James Reynold Khöller's Story

Are you going to talk to me today?

James eyes slowly opened casting a baleful gaze at the world before finally resting on the alarm clock. 2 minutes until it would have gone off. How he hated that damn mutt in his head. Truly, in most of the world having a voice in your head usually meant you were insane, but in this house, not having a voice in your head meant you were insane. He shielded his eyes from the sliver of light that slipped through the window curtains, usually he loved mornings as he loved making himself a nice breakfast. He felt like an omelet today, with some pieces of bacon, fried potatoes, some good cheese, maybe a little cheese on the top if he felt the need. James knew it was going to be a good day even if it was getting nearer and nearer to the dreaded full moon. It always meant it would be harder and harder to block out that stupid mutt like just a few moments ago.

Sitting up with a grunt, James wiped his eyes and hit the alarm to stop it from screeching and giving him a headache, although he knew it was only a matter of time before... Well? Are you going to at least tell me to shut up? Damn. right on time. James rolled his eyes as he rolled out of bed. "Shut up." He grumbled not even taking joy from it like usual. It was a little too early from him to have some fun from crushing someones dreams, maybe a little later. For now, it was shower time.

---

After a shave and a thorough check to ensure he got all his chin hair, James slid his ironed shirt on loving the smooth feel on his skin. He, honestly, felt bad for the people that did not know the simple pleasure of ironed clothing. James picked up his wallet and his various other pocket items which included: A small colored rock he found during one of his exploring sessions, his keys and most important of all, a Aquamarine pendant set in white gold on a white gold chain, he had found the aquamarine while spelunking a cave then spent most of his money having it cut into the shape of a heart and paying for the gold; he had meant to give it to Ray on her birthday, but he kinda missed it, now he wasn't sure what to do, he wasn't sure what to do at the time either come to think of it. Now it just seemed like a stupid idea and didn't know how she would take it, if it was saying too much, and many other questions that just sapped away at his will, so he just hung on to it, and slid them into his jean pockets. It was time for Breakfast.

James passed by a table with three people, three girls, but honestly, he was in cooking mode, and didn't pause to look to see who was who. "Hey." He called not really waiting or caring if they replied as he was already going over the steps of how he was going to make his omelet in his mind. Pausing at the fridge, he pulled out the cartoon of eggs, the shredded cheese, bacon, and a sack of frozen diced potatoes. It was a quick, practiced series of motions that had the bacon sizzling on a frying pan, the potatoes already starting to brown as he mixed in some onions to give them flavor, and the blended eggs starting to bubble on the third frying pan.

How he loved the smell of frying bacon and potatoes, there was nothing like it in the world. "Hows your morning going?" James called back to the table. He wasn't really interested, honestly, he did not care, but it gave him something to do while he cooked.

Ray was glad for Tabby’s arrival so she didn’t have to try and make up a reason for wanting to know Kathy’s whereabouts. She was pretty sure that Tai wouldn’t like the response of, “I want to start setting up a prank we’re going to play Calvin!” She smiled at Tabby, a bit uneasy around the girl. All she wanted to do was scream “You are a werewolf!” But, Tai had forbidden it, and it might not go over well with tabby. Plus, without one of the guys she had absolutely no way to prove that tabby was a werewolf. Ray ground her teeth, she hated that girls had to wait to find their mates to get a wolf but guys just got to change as soon as they hit puberty.

Ray stayed silent for a few seconds before asking Tabby awkwardly, “So, uh, Tabby… you like playing guitar?” Ray mentally slapped herself. What kind of question was that? It was obvious that Tabby liked playing guitar, that was probably one of the worst small talk questions she could have asked. If anything her social skills were getting worse.

Ray was happy when James walked in. She normally didn’t talk to him much, but at this awkward point in time any distraction was welcome.

”Hows your morning going?" James asked. Ray smiled, perfect, a question that was easy to respond to and could get conversation going. She was pretty certain that James had absolutely no interest in how her morning was going, but hey, it was his fault for posing the question.

