Of Wolves and Men (Closed for Apollo Wilde and Ask For More)

[Ask For More]

Wayne only worked out her game plan when she started making subtle movements, working the towel so that it exposed more and more of her dark flesh. When the gentle smell of female pheromones wafted into his nostrils, he knew something was up. The scent wasn't quite natural - as if she had enhanced it with some unknown substance. She couldn't have been aware that Wayne was an expert at seduction. Ada was making a play, but he couldn't work out what for.

"The same allergic reaction that humans have, the violent kind. The kind that can kill a person." He lowered his gaze to take in more of her. It really was an arresting sight. "A knife can work, but bullets are better.

Ada rolled her tongue around the rim of the beer bottle. A casual flirtacious movement, seemingly unthinking, but Wayne knew better. Her breasts were dangerously exposed now, and he took a moment to enjoy the sight, knowing that it probably wouldn't happen again.

"Bites are another myth. Lycans are a species, just like humans. Think of us as almost the same, but different in keys ways. Like different types of dogs. A human can't be turned Lycan."

The policewoman crossed her legs, causing the towel to ride up somewhat. A little bit more, and her crotch would be exposed. This was a really interesting game she was playing with him. But when she asked about the transformation, he decided it was time he took control of the situation. Wayne was tired of answering questions.

"Transformation?" Wayne stood up from the table. "It would be too difficult to describe." Grasping the rim of his t-shirt, he pulled it off in one smooth movement, exposing the tone of his midriff. "I might as well show you." Unbuttoning his pants, he saw a look of shock on her face. Turning around, he eased them off and put them on the chair. He knew his body was a magnificent specimen by human standards, toned almost beyond comparison by a lifetime of enforcement, but tempered by the scars of battle. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his body, letting the natural instincts of his Lycan blood flow out. Wayne focused on balancing his logical mind with the feral mind, so that he could turn without losing his will, drawing all his emotions together and looking for clarity.

Then he opened his eyes, and it happened.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Hm.

Well, if he was what he said he was, it would be no small surprise that he would pick up on what she was doing. It didn’t mean that he wouldn’t react to it. She was testing him - and she knew she had a lot stacked against her as well. She may not be his “type”; his earlier flirtation could be as much as a game as anything else, really. However, she was presenting herself as an interested and available female. That had to count for something.

It was only when he began to strip that she had to stop herself from choking on the water in her throat. He was good looking, she would have to give him that. His body suggested all sorts of possibilities to her imagination. He’d probably have no issue with pinning her up against the wall, for instance. But even then, she couldn’t just let her guard down.

“Well, I guess it’d be easier to do it that way,” she said dryly. The other thing that served as a slight point of interest was that she couldn’t tell if he wore any undergarments under his clothing. Huh. Less things to worry about, she supposed.

If he was going to transform, the last thing she needed to do was freak out or do anything to show her fear. She trusted (and didn’t) that he had control of himself, and she knew the apartment (and various hiding places) well enough to give her the slight advantage. It may not be much, but it was better than nothing. Besides, she considered herself fairly resourceful.

So she watched and waited. She had more questions, of course, but with the abrupt way that he changed, it was all too clear that he wasn't interested in answering any more.

 

[Ask For More]

It always felt liberating being in werewolf form. There was no need for clothes, for obvious reasons, and the added agility and strength made life a lot more fun. Wayne often travelled in this shape when he had to traverse long distances alone through unpopulated territory, firstly because it kept him in shape, and secondly because he got a rush from speeding through the terrain.

Vision was different - objects were so clearly defined but he could almost see the smells instead of detecting it through his nostrils. His hearing was a lot sharper too - even with his back to Ada he could hear the blood pumping through her body a little bit faster than it should be. Turning to look at her, Wayne could see what she was feeling; apprehension, a touch of fear, and curiosity too, although she maintained her composure well. There was a small amount of lust leaking out as well, something he hadn't picked up earlier. Perhaps her games weren't just to distract him after all.

Then he felt something welling up, something primal. It was already getting into the late afternoon, and Wayne realised that he had to find his release soon. He took a few steps around the room so that Ada could observe his movements and sounds, stretching his enlarged limbs and deliberately grunting a few times. Despite wanting to cut loose and get out into the city, he restrained his urges and, turning his back to Ada, slowly exerted his control so that he could retake the human form.

Putting his pants back on, he faced Ada. Thinking about her lust tempted him to try his luck, but caution overruled that. Getting sexually involved with his only human link in this city could make life......complicated. While there would be undeniable benefits, Remus was still the goal here, and Wayne was unwilling to take any necessary risks while the renegade was still out there.

"I have to go," he said, putting on his shoes. "You'll get more information out of Wade if you speak to him alone. Get a description and see if there have been any suspicious incidents last night. I'll call you in a few hours. I have some business to take care of."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Wow.

It was everything and nothing that she was expecting. The subtleties alone in his transformation, the parts of him that still seemed human....what a wonder to behold. It was only when he shifted back to being human that she realized she had held her breath.

Licking her lips, she shrugged the towel off. Underneath it, she had opted for a lace bandeau bra and matching panties. Just because she’d strutted out of the shower in a towel didn’t mean she was naked. Attractive or not, he was still an unknown male. Even though he was abrupt with her (she would follow up with him later; it was suspicious to say the least), she nodded and took another swig of her mineral water.

“I suppose,” she said, not really all that willing to let things go, “that you’ll eventually tell me what this ‘business’ is. We may be working together now, but I can’t run the risk of you putting my city in jeopardy - or even worse, put my career on the line.” It wasn’t that she was making an idle threat - or a threat in general. She just wanted him to know that she would be “watching” him the best that she could, and that she had a lot on the line to be trusting him. “....Don’t make me regret trusting you,” was the last thing she said before she went back into her bedroom.

____

Wade was chewing his fingernails.

He hadn’t done it since he was a kid. His nails felt harder to his teeth than he ever remembered, but his fear drove him on. First Remus, and now Wayne. It was just shit, shit, shit. And he still had to go to work. God. Where did the time go? His eyes darted to a pipe nearly hidden under a bunch of dirty clothes. That might help. Might soothe the pain.

As he was chewing his nails, he dimly noted that they were growing longer. The control over his powers was slipping. It would be so easy just to let go - especially after all that had happened.

Before the transformation could be complete, there was a knock at the door. And then the smell of something sweet. Reluctantly, he took his fingers from his mouth and went to the door. Normally, his spirits would rise whenever he smelled Ada. Now, he wasn’t sure how he should react. If he was actually a dog, his tail would be wagging warily, alternating between that and drooping between his legs.

Opening the door just a bit, his nervous eyes rested on Ada.

“Hey Wade....we need to talk. I brought cookies?” It really was more of a question than a statement. She had brought cookies, but if it’d be enough, well, that was something completely different.
_____

The cookies worked, surprisingly. After the two had spoken, Ada was relieved to find out that Wade didn’t hold hard feelings. After all, the two had been friends; and whatever was going on between him and Wayne was between him and Wayne.

“I’ve no place on a reservation,” Ada said as she licked chocolate from her fingers, “And I’ve no reason to report you, aside from the petty pot charges and trust me, I got much bigger fish to fry. Keep it under wraps. Don’t give me a reason to come back here.”

When she left, she had her description and a promise from Wade that he would remain as neutral as possible. The last thing she needed was her neighbor making her life that much harder.

