.  Cursing silently at himself,  he finished putting the Para’s back together.  Chin dipped toward his chest with a long sigh, getting up and throwing the towel around his shoulders into the hamper in the bathroom, setting the pair on top of his dresser and retrieving a container of leather oil. It smelled nice, one of the rare things he could deal with.

     

    [kai]For your coat,[/kai] he placed it on the towel still on the table.   Fingers found their way to the back of his neck, rubbing absently.  [kai]Sorry about the pants thing, didn’t think you would…  not that you have any reason to be…  or… coffee?  I’m going to make some coffee.[/kai]

     

    He disappeared into the kitchen, finding idle hands capable of so many horrible things snapping together the items necessary for really good coffee. And, cookies.  Chocolate chip ones.  Oven on, the Were began pulling things from the pantry and fridge.  He didn’t know what else to do, cookie sheet spinning on his palm to rest quietly on the stovetop.  Is this what normal people did when they were stressed?  Avoid pretty half-naked brunettes in their home and bake cookies?

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    Mack didn't so much hear Kai behind her as felt him and knew her own luck well enough to be aware that he had to be there.  Why was she always having the worse things happen to her?  Surely there was a God and he just loved making her the walking butt of his jokes.  Maybe she should just crawl into the dryer and start it now to end it before the embarrassment completely did her in.

     

    She half expected a comment but instead he just left a pair of pants and grabbed his guns.  Likely a good thing since she likely would have gotten snippy if he made some comment about her legs or her underwear.  She settled for scrambling into the pants quickly before he thought to take them back or something.  Her face red the entire time and she refused to look at him even as she mentally swore at herself and started the dryer up.

     

    Christ she needed a drink.  She would have to make due with another swig out of her flask though before she pocketed it and picked up her gun.

     

    Ok...now what?  She still had at least five minutes on the food before she could bother checking for it.  She was here, alone with a grumpy were that...was apparently busy cleaning his guns now.  She supposed that was good for keeping him calm and such, a mindless kind of task that still had one somewhat focused.  It reminded her she should probably check her own but she was a bit worried about taking apart her only weapon in a situation she might suddenly need it in.

     

    Then again, she'd heard horror stories about weres and what they could do.  The Para in Kai's hands were a higher quality gun then her shoddy little Beretta and she had heard tales of assault rifles not doing enough damage to deal with a were.  She doubted her little pea shooter would do much.

     

    Why the hell was she here again instead of calling someone in the Vanguard to handle things?  The question floated and circled through her head, making her frown in concern that maybe she had finally cracked and lost her mind from all the nightmares that had visited and stayed for so long.  Her thumb and forefinger rubbed at her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to really think about things and figure out if maybe she had gone off the deep end here.  She was in a were's den for the love of God and really didn't have much of a defense against him if he did the equivalent of a hulk out.

     

    She was pulled from her thoughts as Kai set a jar of oil in front of her.  She blinked for a moment before looking up at him while he tried to talk and sounded as nervous as she felt about matters.  She didn't know how that was really but she didn't question it as she gave a nod of thanks for the oil.  Her face was quick however to heat back up in reference to the pantless incident.  "Uh...pants were wet," she stated, surprised that her voice managed to come out sounding even and normal.  "Plus you know...got to see you with half your clothes on so thought to returned the favor."

     

    Christ she could have shot herself right there for that comment.  She knew she was trying to make light of things but at the same time how did one make light of accidentally flashing their underwear at someone in their home.  Sounded like the start of a bad porn scene.

     

    "Coffee sounds perfect," she said quickly to try and cover up her stupidity.  She'd blame the alcohol since she'd had three healthy swigs and was needing food in her gullet but that would have pointed to a problem and she wasn't about to admit to alcoholism.  A bit of coffee to wake her up and keep her going was just the ticket.  Nevermind she'd all but lived off it for the last month or so since sleep was hard.