“My morning’s been good. I got up, I got dressed, and I came downstairs, ate food, and looked for Kathy…” Ray trailed off when she realized she’d mentioned Kathy. She’d managed to dodge that bullet once only by being interrupted and now she’d managed to bring the whole topic up again. For someone who lied a lot she really sucked at it….

James felt a shiver race up his spine when he heard the answer. It wasn't the answer itself, but the person who spoke. He knew that voice, and he had to fight the urge to turn around and stare. Ray. Why hadn't he noticed her? Well... she was pretty short, she probably just forgot her high chair. Funny, James rolled his eyes, his amusement as his own inner joke broken by a stupid, hairy mutt that slumbered deep inside his head... or his heart... or wherever they were. Humming, he listened as he took the bacon off the stove letting it cool. Kathy? Hmm, who was Kathy Again? She sounded vaguely familiar, but he wasn't sure. What he was sure about was how he did not care about where she was or even who she was. Maybe he had a serious problem?

Oh, well, did not matter. "Eh, can't say I've seen her, but that said, I do not really care either." James said with a shrug, moving the potatoes around with his spatula, so they didn't burn. It was a shame she already ate, he wanted her to try some of his cooking, he knew it was divine, but he wanted her to say so as well... trying to distract himself from his thoughts, he started speaking again, "So how was your birthday?" He asked, and before he could stop himself, he continued, "I was going to buy you a step-ladder, so we can finally see eye to eye." The words left his mouth before he had time to stop them. James closed his eyes in frustration, why? Now he probably just pissed her off. He really needed to work on his people skills... well, no, not people skills. He did not care about people, he needed to work on his filter. Yea, that sounded right.

James braced himself and turned his head to see her, well, he noted dully, he had managed to make himself look like an ass in front of his mom, but worse things have happened. Only one questioned bothered him at the moment. Dressed in a wrinkled green t-shirt, jeans, and a ponytail that screamed 'I just don't care anymore!' How did she look so... Alluring.

"Eh, can't say I've seen her, but that said, I do not really care either." Ray rolled her eyes. Of course he didn’t Kathy had only been living in the house for what, three years? Why would the great James bother to care about her? He was constantly making Ray mad, the only upside being that he was easy to mess with. He always seemed sort of distracted, a fact that made pranking him easy.

"So how was your birthday?" he asked. Ray was about to respond with the customary reply of “good, thanks for asking” but then he continued, "I was going to buy you a step-ladder, so we can finally see eye to eye." Ray’s shoulders sagged and she glared at James. The joke was made worse by the fact that she was sitting and he was standing so he towered over her.

“A short joke. Hi-lar-ious.” Ray spoke slowly, drawing out hilarious so that it was crystal clear that she was annoyed.

But her scowl was quickly replaced by a grin and a mischievous light entered her eyes as she added, “ You should be careful James, some of my birthday presents included a lock picking kit and a prank book. The book has some excellent suggestions about how to set up a trap in someone’s room.” Ray hoped Tai wouldn’t reprimand her for the implied prank because James clearly deserved it. At least, in her opinion her did.

James had to fight to keep the wince off his face. Yea, she wasn't happy with him then again, he couldn't remember many times she was. James gave a slow nod, "Your right. It wasn't my best work." Sure short jokes were easy against Ray, and he had probably said just about everyone there was to have. He really needed more hobbies... Where was his sister when he needed her? Beating her and laughing in her face was just the pick me up he needed that, and he was sure she was spending time with the weird bendy, human fly swatter guy, and it bugged him to no end. At least when she was fighting against him in something, he knew she wasn't... with him... yea, his sanity would not allow those thoughts to go any further.

He felt a shiver run down his spine at her grin, it sent his heart racing, and even her threat of a probably very cruel and painful prank could not stop the momentary euphoria, man, something was really wrong with him. These past few months have just been... strange. On another note, who in their right mind gave Ray a lock picking kit? James considered his options, he could make a friendly joke and defuse the situation, he could take another stab at her causing retaliation, or he could say nothing which would be admitting defeat...