 

[Ask For More]

A smirk escaped his lips as Ada walked into the bedroom, her shapely dark behind swaying from side to side, clad in lace panties. She had played her part well, hiding her body behind that towel suggesting an interest beyond catching a killer. Working with a human was more enjoyable than he expected. Perhaps he was lucky to get a beautiful woman to work with, distracting as she may be.

Letting himself out of the flat, he flicked open his phone and dialled Natalia's number. That delicious redhead would be the perfect remedy.

-----

As expected, Natalia was a willing companion. In quite a few ways it turned out. Wayne hadn't experienced a woman like her in a while, although he had to be careful not to let things get too intense. Telling her he was a travelling businessman only in town for a few days seemed to be enough.

----

It had turned dark by the time Wayne found his intended target. Wade had given him the area where the Guardian dealers normally worked, but he didn't know the location of the factory or any sort of safe house. Wayne had decided to stake out the area see if he could find someone or something that could lead him to Remus.

With his mind cleared, Wayne was able to organise his thoughts much better. It was obvious that Ada was going to be a useful ally, but he was still wary of giving too much information. While she was clearly a dedicated police officer, he wondered how discrete she could be when investigating a violent murder that was surely a high priority. There would be media involvement, her superiors - Wayne was suddenly doubtful that involving her was the right choice. But he had made the leap of faith already - hopefully it wouldn't come back to haunt him.

After an hour on the rooftops he hadn't seen anything particularly suspicious. The neighbourhood wasn't exactly a play area for the rich and famous, yet it didn't seem unsightly either. All he had observed were commuters returning home from work, and the occasional group of young people on their way out for a good time. Reaching the phone, he decided to check in with Ada to see if she had anything useful to share.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“Yeah. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Huh. Really? Mm. Yeah.”

Ada had the phone cradled against her right shoulder as she typed furiously. After talking to Wade, she’d gone back home, changed, and gone into work. It wasn’t that Wayne had chased her out of her apartment; it was just time to get back to work. True, she kept odd hours, and didn’t quite have something like a “set schedule.” She was lucky that she hadn’t gotten any calls for murders while she was out. She had worked her way up to homicides, but the good thing was that she wasn’t the only detective on board. Now, she was just doing some major catch up work.

The thing about the murder that had sparked all of this, was, (unfortunately) that it wasn’t a major priority. That was one of the things Ada hated the most about her job. As idealistic as she was, she wasn’t dumb enough not to realize that politics dominated the police force as well. The bulk of the murders in town were usually people of color, but the minute one pretty white girl got killed, everyone was all over it. Since the victim was a white male, it had caused a stir....but not enough of one.

That was problematic.

“Yeah? Okay.” Her voice was softer now. “Thanks, Jackson. I’ve got some digging to do.”

______

The latter half of the day would find Ada in the police archives. Bent over a file cabinet, she was combing through murders from the past six months. They started off....mild. Stabbings, shootings. Gang members. Nothing...random. They were usually written off as the usual gang violence. And on first glance, she would have thought the same thing.

But then she sat down and started to really look at the information. It just....something didn’t seem natural about it. These were gangs that had all fought before - and the murders were carefully crafted to look like rival gang killings. “Crafted.” That was it. There was something a little too perfect, too methodical, in how this was happening. Rubbing her chin, she sighed. Her conversation with Jackson had revealed that the victim had some drug in his system as well. He couldn’t go into details with how he had to classify the official cause of death, but she could tell he was under some pressure from the higher ups to say something.

How far up did this go?

“Detective Clarke?” The voice was urbane, carefully cultivated.

“Mmm?” It wasn’t that she was unfamiliar with the voice; just....that she did not expect to hear it down here in the proverbial tombs.

“Detective Clarke - what on earth are you doing down here?” The voice was humorous now, and closer.

“Ooof...” She shuffled to a sitting position. “I was going through a few cold case files, Detective Rain.”

Detective Rain nodded, peering down at her over his glasses. It was no small secret that nearly all of the women in this precinct had a thing for him. He was in his early thirties, blonde, and had the most piercing green eyes. The good thing about seeing him in this...secluded part of the building was that, well, Ada had the chance to get him to herself for a while. Even she wasn’t immune to his charms. It also helped wash Wayne out of her mind. Her world had turned upside down in such a short amount of time....it was nice to have something to bring her back to reality.

“Any particular reason why? I’ve heard that it’s been your...pet project?” He spoke the words as if he wasn’t sure if they were the right ones, given the situation.

“Oh, just keeping my skills up to date. When it comes to gang action, I don’t believe in things just happening, you know? Sometimes it takes more time than usual to be able to see these threads.”

“That’s admirable. No wonder you made detective in such a short amount of time.” He closed the gap between them, so close that she could smell his cologne mixed with his aftershave. So close she could feel his breath warm on her lips.

Her phone began to buzz in her pocket. It wasn’t like she could just answer it right at that moment. God, he really was more attractive than she remembered him.

 

[Ask For More]

No answer. Wayne put the phone back and his pocket and returned to stalking the rooftops. It didn't worry him that she wasn't picking up - even though they were working a case together, his existence needed to remain a secret. Moving in the shadows was normally easy for him, but the size of this city was unsettling. It was impossible to tell who could be watching.

Another hour passed, and Wayne was starting to think that Wade had given him false information. He still hadn't seen anything suspicious, and the evening had fully settled in now. He was almost on the verge of giving up, but then he remembered the fear the Wade's eyes yesterday. It was easy to think of Wade as an idiot sometimes, but he had proved to be resourceful and intuitive when it came to his own survival. Lying to get Wayne off his back didn't seem like a smart move.

Deciding to try a different approach, Wayne made his way back to street level. While scouting out the area he'd noticed a small square with a few of bars and restaurants - nothing fancy, but enough to attract a small crowd. It was time to get amongst the people.

----

Wiping his mouth, Wayne cast his eyes around once more. It was a balmy evening, so he had elected to sit on the terrace of a restaurant called Stefs, an italian establishment that was rustically decorated with wooden chairs and tables, and an italian sounding workforce that sounded like they more having more fun than they had a right to. The area was called Rembrandt Square, although he was sure the painter would be hard pressed to find inspiration here - apart from Stefs the rest of the establishments here were all uniformly decorated with sparse minimalist values. His initial assessment from earlier was completely incorrect - this was a place where people with money come to spend it. With money, comes drugs.

Around him there were two other restaurants, Cilantro, an upper class fine dining venue, and Kalinka, a supposedly Lebanese restaurant that didn't even have a clay oven on the premises. Three bars/clubs finished off the square - Russo, Punk, and Propaganda. Wayne had watched the entrances carefully while he was eating, and all three were populated by the same crowd - men either in flashy suits or clothes that were far too small for them, young women looking to score rich men, or cougars on the hunt for toyboys.

The centre of the square was taken up by a huge fountain and a line up of stone benches - the ideal place for smokers, or for people taking a break from drinking and dancing. Wayne noticed that the area was completely covered from all angles by CCTV, so it was unlikely that he would find any drug pushers out there. He would have to take a more hands on approach. Opening his phone, he sent a message to Ada giving the location and a short update on his progress. It was time to hit the clubs.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She was thankful that it was dimly lit within the archives of the station, because she could feel her cheeks grow hot. It wasn’t like she was the type to just fall over guys, but she was a heterosexual female. And she wasn’t blind. But she did believe in leagues and work taking precedence over all else. Besides, it wasn’t like she ever really had good luck with these sort of things.