     

    With the thought of being closer to coffee, she got her jacket and brought it with the supplies Kai had given her.  There was a table and chairs close enough that she could be out of his way while he made coffee but still close enough to try and help if he needed it.

     

    "Let me know if your super nose smells anything in the hallway.  Told the Chinese place to just drop it off right outside the elevator and they'll be here in five or so," Mack commented as she started getting to work on the coat to make sure it stayed it's usual level of awesome.  She worked for a moment in silence before the clanging of pans and such pulled her attention back.

     

    "Are you needing to roast your own beans or something there?" she asked eying the pan in confusion before looking at other things Kai had pulled out.  "You're suppose to be picking a movie or doing whatever it is that relaxes you there so you can get some sleep.  Probably should only have tea or something instead of coffee too now that I think about it.  Least you should, I'm hopeless and need the coffee to I'll fall on the floor."  As if on cue another yawn built in her but she forced herself to keep her mouth shut instead and making her ears pop as she tried to fight it.

     

    "Assuming you're not making dinner there so what's up Fluffy Crocker?"

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    Whiskey filled his nostrils again as she took another swig.  He had some in the pantry, a gift from one of his clients during the last run of holidays; most likely a date invitation that he’d gracefully and professionally avoided.  He didn’t drink, never had.  For all the physical fortitude and control he possessed, the ability to hold his liquor was not a skill he was blessed with. Why had he taken the two swigs of alcohol?  Mack had offered, seemed like the polite thing to do during a bout of recklessness. Not the best move, but he didn’t drink enough to drop his ass… just enough to fuzz the thoughts that were only now starting to clear.  She was not just a few-swigs drinker, he could smell it on her skin… metabolized, in the clothing that was heating up in the dryer. So Mack was a drinker. Why.

     

    Something was bothering her, had been from the beginning- catching the same contemplation as he relinquished the oil for her to wipe down her coat.  First instinct was to offer advice, it was his job after all… he knew when he saw distress, but his own insecurities washing through his psyche.  He didn’t trust himself with her so close.  If he could focus on helping her, he might be able to work through this clusterfuck of a slumber party.

     

    "Uh...pants were wet,"

     

    Swallow came quick, already on his way to the kitchen to stabilize.  He did not want to think about Mack with no pants, it took his mind to places it shouldn’t be going.  She was here to help him out.

     

    "Plus you know...got to see you with half your clothes on so thought to returned the favor."

     

    It made him pause, fingers twitching at his sides.

     

    "Coffee sounds perfect,"

     

    He nodded stiffly and was off again to be a busybody in the kitchen, relieved somewhat when she wandered into the kitchen and parked at the breakfast nook to work on her jacket.  A comfortable safe space filled with smells he was used to, granted she was there but he could deal as long as there were familiar scents.  Items were pulled out of cupboards and the fridge, scooped deftly into a bowl to start to mix.  Small remote was snatched, turning on a music player mounted underneath a cupboard.  It was almost completely silent, his range of hearing able to listen quietly without bothering her.  The symphony. A former killer now Were listening to classical music. It was almost as absurd as a football player performing ballet.

     

    "Let me know if your super nose smells anything in the hallway.  Told the Chinese place to just drop it off right outside the elevator and they'll be here in five or so,"

     

    [kai]They’ll buzz in first, the door release is by my laundry closet.[/kai]

     

    "Are you needing to roast your own beans or something there?"

     

    [kai]Cookies,[/kai]  he said simply, the sheer oddity of it lost to him.  He liked to cook, it kept his mind focused on something other than his troubles.  Furball Crocker at its finest.  The first batch of peanut butter and chocolate chips were scooped onto the cookie sheet and slid in.

     

    "You're suppose to be picking a movie or doing whatever it is that relaxes you there so you can get some sleep.  Probably should only have tea or something instead of coffee too now that I think about it.  Least you should, I'm hopeless and need the coffee to I'll fall on the floor."