"Alright. Alright." James said holding his hands, and the spatula still held in his right hand, up, "I yield, take pity on an attractive, highly intelligent, sharply dressed, and well groomed man." He said smiling from the ego boost he gave himself. Hey, he could not tell a lie, he started to turn back to the stove but then stopped tapping his chin in thought, "You know, I did buy you a present, but now I am not going to give it to you." James said sticking his tongue out in a childish display of snubbing. It hid the pounding in his heart and screaming in his mind, Why had he told her that?

Your forgetting something.

The voice cut through his frantic thoughts, James was about to ask what it was when the smell reached his nose. Crap! The potatoes! Turning sharply, he tried in vain to save the potatoes, but the damage was done. They were slightly black, and James hated burnt food refusing to eat it. With a groan, he emptied the potatoes and onions into the trashcan. Well, at least he still had bacon and cheese to put in the omelet. All was not lost.

Gavin flinched awake again, and decided that it was time to get up. Plus, he could smell someone cooking downstairs, which set his stomach growling. Careful not to wake Jac, Gavin climbed out of bed and replaced the blanket over her. Seeing her so deeply in sleep, pure relaxation, was a mix of adorable and alluring. He kissed her temple before throwing on a pair of solid black pajama pants and walking out into the hallway.

The once-good scent that filled the air suddenly smelled burnt, so Gavin rushed down the hall and to the kitchen. When he arrived, James had just thrown the burned material into the trashcan. Gavin smiled a greeting to everyone, rubbed his eye lazily, then wandered to the counter to lean against it. "'Mornin', guys."

"So, Ray, how's that lock pick treating you?" Gavin asked, snatching a peach from the fruit bowl and rinsing it off in the sink. He had sensed some kind of tension between the two of them. He returned to his casual lean against the counter, awaiting her reply.

Not long after Ray answered, there was a decisive knock at the front door. Since he was the only one who didn't seem to be busy, or pleasantly relaxed, Gavin excused himself to answer it. Wondering who in the world would be visiting at this hour.


Gavin swung the door open and stared at the guest blankly.

"Hey, Tai?" He called, not taking his eyes from his mom.

"Good morning, Gavroche" Evon placed a hand tenderly on his shoulder and bent to kiss the top of his head. Gavin flailed in attempts to avoid it- which were futile. "A little bird told me that you found your mate!" Her accent was as thick as ever. Gavin moved to let her in, though he didn't want to, and closed the door behind her. He wanted to scrape her off onto Tai like gunk on his fingers.

Evon took off her jacket casually and draped it over the coat hanger, holding her purse in front of her with both hands. "I'd like to stay for a few days, get to know the lucky woman."

"Well, you have to ask Tai and Adrian. It's their house." Gavin said curtly, crossing his arms.

It was as though the very air was thrown up in a flurry by the arrival of James in the kitchen. The way he sauntered in just seemed to cry out that even though he wasn't the only one who lives in the house, he had some sort of extra claim to be a resident here by virtue of being the alpha son. Even so, something had stoked his spirits beyond the usual boisterousness, and Tai was less than impressed.

She coughed a couple of times and glowered at him. "You've woken up with an attitude, dear son of mine." she said, "Perhaps when you're done eating you could channel some of that energy into something more industrious, like rousing some of the other boys before the rest of the breakfast stuff goes cold?"

---

Tabby smiled back at Ray, coasting over the slightly awkward silence. She couldn't help but feel that Ray was looking at her as though she...knew something, but there was any number of things that could be. probably she'd caught wind of the fact that she'd turned out to be Gavin's sister, and no doubt the young girl's fertile mind (for that much was obvious) wanted to fill in the blanks for herself.