But when his breath caressed her lips, smelling of cool mint, she had to really dig down deep to pull herself together.

“Thank you,” her voice was nearly a whisper. And she had to start laughing. It was ridiculous. Seriously. He was a sergeant; there was no way he’d be interested in her. And it wasn’t like they’d ever really worked together before. He was actually fairly new to her precinct - he’d been there about a year or so. And even then, within that time, she was either out or working on another case. Most detectives worked with partners, but he strangely enough was left to fly solo.

Not that she could talk - at the moment, she didn’t have a partner, either. Her first partner, Miyuki, had transferred to a different district. That’d been, oh, about a month or so ago. She missed Miyuki - the girl had been down to earth and served as a wonderful confidant. Miyuki was second-generation and loved to tell Ada that she came from a Yakuza family. Whether it was true or not was another story, but the amazingly ornate phoenix and goldfish tattoo on Miyuki’s back suggested that it might have a thread of truth. It had gone past partners, really. The two had become fast friends and were generally inseparable. To this day, Ada had a picture of the two of them at her desk. They were rookies together; had seen the best and worst of what the city had to offer.

The transfer wasn’t a surprise. Miyuki had long since wanted to move, and her new girlfriend had given her the ticket out. Not like Ada could be mad -it wasn’t like Miyuki was giving up being a cop. Just giving up being a cop in this city. The first few days had been the absolute worst, and Ada knew despite her best efforts, she had actually sulked around the department like she’d lost her best friend. She really had, though. The city seemed a lot bigger and a lot lonelier. ‘Lotte was a help, but the woman had her own business and her own cases to take care of.

It’s funny. That’s probably why she was so quick to believe Wayne and want to work with him. Back in the real world, in the bowels of the station and with Detective Rain this close to her face, it was becoming easier to remember what she was really doing and what she was really after.

“It’s nice to hear you laugh,” he said at length, after chuckling a bit himself. “Have they told you about your new partner yet?” He backed up, just enough to give them space. He was about a head taller than her, slim (nearly skinny, really), and impeccably dressed in a button-down collared shirt and gray slacks.

“Oh, no,” she said, dusting her hands off. Anything to help keep her under control. She felt the overwhelming urge to fiddle with her hair, but decided against it. Her hands were dirty, after all. “Wait, what?”

“You’re getting a new partner. I think the chief tried to find you, but had to go for the day. I believe his girls had a softball game.”

“Well, that would explain it.” It was no secret that the chief doted on his daughters. She leaned back against the nearest file cabinet, the metal cool on her flesh. Part of her was excited. It wasn’t until the phone began to buzz in her pocket that she felt a sense of dread. With a partner, it’d be a lot harder for her to get anything done with Wayne. She couldn’t neglect her job. Shit. Wait. It wasn’t like she WANTED to neglect her job. And it wasn’t like she was getting anything out of of working with Wayne so far. Realistically, could she actually trust him? Wade may be a lycan, but he was HER lycan - in the sense that she knew him and never thought of him to be a threat. At worse, Wade was a bit of a pest but she knew that he wouldn’t hurt her.

“So, since you came down here to find me, would you do me the honor of telling me who my new partner is?” Her eyes were teasing now, playful. She was in her element, after all. With as nervous as she was, it almost didn’t make a difference down here.

“You’re looking at him,” and he smiled back at her, raising his wheat colored brows. “I thought we might discuss that murder you’re looking at. I figured I might find you down here - Miyuki said you usually hid out below.”

“She’s too far away for my threats to be any good,” and she laughed again. “But how did you know Miyuki? I never saw you guys working on a case together.”

“We didn’t work too closely, but for the last six months she was training me, of sorts. The chief figured you and I would be a good combination,” he smiled again. He had a smile that instantly set people at ease. Laugh lines curved from his eyes, even when he didn’t have a broad smile on his face.

“Like oil and water, I’m sure. But thanks for coming down here to let me know. I’m not quite done down here, so if you want to leave, that’s fine. We can talk about this murder tomorrow.”

“Oh, I’m in no hurry to leave,” he turned his wrist to his face. Huh. A wristwatch in the age of cell phones. Interesting. “I actually thought, and stop me if I’m being forward, that we might be able to discuss this over coffee?”

The way his voice lifted at the end, the uncertainty....She laughed again, shaking her loose hair from her face. “If I didn’t know any better, Detective Rain, I’d think you were asking me out.”

“Maybe? And it’s Alexander. You can call me Alex. Seriously. You like going to Music Cabinet, right?”

She lifted a brow. “I do, but how did you know that?”

“Miyuki told me. And generally every liberal cop on the force hangs out there, or are you just that oblivious?”

“Touche,” she said with an exaggerated eye-roll. “Lemme grab my coat and I’ll share whatever I know with you.”
________

Upstairs, her phone buzzed yet again. Drawing it from her pocket, she skimmed the message. Well, whatever Wayne wanted to do. He’d made it clear to her that he was running on his own time and schedule, and really wasn’t that keen on letting her in. She sent back a quick text, simply letting him know she’d be home late. That was obviously going to be the only way that this was going to work. They’d have to come and go as they pleased, touch bases whenever, but still lead their separate lives.

Slipping her coat on, she nearly shook her head. Had she really been that lonely to leap at the merest prospect of having a friend or someone close to her? Was she really oblivious to possibilities that were right in front of her?

Maybe.

 

[Ask For More]

Russo was the most generic bar he'd ever been too. All contained in one room, the main bar was a circle in the centre, a ring of black illuminated with candles and surrounded by high leather chairs with chrome supports. There was a small dancefloor at the back with a DJ who looked lost in his own world. Dim lighting, thumping deep house, and an appallingly pretentious clientèle. Wayne was barely in there for five minutes before he felt his skin crawl. Everyone there was expertly preened and ready to judge anyone else within a split second. Wayne drew some admiring glances from the females, and a few jealous looks from the men - reactions that he was used to getting every time he was amongst humans. The available women were obvious; not only did they give him second glances, but third and fourth too, mostly to appraise his clothes and calculate his wealth. As for the men - they just wanted to figure out if he was a threat. Except for the gay ones, who were overtly flirtatious. Wayne knew that humans had a burning desire to settle down and find love, a concept that Lycans weren't fully comfortable with. Not that Lycans didn't enjoy sex, just that Lycans weren't so obsessive and choosy about who they did it with. Monogamy was unusual on reservations, but was starting to become more popular as the pro human movement had taken on strength.

Leaning against the bar, Wayne scanned the menu. For a club there was impressive selection of cocktails, so he choose an Old Fashioned, a bourbon cocktail that took about 5 minutes to make and a fair amount of talent. The bartender was a slim white man who looked to be in his early 40's and he responded pleasingly when Wayne ordered.