     

    [kai]I am.  Coffee is decaf by the way, I’ll see if Mrs. Kolcheck has something different in her kitchen.  The smell relaxes me.[/kai]

     

    He leaned his hip on the counter, arms crossed as he watched the cookie sheet through the oven door; unable to bring himself to move toward her apartment, maybe just his “kitty” nature absorbing the “warms”.  Fractured irises rose to watch Mack for a moment, her Beretta not escaping him. She needed to clean it, he was pretty sure why she wasn’t.  Pushing off the counter, he retrieved one of his Para’s from his bedroom and released the mag, pulling a loaded one from his bag at the dining room table and returning to place it in front of her after thumbing off the safety.

     

    [kai]Your Beretta needs to be dried out.  If I try to eat you, just use mine.  Throat shots are particularly effective. Two in the eye, two in the throat, two in the chest and one in the groin usually do the trick. When I go down… use a machete. I don’t have a machete though so you’ll have to improvise.[/kai]

     

    He wasn’t trying to be a smartass, it was the truth.  He bothered her, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why she was here, wearing his clothes and trying to calm him down.  If he was alone, she was right… he would be a live wire.  Controlling himself at the edge of his sanity was his constant vice.  Having her here was well, helpful?  To a point.  He had something to prove, he wasn’t a monster. He could control himself.  But, Mack… of all people.  Finding himself in the pantry, the bottle was pulled off the top shelf, set quietly next to his Para in front of her.

     

    [kai]Was a gift.  I don’t drink… a bit of a lightweight.  Thought you might want it.[/kai]  moving quickly toward the oven, door opened, flooding the kitchen with the scent of scrumptious cookies to mingle with his favorite scents… coffee, leather oil…  and a Mack.

     

    Fluffy Crocker indeed.

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    Mack blinked a bit as Kai commented that he was making cookies.  It was...strangely domestic.  What was it that all the beasties seems to have English accents, hot bodies, and bake cookies (or pizza or whatever else) for guests.  She wished she could say it was weird but it seemed to be turning into the norm around her... well mostly.  The mage trio from the bar and the trolls didn't count.  She cringed though as Kai mentioned the coffee was decaf.  Sweet Lord curse whoever thought of decaf coffee, it was a useless creation unless you were trying to relax but liked it she guessed.

     

    "I'll survive," she commented as she stifled another yawn.  Since the alternative was probably watching herself turn into a zombie in her nightmares with flaming orange eyes and maniacal laughter she was pretty sure she could manage to stay up no problem.

     

    Things turned quiet for a moment while Kai watched the cookies as if they might start dancing in the oven.  Mack took the time to work on her jacket so the leather didn't get damaged.  As such she was a bit surprised when one of Kai's guns was set in front of her with the safety off.  She blinked at it a moment in puzzlement before looking up and listening as Kai told her to use his gun and where to shoot him.  Part of her wanted to protest but another pointed out that he was only being logical.  Either way she didn't once entertain the thought that he was joking or the like.  After all the guy had been offering to teach people how to get away from one of his kind going bonkers, was telling someone how to shoot one a stretch.

     

    Maybe if she had just been an average person, but due to who Mack worked for that was...a bit a mess.

     

    It had her cringing and shaking her head.  She left his gun where he put it though as she set her jacket down and with the ease of long practice and knowing the gun started taking her Beretta apart so it could dry.  "Much as I know the reality of things...don't tell me stuff like that," she told him quietly and not elaborating.  Even as she disliked the idea of shooting Kai she had to admit knowing that kind of thing about a were was probably something really useful to the Vanguard.  Pity she didn't have a way of telling them how she came to know such things.  She could just imagine the veins popping out of Vacily's skull if he knew she was sitting around making friendly conversation with a were.  Christ she should say something about this situation, warn Kai better about matters.  At the same time though she couldn't get herself to even start that conversation.  Not unless there was a serious reason for it...cause this wasn't serious enough obviously.

     

    She was starting to wonder if Kai read minds as well when he set a bottle of whiskey by her.  Decent stuff to from the label.  Her hands itches to pop it open and start chugging but she resisted.  Would not have been wise to get drunk with a live gun, an upset were, and her current condition. 