She nodded earnestly at Ray's question. "Yeah it's pretty much my whole life." she said, "Been playing since I was about eight and I was really hoping I'd..."

She stopped talking with the entrance of the rather over-confident boy, who she recognised vaguely from the party last night. Wow...he certainly did have...'presence'. In a good way? It was difficult to say. She hadn't been in the house long enough to get a feel for the resident 'banter', but the indignation on Ray's face at the 'short joke' seemed pretty genuine. Tabby chewed her lip and looked down, although her brow raised when Tai referred to the boy as 'son of mine'. So that was Lyra's brother? Interesting...

And then there was Gavin's voice. Tabby froze for a moment, not sure exactly how things had been left between them. But she only had a few seconds to make a decision, and it wasn't even as though it should have been a big decision, but she turned her head slightly and mumbled 'hi'. And then in a moment there was a knock at the door, and Gavin went to get it. Tabby inclined her head towards the hall...could it be Lance finally turning up with her bag and a bigass apology?

---

When Calvin opened his eyes and felt the sparse trickles of sunlight on his eyes, he didn't die...he just felt like he did. Oh god... He rolled onto his side and winced. No matter how many times he was told, he never remembered that as a wolf he didn't experience the effects of alcohol as much as humans...but the morning-after effect was every bit as potent.

He thought about laying there for a few days to sleep it off, but the headache was so bad that even his pillow didn't feel comfortable. So he hauled himself out of bed and poked his head out of the door...the last thing he needed was anyone gloating at his misfortune. Well, what about Gavin, he'd been out partying right? Oh no, wait, he'd started drinking but then had found other things to do...mm, yeah. Less said about that the better.

He hobbled across to the boys bathroom and got himself a drink of water, then returned to the bedroom. But what was that? The smell of bacon? Oh damn, now that's done it. Can't say no to a fried breakfast. But there was also a distinct smell of burning in among it. The hell...was Kathy cooking?? Shit, better get downstairs before the whole house burns down and there's nothing left which is remotely edible.

He put on some basketball shorts and a hoody, and thundered down the stairs, but stopped at the bottom to a rather amusing sight...Gaving and his...mother!!

"Yo yo Mrs Argen-TUM." he said in a very blearly, wobbly, half-cut kind of way, knowing full well how Gavin was less than bothered about impressing his parentals, "I never really get the chance to say that, as Gavin's mother...you must be so proud."

He barely finished the sentence before he started to snigger and snort, which was abruptly cut off as the shaking of his body in laughter caused his head to twinge and he winced again, stumbling to the side. "Damnit," he muttered under his breath, "did anyone put any coffee on yet?"

"You know, I did buy you a present, but now I am not going to give it to you." James stuck his tongue out at ray. She smiled and stuck her tongue out in return before begging, "Awwww, come on James! I promise not to break into you're room and set up a trap! Can I pretty pleasehave my present I'm really sorry!" Ray did her best to look innocent as she pouted her lips and clasped her hands in a begging position.

However, as soon as James burned the potatoes her innocent facade disappeared and she erupted into a fit of giggles, "Nice one James." remembering that she was trying to wheedle her present out of him Ray tried to stop her giggles. After a few seconds she gave up and continued to chuckle.

It was at that moment that Gavin walked in, "'Mornin', guys." Ray smiled, "Good morning Gavin!"

"So, Ray, how's that lock pick treating you?" Ray smiled and gave Gavin a thumbs up, "Great, thanks again by the way." The doorbell rang and Gavin moved off to get it. Ray munched on her food for a few seconds, listening closely to hear who it was.

She almost winced as she heard the voice of Evon. That woman gave her the creeps, plus she always seemed to be checking up Gavin. Ray felt bad for the poor guy, she didn't see a lot of mother and son love between the two. It made her almost glad not to remember her mom. As Aziel moved into the kitchen Ray's thoughts turned to the upcoming full moon. She counted off in her head the females who wouldn't be shifting...