"You seem like the type who knows his liquor sir, we don't get many of those here." Surprisingly, the bartender had a cockney English accent.
"Really?" Wayne responded, "The people here look like they have money and culture to burn."
"Most of them are just ponces with no class," continued the bartender, carefully crushing a cube of sugar on a napkin. "They think that money is equal to quality, and while that can be the case, they have no idea a great cocktail can be made out of the simplest of ingredients."
"That's a waste of your talents, my friend. A good Old Fashioned is the mark of a craftsman at work. What's your name?"
"Too right sir! Call me Paul, pleasure to meet you....?"
"Tommy," It was an fake name Wayne often used when he was undercover. There were a few towns where the local criminals would pack up and leave as soon as they heard the name. Paul measured out a double shot of bourbon into a tumbler.
"Hey Paul," Wayne reached into his pocked and pulled out a wad of notes. "I'm looking for something to give me a bit of a kick later."
"No idea what you're talking about sir," Paul said, adding ice into the tumbler. "I'm not a cop," Wayne peeled off a $20 bill to emphasise his point. "I'm just a man who's new in town and looking for a bit of fun, if you know what I mean."
"Well, I'm just a humble barman, but I hear that Gerrard's the man if there's something you need." Wayne watched as a piece of orange peel was set on fire, and then doused in the cocktail.
"You'll find him in the VIP room." Paul dropped a napkin on the bar, and placed the Old Fashioned on it. Wayne peeled off two more $20 bills and raised his eyebrows. "The perfect place for a man with class such as yourself."
"Thank you Paul. Cheers"

-----

Wayne was halfway through his drink when a elegantly dressed latino woman approached.
"Hello sir, your table is ready," she said, in a soft voice. "Please follow me."
She led him deeper into the club, past the dancefloor and down a discrete corridor that was hard to notice thanks to the disguised double doors that blended into the wooden walls. Ushering him through another set of double doors, he was surprised to find himself in a square space that was twice the size of the front room, and more elegantly decorated. While the general theme was the same, the fittings were obviously high priced - marble floors, finished wood and custom made furniture. The bar was on the far side, and in the middle was a large circular podium - on it a superbly toned dancer was gyrating around a silver pole. Men and women danced around the stage while the speakers pumped out ostentatious techno music.

His host led him to a large oval table that was surrounded by leather chairs - seated there was a handsome well dressed black man flanked on either side by even better dressed beautiful women.
"Tommy!" exclaimed the man, disentangling himself from his female companions. "Paul tells me you're a man of class. Please, have a seat. Drink?"
"Why not?" replied Wayne.

-----

An hour later, Gerrard and Wayne looked like best friends, laughing and joking as they shared a bottle of champagne. The two females had identified themselves as Nicole and Jade - Nicole was a brunette with a slim toned body that was shown off by a tight fitting grey dress, and Jade was an Asian women with piercing eyes and a fuller figure that was less obvious under her blouse and miniskirt. Jade had taken a liking to him, and was hanging on his every word. He made sure that she consumed the lion's share of champagne.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the little boy's room."

As soon as he was in the lavatory he opened his phone and typed out a message to Ada.

In company of local dealer called Gerrard. Any info?

 

[Apollo Wilde]

The problem with working secretly with someone else was that it was beginning to cramp her personal life.

Music Cabinet was as even paced as ever. True to his word, Alex had escorted her, and the two had made easy conversation on the way there. Since they were walking in the open, they talked about small things about the job - the coffee, co-workers, the strange smell that the fridge had from years of use and no proper cleaning. When they arrived, she breathed a sigh of relief that Kitty wasn’t working. She loved the girl, but if she had seen Ada with yet another attractive man, she would have chattered half the night and run the risk of blowing her cover. Instead, Tim was there. Tim was an older man (one might call a hippie burn out) with steel gray hair he collected into braided pigtails that hung on either side of his face. “Ada...and Alex, good to see you again!” he exclaimed as he lead the two to a table. “The usuals?”

Rather than a live performance, she had smiled to herself hearing the quiet strains of “I’ve got the munchies for your love” playing over the modest speaker system. How strangely appropriate. A few minutes later, Tim set their drinks down. Ada leaned over to take a long sniff of her chai tea latte, the steam caressing her face.

“You know, I’ve never had one of those,” Alex said, peering over at her cup inquisitively. “They seem to be quite the rage.”

“Oh, they’re fantastic. One of the few luxuries I allow myself,” she smiled. “So, what’s your ‘regular’?”

“Plain black coffee. They do make the best here,” he mused. “Though sometimes I think I should shake it up a bit. Maybe add something else to it....”

He trailed off, but the innuendo wasn’t lost on her. Coughing a little, she quickly raised her cup to her lips. “I hope you’re joking, because if not, that is one of the worst come ons I’ve ever heard.”

His eyes met hers, and for a moment, the two looked dead serious at each other as if they were sizing up a perp. With a small snort, Ada lost it, laughing. Alex grinned at her widely around the mug.

“So....” he started. “I promise that there will be time for business later, but right now,” and his eyes met hers again, “I’d like to just get to know you.”

The phone buzzed again against her, and she sighed. Maybe it was wrong to be thinking of her personal life when she was knee deep in a murder case, and a case that seemed to be ballooning out with each passing hour, but..but..wasn’t she entitled to a little selfishness?

No. No she wasn’t.

With a sigh that twisted her mouth, she backed from the table. “Alex, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to take this.”

Sitting across from her, his green eyes alight with warm humor, he nodded and waved his hand. He was in the process of bringing his mug to his lips, and didn’t stop as she backed away.

___________

In the bathroom, she flipped her phone open. Gerrard, huh? Leaning against the door, she texted back a quick message.

He’s fairly new to the scene, part hostile take over, part joining older gangs. Working his way up to be the biggest drug mule, but he isn’t at the top yet. He likes to act like he is, though. Quite a few murders under his belt, but nothing that I can definitively pin to him. He might have what you need. He works in poor neighborhoods while he’s breaking into the big guns. Lately he’s been moving up, must have new product. Might have potential.

Flipping her phone shut, she slid it back into her pocket. She didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t like she could say, “Please stop texting me, I’m with a guy.” That’d go over REAL well. She sighed. She might just be running back and forth from the table to somewhere else for however long this lasted. But at least Alex seemed to understand. After all, he was a cop too.

________

“Boyfriend troubles?” Alex asked smugly as she sat back down.

Snorting, she shook her head. “I’d have to have a boyfriend to have boyfriend troubles.”

“So that means you’re single?” His wheat brows raised slowly as he took another sip of his coffee.

“You know as well as I do the job sort of destroys relationships. Not like I get out enough to go looking for one. You may have all the right bait, but it’s useless if you’re not fishing, “ she said wryly as she took a soothing drink.

“And you know as well as I do that it doesn’t stop people from trying anyway. Am I getting too personal?”

“Just a little.” She wouldn’t bother to ask him if he was seeing anyone. He undoubtably was. He was just....one of those types.

So hours passed, the two of them talking, settling into each other. He spoke of his travels, education, hobbies, the job. She did the same. After 3 refills, she finally stood.

“I should be calling it a night. I’ve got to report in tomorrow. Desk work, thankfully, while I’m still working on that murder. I’ve spoken with Jackson, so I’ll go by to visit him tomorrow as well. When do you start your assignment with me?”

“I already have, actually.” He fished in his pocket, tossing down a few bills as the tip. “So I’ll be shadowing you tomorrow. I suspect you’ll give me the finer details over breakfast?”

She laughed. There were multiple ways to take that, but she went with the most innocent. “I’m not sure if you really want to eat before going to see Jackson, but that’s your call. Actually, it might be better to eat, discuss, then go to Jackson when our food has had time to settle. Trust me.”

They were outside now. The night air was balmy, and in protest, Ada’s fluffy ‘fro sagged about her shoulders, as if someone had poured water in the center of her skull. Shaking her hair away from her face, she was stopped in her motions as Alex placed a hand on the side of her face.

“Hey....I enjoyed tonight. It’s been nice getting to know you.” He turned her face towards his.

“Uh, yeah....” She was stumbling over her words now, nervous.