     

    "Thanks," she said with a lopsided grin as he pulled out cookies.  "Means I won't need anymore for a week at least."

     

    It didn't occur to her that most people didn't go through that much whiskey in a month, much less a week.  She was part Irish so she drank whiskey like water was her usual cop out because otherwise there might have been something wrong with her.  As if the hellish nightmares, refusal to see the shrinks that the Vanguard provided, burying herself in work, and skipping meals didn't tell her that enough.  Hell had she not been actually putting make-up on to help hide the dark circles under her eyes?

     

    She finished setting out the Beretta in pieces to dry before eying the cookies curiously and trying to remember the last time she ate.  They might have been right out of the oven but they still smelled really good.

     

    With an impish grin she crept out of her seat while Kai was transferring them to a cooling rack and loading more, thinking to sneak one.  Sure she could have asked but where was the fun in that?  Besides it was tradition to sneak cookies before dinner, otherwise you had to be a responsible adult all the time.

     

    Either the whiskey or the lack of sleep made her foolish it seemed cause it didn't cross her mind that sneaking around behind an aggravated were was a bad idea.  She just was hoping for tasty chocolate goodness as her fingers plucked a hot cookie from the rack and had her snapping her arm back and tossing it from hand to hand to keep from burning her fingers.

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    "I'll survive,"

     

    Nod was subdued, mood darkening. He was glad, but wasn’t.  A flutter jumped in his chest at the mention of going into her apartment.  It would be empty, he would be reminded of where she was, and the anger and unfamiliar panic would happen all over again. The emotion was so unfamiliar, it was distressing.  Being content, what he thought was happiness, humor- those things were successfully navigated through with a long steady process.  Fear and panic, he could do without.  If love meant feeling that fear and panic every time something happened to somebody he cared about, he would go insane.  When he lost his parents, his sister… his world was dark. Lonely.  He knew what loneliness was.  There were no bodies, there was no trace left of their existence.  For all he knew they could still be alive, perhaps that was why he didn’t mourn them.  He kept himself in a consistent state of limbo, careful not to tip it in one direction or the other. 

     

    Soft smile pressed his lips at her yawn, wondering exactly who was going to be the one getting a good night’s sleep.  He ran hot, maybe a Were thing… insomnia was a constant with him.  He simply couldn’t turn his mind off.  Eyes flicked to her as she responded to his insight into bringing down a Were.

     

    "Much as I know the reality of things...don't tell me stuff like that,"

     

    It was his turn to be quiet for a moment before responding, voice a dark hum in his chest from too many years of screaming back at a drill sergeant  [kai]why, who would you tell?[/kai]  It was a sincere question and he was beginning to think he knew the answer.  Why was she here then?  To eat his cookies and shoot him in the face? Seemed, unlikely.  He didn’t wait for an answer, stern gaze chilling as it leveled on her,  [kai]You need to know.  I won’t always be around to tell you when you need it in real time.  Take their sight, take their breath, take their heart and consciousness, double them over to your height. Take their head.  Do not hesitate.  You need to kill a Were, that’s how.[/kai]

     

    He saw the way she looked at the bottle when he set it in front of her, his own expression unreadable.

     

    [kai]Besides, I’d never hurt you… Ever.[/kai]  statement was absolute, he meant it.  [kai]I can’t speak for others though.[/kai]  words were under his breath as he returned to pull out the cookies, nodding at her thanks for the whiskey. [kai]You’ll appreciate it more than I.  Never been able to hold my alcohol.  Cat makes it a bit more complicated.[/kai] 

     

    He knew she was moving… sudden smirk before trying to hold up the cookie sheet out of her reach as he was transferring them before she snatched one and jockeyed it around like a hot potato.  It had actually brought a laugh from his chest, the melodic sound stifled in a second with a swallow.  He’d reached out to stop her, not to prevent the theft, but to keep her from burning herself- his own hand pulled back into his proximity when he realized what he’d done.  He was going to extraordinary lengths to keep from touching her.  He just, couldn’t.  It would tip his even keel.  It would complicate things.  Small plate was plucked from overhead, saving the gooey cookie from its hand to hand volleyball and handing it to her.