Leaning in, he gently pressed his lips to hers, long enough for an exhaled breath of his to caress her nose - just long enough for her to savor, to want more, to...pull away, her face burning.

“Alex, I’m sorry, we...I....”

He shrugged. “Don’t put too much stock into it. I just wanted to try that chai tea latte the fun way. See you tomorrow, partner.” He waved, and headed in the opposite direction to his car. Ada stood there, completely stunned.

Men.

 

[Ask For More]

Gerrard could be a promising lead, if he could find a way in. Closing the phone, Wayne washed his hands and made his way back into the club. As soon as he re entered the floor, the atmosphere felt more different. The people had become more subdued, and the focus had shifted away from having fun to one of self preservation.

Approaching Gerrard's table, Wayne saw three new arrivals standing there - the first one he picked out was an Italian looking man, slightly unshaven wearing a ridiculous white suit. He was loudly haranguing Gerrard while two large, well built men stood side by side, obviously his protection.

"Gerrard, you fucking bastard! I told you not to deal in my turf!" The leader was spitting with anger, and looked ready to burst.
"Listen Alain," Gerrard replied, still lounging nonchalantly on the sofa, "your customers came to me. Its not my fault your product tastes like flour."
"I don't give a fuck!" shouted Alain, his voice getting louder and louder. No wonder the atmosphere had changed. Wayne kept his distance, observing the scene.
"Gerrard, I warned you about this, but you ignored me." Alain took a step back, and the muscle stepped forward. "I think it's time I taught you a lesson in respect."
"Alain," Gerrard finally stood up. Nicole and Jade hurriedly made themselves scarce. "Are you crazy? If you want to settle this, don't do it here. You know who owns this place."
"Yeah I know," replied Alain, crossing his arms and leaning back slightly. "I already spoke to the man. Unlike you, I respect my peers."

Wayne saw a flicker of fear in Gerrard's eyes. Looking around, Wayne couldn't see anyone who stepping in to help out. This club must be a safe haven for Gerrard, presumably because of his relationship with the aforementioned owner. The rising star of the criminal world obviously hadn't expected any trouble. This would be a perfect opportunity.

Approaching the table, Wayne called out, "Gerrard, are these guys causing you problems?"
"Tommy!", Gerrard's eyes lit up. "Some help would be appreciated."
"Sure Gerrard." Wayne turned to face the three antagonisers. "You heard the man. Get out of here and I won't hurt you."
Alain snorted in response. "What the fuck are you going to do against the three of us? Get him!"

---

The fight didn't last long. Protection #1 was floored by a right hand from Wayne as soon as he stepped forward. Protection #2 had charged in response, but the Lycan sidestepped it easily and responded with a chop to the back of the head. With both men lying prostrate on the floor, Alain had chosen that moment to turn tail, shouting empty threats on his way out.

"Tommy! You got some skills brother!," Gerrard patted him on the back, watching as the two goons were dragged out by security. "That should teach Alain a lesson. He's a cheap ass motherfucker who turns out shit product. Not my fault his customers keep coming to me."
"No problem Gerrard," replied Wayne, cracking his knuckles to loosen them up. Lowering his voice he added, "If you have any work, I'm looking for something to keep me busy."
"Well how can I refuse my saviour! Let's discuss this over another drink."

---

Two hours later, Wayne exited Russo. The fortunate encounter with Alain had saved him a couple of days of groundwork with Gerrard and got him into a position where he could investigate from the inside. It sounded like some dirty work was required, but Wayne was confident he could manage. Anything that could help him find Remus was worth following through. He flipped open the phone and typed out another message to Ada.

Done for tonight. Coming back to yours now. Have good news

Looking up, he saw that Stef's was still open. His stomach rumbled in response - it had been several hours since he ate there. Remembering that Ada liked pasta, he decided to make a quick stop for some takeout. Their relationship hadn't got off to the best of starts, but some food might help break down a few barriers.

As he ran back across the rooftops, Wayne thought about his next move. Gerrard wanted to meet him tomorrow, presumably to help out with some sort of job. If he could establish a better level of trust with the ambitious drug dealer, he might be able to find the source of Guardian. Ada's information would be vital to helping him infiltrate the criminal network - and he could collect evidence to keep her happy.

It took about 10 minutes to get back to Ada's flat. With the smell of garlic wafting from the plastic bag containing the takeaway, he knocked on the door.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

The numbers whizzed past, guided by the lazy sweep of her thumb.

Before she parted ways with Alex, he’d given her his number. Sticking out her lower lip, she continued to just scroll through the numbers in her phone. It wasn’t like she had a lot - and maybe if she kept doing it, it would quell the overwhelming urge she had to call Alex to see if he was up for a very late night cap. But that would be desperate. And she did not want to seem desperate. Besides, maybe it really just meant nothing. Hell, there wasn’t even any tongue. It was so chaste it hurt.

But why bother to kiss her to begin with?

She didn’t buy his excuse. Though it felt good (she couldn’t really remember the last time she’d been kissed, touched, held, really), it seemed....out of the blue. She had only interacted with him from afar. And on top of that - it seemed odd that they’d be paired up. Almost...too convenient.

“And that, Ada,” she sighed out loud, “Is why you don’t have a boyfriend.”

Far from trusting, she had an eye for detail - and a memory for keeping up with them. Once she had all of the pieces, it was remarkably easy for her to put the puzzle together. Right now, since she didn’t have the pieces, it was driving her mad. And with her treating everyone as a suspect, it was hard for her to think of Alex’s kiss as anything but negative. Something to throw her mind in a swirl. But realistically, why WOULDN’T he be paired up with her? The chief wasn’t going to let her work solo - that made sense. And Miyuki WAS leaving and there really wasn’t anyone else free for her to work with. Maybe Alex liked the city and that’s why he transferred. People transferred. It wasn’t uncommon. Maybe she should stop looking a gift horse in the damn mouth and just go with what seemed to be happening in her life. Besides, hadn’t she worked hard and done lots of good in her time on the force? Maybe karma was finally paying it forward.

Setting the phone down on the kitchen table, she began unbuttoning her blouse. She was at home now, and had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. Wayne was off doing his thing - it made no sense to sit around like she was prim and proper waiting for her prince. Hell, it was her house. Pulling the blouse from her body, she neatly hung it on the back of the chair. She’d do a smell check later to see if it was good for another day or if it needed to be washed ASAP. Unzipping her pants, she slipped out of them and draped them across the back of the chair as well. Making her way to her bathroom, she peeled her knee high stockings off, followed shortly by her bra and panties.

Sitting on the edge of the tub, she started the water.

_______

The knocking on the door startled her awake. She had dozed off in the tub, her head resting against the side of the cool frame. It was a bad habit of hers, but one that she had yet to break, or actually wanted to break. There was something so soothing about sitting in the bath, caressed by warm water scented with various oils. It made her feel wonderfully decadent, even if it made getting out of the tub slightly hazardous.

“Be there in a minute,” she called, and wrapped a towel around her. She figured it had to be Wayne; no one else would be coming by this time of night to visit. Wade had nodded a sheepish hello to her earlier, but she figured that he would be keeping his distance as long as he could smell Wayne around the complex.

Opening the door, she shooed Wayne in, all too aware that she was in a towel. To be naked in her home was one thing, to be caught nude in the hallway was something different. Closing the door behind him, she shrugged. “I thought you were going to stay out all night. I guess I should get about getting you a key....”

The thought of that made her grimace a little. He was still a stranger; she should at least be able to control his coming and going. And since he apparently had such a handle on everything, and had to run out before, she was sure he’d have a place to stay if she opted not to give him a key.

“Scratch that, actually. That’s what phones are for,” she sighed. If she noticed the food, she didn’t say anything. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable,” she gestured to the couch. “I’m getting back into the tub.”

 

[Ask For More]

Not quite the red carpet, but he expected nothing less. They weren't friends, just two people working towards a common goal. Wayne thought the food would at least soften the tension slightly, but Ada seemed to be nonchalant about it.

Was there an assumption that he was staying at the flat with her? The way she had gestured to the couch suggested there was. He did have a hotel he could return to at any time, had she forgotten that?

While Ada returned to her cleansing ritual, he decided to eat. He poked around the kitchen looking for clean cutlery, but it seemed that everything she owned that was eating related was currently piled up in the sink. With a sigh, he turned the water on.

------

15 minutes later Wayne was lounging on the couch, eating some pasta. The kitchen sink had been emptied - some of the plates looked like they'd been their for days, and were quite offensive to his hyper sensitive Lycan nose, but he had soldiered on. He hadn't planned to clean everything in there, but the forks had settled at the bottom so he didn't have a choice.

The pasta really was very good - Stef's might be getting a few return visits. Especially if Gerrard was planning to bring him in more permanently. Wayne would have to be careful - from their conversation he could tell that Gerrard was smarter than he portrayed, and his rapid ascent up the ladder was proof of that. He had caught a break tonight with Alain; in the future he may not be so fortunate.

Finishing the pasta, he stood up and walked back in the kitchen. With the food consumed, other smells started to make way into his nostrils - perfume, flowers, and something else? Putting the takeout container in the garbage, he started sniffing around, trying to locate where it had came from. Eventually he settled on the blouse hanging on the back of a chair. There was a hint that he couldn't quite catch - as if someone had tried to disguise themselves, but with their smell rather than appearance. Lifting up the blouse, he put it up to his nose and sniffed deeply, trying to unpick all the different scents that Ada had picked up throughout the day. Coffee, exhaust fumes, dust.....it was like trying to isolate a colour in a kaleidoscope. Was it....Lycan?

Replacing the blouse on the chair, he remained deep in thought. Ada was completely shocked to seem him yesterday, and with the story he had told her. That left the more worrying scenario that Remus' influence stretched further than Wayne had originally thought. There was a lot of questions he had to ask her.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She wasn’t in the tub much longer. Slipping out from the bathroom, she was dressed in a loose gray tank top and navy shorts. Her hair, slightly deflated from the humidity of the bath, sunk low about her shoulders, droplets of water slicking the ends like thousands of little paint brushes. It was the smell of food that made her raise her eyebrows, and for a moment, she stood there, brows lifted, lips lightly poked out, and looked over at him.

“Wayne....did you bring me food?” It was said with a slight laugh as she made her way into the living room. Glancing behind her, she noticed the kitchen, and her brows flew up again. “AND you did my dishes? What the hell?” It wasn’t said in a nasty way - she was utterly incredulous. For a moment, instead of the attractive muscular man on her couch eating, she saw a little puppy that had been yelled at and was giving her the “eyes.”

Before he could say anything, or get severe or back to business again, she walked over to him and gave him a big hug. True, she couldn’t really trust him. True, she had interests elsewhere, but you know, he didn’t have to bring her food. Unless he was trying to poison her. Then the hug might have been premature. But for the time being, it just felt right. However, rather than letting it linger, she let go of him after a few moments.

“Thanks, Lassie.” She said it softly, close to his ear.

Going back to the kitchen, she retrieved a fork and sat down next to him on the couch, claiming the second take out container. “All right, you said you had good news, so spill.” Propping her bare feet up on her battered coffee table, she pointed and flexed her toes for a moment before cracking open the take out.

 

[Ask For More]

Seeing a freshly cleansed Ada walking back into the room was a welcome distraction from his thoughts. She was dressed simply, but still managed to maintain the form of a graceful and hugely desirable woman. When she smiled, he realised that it was the first time he'd actually seen a look of happiness on her face. Although Wayne was taken aback by the subsequent hug, and the strange name she called him.

"What's a Lassie?" he said, with raised eyebrows. Seeing a look of humour on Ada's face, he dismissed the question.

As she dug into the takeout with the ferocity of a hungry Lycan, Wayne recounted the story of his evening. The pile of pasta got smaller and smaller while he talked about stalking the streets, and then stumbling onto something at Russo. His smooth talking of the barman got a nod of a approval, while the encounter with Gerrard got more than a few frowns. The final twist in the tale of the fight and the promise of a meeting tomorrow was greeting with surprise and raised eyebrows.

"Don't worry about Gerrard, he doesn't suspect a thing. If he did I would be able to sense it." He tapped his nose for emphasis. "Emotions and thoughts cause different types of reactions in the human body, from faster pulses to secreted hormones. As an enforcer I've got special training which helps me.....detect some of them. I can tell when someone is lying, unless they're a stone cold psychopath."

Wayne paused, realising he was giving away more than he wanted to about his abilities. The hug had more effect than he realised.

"I'm going to need as much information about Gerrard as you can give me. The usual stuff; background, criminal history, known associates. I need to go in fully prepared, otherwise he might suspect me."

He saw Ada sigh at the request. Gerrard's file must be bigger than he thought. Time to dangle the olive branch.

"Secondly, if you have any toys you want me to plant - bugs, trackers, then get them ready. I want to make sure you get as much evidence as possible from this, just so I'm holding up my end of the bargain."

Wayne stood up and walked over to the window. Judging by the sky, morning was just a few hours away. Fatigue was starting to creep up and him, but there was one more question he needed to ask.

"One more thing - please don't think I'm a pervert, but when I was in the kitchen I noticed something. It took me a while to figure it out, but on your blouse is the smell of a Lycan."

He turned to face Ada. Her face had changed to a look of anger.

"It's not Wade's smell, nor is it mine. Let me stress that I'm not accusing you of anything - I think I can trust you. Until yesterday you had no idea there were Lycans in the city." He raised his hands to emphasise that he wasn't being aggressive.

"My feeling is that Remus may be using someone to track you." The look of concern on his face was evident.
"Did you notice anything suspicious today, or meet someone that wasn't quite what they seemed?"

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She thought about telling him what “Lassie” meant, but after taking another look at his face, decided against it. It could end up being supremely insulting to him.

She ate; he talked. She nodded on occasion to let him know that she was listening. He must be the luckiest son of a bitch in town - undercover operations that took months of planning never went off as well.

And that flicked an alarm bell in her head. What if all of this was part of some big set up? It was awfully convenient timing on all parts. All of a sudden she went from knowing of no lycans in her city to now being surrounded by them. And now he was accusing her of working with another lycan. True, she had looked cross, and now she just looked annoyed and tired. If he was some sort of built in lie detector, how could she know for sure that he wasn’t just playing her?

This was just getting ridiculous.

At this rate, what was to stop him from poisoning her food, killing her while she slept, transforming right then and there and ending her investigative report? And now with Alex as her new partner, she wasn’t sure who all she could trust. The man could just be a perpetual flirt; there were some rumors of him being a bit of a tease as well. Who knows. The man could not have seen anything further in kissing her and she had just overreacted like a moron. That seemed all the more likely, truth be told.