     

    [kai]…cheater[/kai] he hissed under his breath, the faint smile easy, eyes flicking to the living room a clear second before the buzzer went off.  Sheet was set down and he wiped his hands on a towel, moving to buzz in the food and go downstairs to retrieve.  [kai]Don’t you dare touch those…[/kai]  he said from the other other room and pressed the button to let them in,  [kai]… don’t eat the dough either…[/kai]  were his last instructions before he padded barefoot down the hall and took the stairs several steps at a time, retrieving the food and vaulting back up.

     

    Setting it on the side table, he closed the door and locked the deadbolt out of habit… pausing, leaving the keys on the side table for when she wanted to leave.  Lips pursed, reaching into the coat closet to pull several pillows and a blanket from the shelf and lay them on the couch.  He’d seen the yawns, no caffeine… food coma. He had a suspicion where this was going, pretty sure he would be the one sitting up trying to turn his brain off.  Returning to the kitchen triumphant, he bypassed the plates and went straight for utensils, spreading out the white cartons of goodness on the table and putting another batch of cookies in before sitting down and selecting one to devour.

     

    [kai]You do anything else for a living, or just fix cars that are victims of Were tantrums?[/kai]

     

    He knew he was probably opening a Pandora’s box, but…

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    Mack hated to admit that Kai had a point on her needing to know how to handle a were.  While Mack had some combat training before things shot to hell around the world she wasn't part of a patrol anymore.  It was in part due to her having a skill set that served better elsewhere she knew, competent mechanics were hard to find that didn't have powers.  At the same time it always chafed that she couldn't get out there in the fight and help keep people safe from the monsters.  It was harder to see the battle lines when you constantly had your head in an engine.

     

    "The wrong person knowing my luck," she muttered under her breath at Kai's question of who she would tell.  She certainly didn't know when or how to shut her mouth after all and that habit was going to get her in trouble some day she just knew it.

     

    What she did not expect though was Kai saying he'd never hurt her in with that kind of conviction.  For one thing she was pretty sure he didn't get a choice in that matter if he went hulking out.  All the stories and reports she'd heard and seen on were-critters made it sound like they just smashed everything and everyone around them blindly.  How could he claim he'd never hurt her when he didn't have control over that?  

     

    Did he have control over that?  Mack remembered his comment about not being the bitten kind.  Maybe Kai was just a stranger were than most?  Christ this shit was way to far over her head and she really wanted another drink now making that bottle all the more tempting.

     

    She'd opt for a cookie instead and see if maybe they could stay away from more depressing thoughts.  

     

    It was amusing that Kai tried to get in on the game.  Mack had been stealing cookies out from under the care of her Irish grandmother long before she had to use that skill for things like disarming land mines.  While her grandmother might have been shorter and stouter she'd been armed with a wooden spatula that hurt if you weren't fast enough...or prepared with armor like Mack had done on more than one occasion.

     

    She grinned though as Kai laughed from her tossing the cookie back and forth.  Mack found she'd missed that from when they'd been camped out with her waiting on a bus to get home.  He had a good one after all, in spite of the whole being a furry ball of death and destruction under the skin.  She didn't think much of it when he started to reach out but she was curious why he pulled his hand back.  She couldn't imagine him being worried about hurting her when he'd stated he wouldn't but maybe he just didn't like touching.  Though the thought of a germ-o-phone were-critter seemed ridiculous she supposed it was not out of the realm of impossibility.  Specially in a world with magic and such.

     

    "All's fair in Love, War, and chocolate chip cookies," Mack replied with an unrepentant grin as Kai called her a cheater.  "Girl's gotta stay ahead somehow."  With that she took three greedy bites and devoured the whole cookie in seconds, puffing a bit from the heat of it.  It was worth it though because to Mack allowing a cookie to cool was just a cardinal sin.  They were meant to be warm and gooey.

     

    The buzzer sounded as she chewed making Mack want to curse because she couldn't make Kai stay.  Her mouth was to full of cookie to manage more than a muffled attempt at "Yes Mom," before Kai was off.  As soon as he was though she grinned and stole another cookie to join the first.  What was a bit of cookie theft between friends after all.

     

    Ah dammit, she was thinking of Kai as a friend again!  Bad Mack!  Even as she popped the second cookie in after the first one and washed her hands up for dinner she kicked herself over it.  He couldn't be a friend, she was just here making sure he was on an even footing so he didn't wig out  and murder people.

     

    For once though, she looked at a gun and wondered if she really could pull the trigger on someone she knew.  That wasn't something she'd ever really thought of before.  Normally lines were very easy to see but nowadays it seemed they were all smudged to the point of nonexistence.  Mack had always done better when there was lines and clear instructions than when things were...well all over the place.

     

    She needed to tell Kai about how she worked with the Vanguard.  That would leave a nice little wall between the pair of them and make any friendly interaction...well no longer there...

     

    The thought was depressive and totally disliked, but that was the reality of things and Mack had been dealing with reality plenty it seemed these days.

     

    Finishing cleaning up her hands and licking her lips to check for chocolate lurking she moved to clear space so there would be plenty of room for the food.  Her drying Beretta was moved carefully to another counter that was empty, the jacket hunt and set on a door knob for now since she didn't want to have it sticking to any of Kai's while the oil dried.  The Para stayed where Kai had put it, Mack weighing the thought of moving it against having it close because...well Kai was a were.

     

    Said were came in then with their glorious bounty of Chinese take-out.  Mack plunked down next to Kai with a grin thinking he had missed the stolen second cookie before she picked up an egg roll and clamped it in her teeth like an oversized cigar.  

     

    "Ordered a bit of various things since I didn't know what you liked," she commented before laying claim to some chicken lo mien and pulling it towards her.  The egg roll was starting to weaken from her teeth so she finally bit down and ripped some off before chewing.  Kai asking her about what else she did for a living.

     

    "I fix cars for a living," Mack answered honestly.  "They aren't always damaged from weres though.  Magus, dragons, trolls, metas, people with abilities that have a dislike of a well build machine.  Cars and trucks and such get bashed up, I fix them for a paycheck or whatever else I need.  Turns out everyone loves knowing a good mechanic.  I also like pissing off percy magus and making fireworks out of trolls in my down time as well as helping the local were with drives to the hospital."

     

    The last was added with complete sincerity.  After all she had pissed off a bunch of magus and blown up some trolls here.  Both instances in her off time from the Vanguard.  Really she seemed to deal with weird creatures more in her off time than during her time on the clock.  She should really think about opening a side business for large and freakish pest control or something.

     

    The conversation did however, kind of remind her what she had been thinking before Kai came back in.  Just the thought of the conversation soured her stomach though and had her pushing the lo mien away for now.  She wished she had something to do with her hands but short of playing with Kai's gun, which seemed a really bad idea given the conversation they were going to have.  She really hoped she didn't need the gun by the end of this.  Hell she didn't even want to have this talk but it needed to be done.

     

    "Kai...did you ever wonder why I walked out of your class?"

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    "The wrong person knowing my luck,"

     

    Fractured eyes watched her a moment, the miniscule flare of his pupils subtle, [kai]never the wrong person.  If something is trying to kill you, you kill it first.[/kai]

     

    Sincerity was chilling, the man talking more than the beast.  It was pure logic, whether a monster or something else. It had nothing to do with prejudice or hate- if something is trying to kill you; you do everything necessary to kill it first.  It had saved his ass with a hundred percent success rate up to that point.