“Well,” she said after a long pause, sighing, “as far as Gerald goes, I think knowing nothing about him would be even more convincing, don’t you think? What all else do you need to know? He’s a big time drug dealer in town and he may or may not have a connection to Remus. That’s your job to figure it out.” A little harsh, but she needed some reality injected back into the situation. If Wade wasn’t so squirrel-y right now, she would have had no idea otherwise that these events were even happening. Leaning back further into the couch, she eyed him warily to see his reaction. True, she could get a lot of information from bugging him, but on the same hand, she could get into serious trouble if she supplied Wayne with her files. At the very least it could mean her job. Surely as any sort of police officer, he would have known that. And there was no way she was telling him that she had a new partner. That was just asking for trouble.

 

[Ask For More]

His first reaction was anger - Wayne had put in a few hours of serious work tonight and put himself at risk at the same time, and she didn't seem to give a shit about any of it. Any wrong moves could have exposed him and caused a major political incident - could she not see any of that?

He closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate on the rage. Lycan rage was an unpredictable beast, and difficult to control - now was not the time to be losing his senses. To control it, he started to work through the situation, thinking about Ada's position. She didn't have the same power that he had as an Enforcer. Anything he wanted from his team, he got without question, but she had to answer to superiors. So his request for files would seem arrogant, and also impossible for her to carry out.

"I'm sorry, asking for your files was an unreasonable request." He opened his eyes and held up his hands.

"Where I'm from, I'm used to getting whatever I ask for. I got carried away and forgot where I am - you have a job to protect and I should have taken that into consideration. Just me being here is troublesome for you."

"Having to play by human rules is difficult for me," Wayne sighed, and sunk into the sofa. "I need your help more than it makes me comfortable to admit. This city is so vast, and there is so much I don't know. It's unsettling to say the least."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“I’m sorry,” she said it abruptly, as if she just remembered something. She may not have been as in tune with senses as Wayne was, but she could tell that she had annoyed him. Well, that would make them one for one right about now. “But it is an unreasonable request.” Her voice was softer now.

She sighed and leaned back further into the couch. “Wayne, realistically, not only could I lose my job if I’m caught, but I can have charges pressed against me. That’s if I take the files without asking. If I ask, we’re talking days of red tape even if I get the clearance. And if I do, someone’s eyes are going to be on me. And more than likely, they’re not going to be the eyes that we want. Wayne, things work much differently here.” Her lids lowered, and she sucked in a long, deep breath.

“But I suppose some things are alike in both worlds. It’s not like you can trust everyone on your Force, can you? I’ve never had a problem with anyone here, but if we’re talking about drug dealers...” she rubbed her chin, her brows knitting. If he was still attuned to her senses, he could pick up a dramatic shift in her mood. “I don’t doubt that their pull goes up a hell of a lot higher than either one of us can really imagine. Money speaks all languages and transcends all cultures. There’s nothing that people won’t do for it.” Bitterness tinged her voice, fouling her normally graceful manner of speaking.

Looking over at him, she tried to bring some semblance of ease back to her appearance. “So, I suppose we should start with what you need to know, that I can provide, about being in this city. What do you want to know? Where do you want to start?”

 

[Ask For More]

This was a much better place to work from. It was difficult to put his pride aside, but he was the type of man who ultimately worked towards a final goal - if he had to grovel and compromise somewhat, then so be it. Arrogance was a dangerous flaw to have. Especially when it came to deadly criminals, any mistakes would be punished tenfold. If he had to cooperate fully with a human to reach his end game, then that would have to do. Wayne could have picked a lot worse.

"This could be a long night." He smiled, glad that they had reached a common ground. "Since I'm from a reservation, I don't know anything about how the hierachy works in this city."

"I know Gerrard is a fairly big player on the scene, but what structure is he working in? Anything you can tell me about the gangs who run this city - history, rivalries, that sort of information. I'm sure you know enough details without having do anything that will compromise your position on the....Force? Is that what you humans call it?"

Wayne pulled a worn notebook out of his pocket. It had seen a lot of better days, but had been a faithful companion. He had no problems with using it in this city - the language used was Lycan code that he had made a standard amongst his officers. Any human who saw it would find incomprehensible scrawlings that made no sense.

"Anything you can give me that will help me to prepare for this meeting tomorrow will be helpful. I don't want to be walking in blind."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“That’s the thing, Wayne - I’m not sure. I’m not narcotics,” and she gave him a small smile. “I’m homicide. See, the way things work here is that each particular offense has a specialized side of the police to deal with them. Narcotics deals with drugs, homicides, murder, and so on and so on. There can be some occasional overlap, but general we don’t step on other people’s territories. That’s also why I said it would raise some eyebrows if I started sniffing around drug dealers without any evidence. At the end of the day, kiddo, I’m only dealing with a clubber that was shredded to high hell. I have to figure that out. I’ve got some grace until I get word back from the M.E., but I’m still dealing with people who have lost another human being.”

Her dark brown eyes found his, and held them steadily. When he smiled at her, she noticed she’d held her breath a little. Letting it out in a long sigh, she ran a hand through her wild hair. This sucked. A handsome guy in her apartment and it was just business. A part of her wished he’d leave so she could “relieve” herself. There was no shame in it; she was a grown woman. That’s what they made all of those fun toys for anyway. And she had one in one of her drawers, just waiting. And god knows she’d need it after this conversation was done.

“All I really know is that people kill each other constantly over this crap - even a 5 dollar bag of weed. The most I really find out is when we start questioning people. I think at one point in time, it used to be that people would kill over bigger drugs - like cocaine. Stuff that was imported. A long time ago it used to be gangs in South America that ran most of this crap. Then meth started getting big and a lot of people can just make that at home; cut out the middle man. And those people don’t really follow a set pattern. The last I heard from Narco about Gerrard was that he was an up and comer - but he more than likely had help from a South American connection. I think he started off small potatoes and wanted more money. Started in his own neighborhood, like this shitheads usually do. They destroy their own people before they branch out. I know I’ve cleaned up his messes before. Doesn’t kill women or children. Or at least he used to not do it. I don’t know what his deal is now.”

She paused, taking a sip from her bottle.

“This is my suggestion. You got in there by your charisma? Keep using it. Tell the truth.” She made air quotes when she said “truth.” “You’re from out of town, right? Are you looking for a job? Are you looking for a new high? I think Gerrard would appreciate a self-made man; that’s what he fancies himself to be. Don’t be too ambitious; then you’ll be a threat. You want money, you want babes. That’s the usual sort of dream. Maybe you have a sob story - your moms is sick, you have a baby’s momma that needs help. I think he understands desperation. And you’ve already proven yourself to be an asset to him. Use it. If you go in knowing everything about everything, yeah, that’s going to sound fishy. Don’t you think? Maybe you knew just enough where to start. That makes sense. Gerrard fancies him a high roller nowadays. Stroke his ego.”

Taking a look at the clock, she gave him a light shrug. “I don’t really know what else to tell you, Wayne. I don’t know anyone in Narcotics, and if I start asking around without making any progress on my case, it’s going to make me look bad.”

That’s right - she still had that murder to take care of. Ugh.

“But it’s getting late and I have to be at the M.E.’s office fairly early. If you’re going to crash here, let me know now, if not, I’ll see you when I see you next?”

She had no idea when she’d see him again, and didn’t want to make it sound like she was looking forward to it. After all, she didn’t even really know him, pretty face aside and all.