     

    Then all hell broke loose with the cookie caper, an unexpected ease sprouting from somewhere that was as much of a surprise to him as it probably was to her. Fingers tugged back within his space paused for a moment, lower lip rolled through his teeth as he tried to find something to say for his odd retreat after exhibiting a curious normalcy. He couldn’t think of what to say?  I don’t want to touch you because the cat will think you’re its property?  Talk about shattering a sense of normal, relieved when the buzzer saved face and gave him an out.

     

    "All's fair in Love, War, and chocolate chip cookies, Girl's gotta stay ahead somehow."

     

    Surly expression licked his features at the defiance, another chuckle bubbling up as she stuffed the whole thing in her mouth and vowed to not eat any more, snagging one himself and sticking it between his teeth before barefoot silent footsteps disappeared from the apartment.  Returning triumphant with food was already making his stomach growl.  He hadn’t eaten a decent meal in a while; Chinese was a bit of a guilty pleasure- the fit Were always paying a lot of attention to what he ate.

     

    "Ordered a bit of various things since I didn't know what you liked,"

     

    [kai]I like everything,[/kai]  he snatched a container of something with noodles and dug a fork in it, shoulders leaning on the wall as he sat sideways in the chair to stretch out his legs and cross them at the ankles. 

     

    "I fix cars for a living,  They aren't always damaged from weres though.  Magus, dragons, trolls, metas, people with abilities that have a dislike of a well build machine.  Cars and trucks and such get bashed up, I fix them for a paycheck or whatever else I need.  Turns out everyone loves knowing a good mechanic.  I also like pissing off percy magus and making fireworks out of trolls in my down time as well as helping the local were with drives to the hospital."

     

    Smile was unexpectedly sincere, chewing slowly he watched her… her sudden hunger no longer seeming interesting to her as she pushed the food away.

     

    "Kai...did you ever wonder why I walked out of your class?"

     

    [kai]Yes.[/kai]  The fork was poked around in the container as he watched his food.  It was a sore subject.  Of all the people that had signed up for his classes even after he’d been honest about what he was, her leaving still stung.  He’d become a bit of a curiosity, not quite sure yet if it was a good thing or not- disseminating some important survival information, but unable to shake the feeling he was humanizing something that wasn’t human.  Creating a false sense of security.  He couldn’t quite figure out why her leaving after a tirade of true facts bothered him so much.

     

    Subject skipped backward, there was a method to his madness.  He didn't like talking about his former job... she needed to know. Perspective was everything.

     

    [kai]I killed people, legally, for a living.  Sanctioned and rationalized.  Shot them in the head, in front of their friends, family, while holding their children. If I couldn’t do it through a scope, I slit their throats.  I was so good at it, they didn’t even want me anymore.  Too dangerous.  Too unforgiving.  Didn’t feel anything to cut someone’s throat from ear to ear.[/kai]

     

    He took another bite, chewing slowly as he watched her.  The warmth that had been there before was gone, a deadpan expression that was underneath the social rehearsed ease.

     

    [kai]Now I counsel, help solve problems, and teach people how to defend themselves against things that can kill them without effort.[/kai]  he twirled more noodles around his fork, rolling forward to set the carton on the table and retrieve the next finished sheet of cookies to transfer and cool.  [kai]I teach them how to defend themselves against me… both sides of me.[/kai]

     

    Swishing spatula was the only sound cutting the silence.

     

    [kai]I’m not sure why you would leave when that’s what I’m trying to accomplish,[/kai] words were eerily calm, trying to calm the agitation under his skin that was bristling.  He didn’t want to talk about it. It had… hurt?  Deep breath was drawn in, pushed out slowly as he returned to his chair and dug into food again, the feline colored eyes waiting for her explanation.

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    Mack gnawed on her lip trying to pick the words to best explain matters as Kai admitted to wondering why she had left.  He beat her to talking though and at first she was puzzled as to why but she listened.  He wouldn't have been talking if he hadn't needed to get something off his chest.

     

    He talked about it rationally, like most people did about the past.  Everyone had to rationalize things somehow for themselves or they would snap.  Some times things were impossible to apply reason to, but that didn't stop people from trying in the face of hate or disasters or...as the most recent global case, weird shit in the sky that triggered havoc.  Science, magic, and people were still trying to rationalize that.  Still there was a chill from talking about death so blandly.  Mack might have been a soldier and seen and done some shit but she knew there was a difference in methods between a grunt on the ground and a black ops sneaking around through the dark.  

     

    In the end though, killing was killing to her, even if she didn't care for the methods.  She wasn't about to judge someone else just because he did it on his own and in a different way.

     

    She was a bit puzzled through over his methods now.  He wasn't killing people, which was a good thing and a damn miracle given he was a were there.  He took care of old ladies and helped people with their issues.  Taught people how to defend themselves against monsters they would hopefully never see.  There was a reason there, had to be.  People helped others for reasons and they tended to be emotional ones.  You couldn't help people without actually having some bit of caring for them because otherwise you were going to quickly get frustrated and quit from burn out.  People were notoriously hard to deal with and one of the most taxing jobs was helping them, anyone that had ever had a service job knew that.

     

    Yet Kai had claimed he felt nothing when slitting people's throats?  Well he hadn't crossed into psycho territory at least and started enjoying it so that was a plus.  Mack however also knew you had to do something from getting to sympathetic with the enemy because otherwise, how would you shoot them.

     

    Words she should be living by right that moment some might have said.  The conversation was far from done though so she figured she'd evaluate things when they were finishing laying cards on the table.

     

    "I left because I didn't want to be the reason for what you're trying to accomplish being destroyed, or you for that matter," she managed to get out.  She couldn't stand to look at him right that minute feeling guilty for leaving him hanging, shamed for not being someone other than herself, pissed off at everything for sticking her in this position, and just not wanting to see him angry at her.  She grabbed the lo mien again and started moving it around with her fork to give her hands something to do.  Her eyes staying fixed on her food and not on him as cookies and the egg roll did a cha-cha in her stomach.  Christ she hoped she didn't puke all over his immaculate place here.

     

    "I'm in the Vanguard Kai.  I don't go killing...other things," she amended thinking that using the term freaks and monsters would have pissed him off more.  "I just fix the equipment.  Sure I still play around with bombs at home and such but all they ever asked me to do is fix their wheels.  I'm not naive about them either, I know they can be assholes and murderers as much as anyone else.  They do however have definite policies about if you find an infected person.  I know damn well what they would do to you if I told them, which I haven't.  I'm not very good about secrets though and I know that so it seemed to me the best idea was just to leave and never be around you again.  Then you could keep doing what you were doing.  I mean you had a handle on things, you were doing work the Vanguard should have been doing in the first place.  Why should I report you?  Just because you're infected?  You didn't ask for that and you were doing more good than some of the people I work with.  Case in point the asshole that tried to kill you with his girlfriend.  If I found that fucking idiot I'd put a round in his head myself.  Either way you were as good and productive a citizen as a were could be and not really making waves.  I figured just leave it alone and cut out so you could...well keep living."

     

    Christ she sounded stupid, and she wasn't even sure which part was the stupid one.  The fact that she was pretty much counting on him to handle himself?  That she didn't tell the Vanguard about a potentially lethal situation brewing?  She was an idiot, and an even bigger one for talking about this.  What the hell was she going to do though?  Lie?  That had really well the last time she'd been on this train.

     

    She slapped her carton back on the counter in bad temper.  Her hands digging into her hair and fisting there in her frustration with herself and the world at large.  She blew out a breath carefully and eyed Kai's Para for a minute.  Wondering not for the first time about just putting a round in the head and calling it.

     

    "It's all so fucking messed up," she said quietly closing her green eyes to try and imagine herself anywhere but here for just a second.  She could feel a well of despair trying to rise up but she swallowed to force it back down like she did on close to a daily basis.  Tears that she refused to let fall trying to burn their way out of her eyeballs as she forced herself to take a breath and keep going with the business of living.

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