 

[Ask For More]

The information was sketchy, but at least he could go into tomorrow with more confidence. Gerrard was hard to get a read on tonight - the information Ada gave him would make things a lot easier. Wayne could at least construct a personality to use that he could be confident in; the biggest risk in going undercover was being inconsistent while in character. It made people suspicious of motives and situations unpredictable. With this he could at least control the operation better.

It was only when she said it was getting late that he realised how tired he was. The sky was still dark, but he could feel the daylight cycle coming, and they both needed rest. Chasing Remus had been exhausting on the mind and the body - his focus on the goal had clouded his judgement tonight in an unacceptable way. Ada was a valuable ally here, and Wayne had almost destroyed their relationship. He had to be more careful.

Opening his eyes, Ada's form stood out, silhouetted gently in the dull light. He could tell she was a nocturnal creature - windows heavily curtained, and the only source of light in the room was a worn lamp that cast a barely discernible glow. It was a miracle that she hadn't killed herself from falling over the furniture. His Lycan eyes were far more attuned to weak light, and he couldn't help noticing how her body was perfectly proportioned. Normally staying in a beautiful woman's flat was a bonus - was it really so wrong to mix business with pleasure?

At that moment he realised the thought that had been scratching away during their entire conversation.

"I do have a hotel to go to, but there's still one thing we haven't addressed."
He pointed at the blouse that was draped over the chair in the kitchen.

"I'm still concerned that I could smell another Lycan on your clothes. I think it would be better for me to sleep here tonight."

"I can't watch over you at work, but I can at least keep you safe while you're at home."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She laughed, but not unkindly. “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. Just like we drug test, people test for the Lycan gene...Lycans can’t be on the Force.” There, she said it. “So you know how your people are stuck on reservations? It goes deeper than that.” She let out a long sigh. “There’s been legislation in place for years that keeps Lycans out of particular positions within the city. It used to be, oh, about 200 years ago, it was okay for some Lycans to come in on like, work programs. They were here for a limited time, as long as they had a job, and once that pass expired, they were evaluated. Then the political scene changed and Lycans had to go. So they were all thrown out of the city amid riots and all of that. Everything changed after that. But you should know that. Or most of it, at least.”

Giving him a wry smile, she stretched her arms over her head. “If I didn’t get onto the force, I wanted to be a history professor. So I made it my business to read up on these sorts of things. I really wanted to do something in my life to make a difference between human and Lycan relations. I didn’t think that there was any reason why we should live so divided. Now I’m beginning to wonder if I was just naive about the entire thing.”

Rubbing her shoulder through the thin fabric of her tank top, she sighed again. “If you want to stay here, that’s fine, but I really don’t think that you need to. I’d hate for you to waste your money on a hotel room and not use it, truth be told. And I don’t think my couch is super comfortable, either. But it’s really up to you.”

 

[Ask For More]

Her indifference was alarming, but understandable. After all, the smell he had noticed was slight - however his experience told him that caution was better than leaving things up to fate. Ada was his only ally in this city and Wayne could not afford anything untoward happening to her. The thought of manoeuvring his way though the upcoming trials without her was something he did not even want to contemplate.

"I know about the politics as well," he replied. "It's part of our history too. Human and Lycan relations is the most discussed topic on the reservations."

Looking at Ada rubbing her shoulder, he continued.

"The legislation was put in place 200 years ago. That's a long time to be enforcing strict drug tests. There's always a possibility that some Lycans have managed to find a way around it."

"Even with your confidence in the system, until yesterday you had no idea that there was a Lycan living opposite you. Meanwhile, there's another rogue Lycan running around the city causing havok, and sitting in your apartment is yet another Lycan who also sneaked in undetected and is even staying in a decent hotel."

Shrugging his shoulders, he added, "If all of us can get in without anyone knowing, how do you know there aren't more?"

Wayne stood and took off his jacket. Stretching his arms to get the tension out, he rolled his neck and let out a couple of soft grunts as he felt his joints rubbing together, making cracking sounds in the process.

"I'm not trying to seem overly protective, but your safety is paramount to me at the moment. Without your help, I'm flailing around kicking over pots until I find one filled with gold. So if its ok with you, I'll rest here until you go back to work."

Smiling at her, he carried on talking. "I promise I don't bite." Glancing again at her shoulder, Wayne felt like it was a problem for her. "And if that shoulder's bothering you, I can do something about it."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Her brows raised.

“Really? You don’t look the type to sit around and discuss politics....How do most Lycans feel? Oh my god, I can’t get into this right now. I’ll be up all night.” She smiled. “I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow; I imagine you’ve got to be facing the same. If you want to stay here, there’s the couch. I can try and get some blankets out of the closet; see if it can’t be a little more comfortable for you.”

Disappearing into her room, she returned soon with an armful of blankets and a few extra pillows. Flopping them down on the couch, she stretched again. “Well, I’m so glad that you’re concerned with me,” and her low voice held a bit of laughter. “Knowing that if something happened to me, you’d lose all your leads. That’s enough to make a girl feel really special.”

She waved off his offer about her shoulder. “My shoulders are usually always stiff to some degree. The bath helped, but that’s also why I sleep with a heating pad. It’ll be okay. So....Just make yourself comfortable. I’ve got to get up and going early in the morning. We’ll figure out what to do with you then, at least, as far as whatever it is that you do during the day. I dunno.” Running a hand through her wild hair, she shrugged. “Either way, I’ll see you in the morning, Wayne.”

Leaving him to his pile of blankets, she slipped back into her bedroom. With the place being a studio, there wasn’t much by way of a door when it came to separating her bedroom from the rest of the apartment. She had hung a rainbow beaded curtain over the entrance, but it didn’t leave a whole lot of privacy. The bathroom was the only place within the apartment that had a proper door, and well, she wasn’t going to sleep in there. She wasn’t majorly concerned; she slept with her gun on the nightstand. It wasn’t far out of reach and she slept lightly as it was.

Slipping beneath the sheets, it wasn’t too much longer before she had passed out. The idea of toying with herself before bed had been much more acute before she actually got within eyesight of the bed. The weight of the day settled around her shoulders, and pulled her into sleep.

 

[Ask For More]

It wasn't long before he could hear the soft breathing of deep sleep coming from the bedroom. Finally Wayne felt like he could relax a little - he'd been on edge for the whole day, and was finding it difficult to maintain his decorum. The first thing he needed to do was head to the bathroom to take a shower. The various smells he'd picked up throughout the day were starting to affect his senses.

Stripping his clothes off, he dumped them on the sofa and padded into the bathroom. It was much like the rest of the flat - messy but everything a person needed was easy to find. It was a relief to just relax under the warm water and let the tension flow out of his muscles and his mind. Maintaining an undercover personality was incredibly difficult for a Lycan, even with training - over riding their animal instincts took a huge amount of concentration and control.

Stepping back into the living room, he dried himself off with a spare towel he found in the bathroom. Sleep was calling, but first he had something to do. Hanging the towel on a chair he moved into an area of space, stood still and closed his eyes. Concentrating his mind, Wayne reached into himself to find the area of his brain that controlled his form. He let it expand so that it was all he was thinking about, and then expelled it, feeling his body start to change. His fur grew, muscles expanded, and the transformation took place.

As he lay on the sofa and pulled the blanket over himself, it occured to Wayne that he should have told Ada that Lycan's don't sleep as humans. Drifting into sleep, he hoped she wouldn't shoot him in the morning.