For starters there was herself, Kathy, and Tabby of course... Ray frowned, she couldn't think of anyone else who wouldn't be shifting, it was strange seeing everyone growing up all the sudden. Perhaps she could get a girls movie night together with Kathy and Tabby. They could watch a cheesy werewolf film some well meaning humans had made. She'd probably get bonus points from Tai for keeping Tabby out of the way, and chances were after the pranks she had planned she would need them.

As he munched on a ridiculously large sandwich Aziel asked, "so, who's then new girl" Ray smiled and gestured to Tabby, "This is Tabby" then, still smiling, she gestured to Aziel, "Tabby this is Aziel."

Ray ate another bite of food before continuing, "Tabby is Gavin's long lost little sister. " Ray smiled, there were several other things Aziel needed to know about Tabby, like the fact that she didn't know she was a werewolf. But hey, if Ray accidentally forgot to tell Aziel that important piece of info, and Aziel happened to bring up something werewolf related, well, no one could blame Ray!

Breakfast stuff? His mother sure had a way with words. She must have been tired... or rusty, but he caught on well enough, it was her way of saying 'knock it off!', but it wasn't all his fault... James was not sure how, but dammit, Ray provoked him! In some manner, or some form, she had started it, but he was glad that cleaning the potatoes had his back towards Ray as that 'innocent' voice, as fake as it was, was no doubt accompanied by a heart melting smile, and he refused to give in now. James did not work so hard to fall like a wilting flower every time a midget smiled at him, it was... insulting towards his pride even if her laughter was like music to his ears... he really needed to talk to a therapist. This was not natural in the least.

"Eh." James said with a shrug to both of Azrel's questions. In truth, his day was wonderful already. It was the first time in a long while he was able to say a few sentences to Ray without completely brushing her off, honestly, he had to fight to keep his heart from tap-dancing, but the new girl? He felt he knew this like an answer that was just out of his reach, but he was not sure he really cared. He was tempted for a moment to pretend he cared to earn some points with Ray, but that was not who he was.

But in news that did not revolve a tap-dancing heart, Gavin had earned his way on James Blacklist. Why in the hell did he get her a lockpicking set? Where did you even buy one of those? Wal*Mart lane 3? Right next to the lye salt, shovels, ropes, and poison? Oh, he would have his vengeance, and it would be sweet, his ears picked up the girls name, Tabby? Well, he probably wouldn't remember, but at least they couldn't say he didn't listen. Another person joined the group... not counting Gavins dear mother with her accent that assaulted ones ears and made him want to smash his head into a counter, it was Calvin! He only knew their names because they rhymed, and some childish part of him found it adorably amusing... like a really ugly kitten stuck in a tree.

But he did not like how many people they were in this kitchen, and some of them may try and snag some bacon! James moved quickly tearing the bacon to bits and dropping them on the egg as well as taking large... handfuls of cheese and sprinkling it on the omelet before flipping it closed and dropping more cheese on the top. Perfection... well, almost... those damn potatoes. If it wasn't for Ray..

"Hey Ray." James said trying to appear as if he was indifferent to the whole thing, "Come with me later today." He said simply. Of course, she may have other plans, but he was better then those plans. He was by far prettier than whatever lay ahead, but she could say no, so he offered up a bribe, "We can go pick up your present."

James turned away from her to find a place to sit, and of course, to get a good view of the drama that may unfold. He may not know all the players in the drama, but it was like watching Mexican Wrestling. You have no idea what is going on, why you should care, or what is being said, but you still find it highly amusing. It would distract him from his thundering heart as he awaited his answer.

THUMP

Sid was jolted awake as the side of his head took a solid thwack from contact with his father's truck window. With bleary eyes he looked around before sitting up in the passenger seat of the vehicle and stretches as much as the small cab of the truck allowed for his tall frame, releasing a yawn that seemed to drag on for ages. When he finally settled back into his seat his father looked over and grinned.

"Sleep well, kid? Thought you'd be able to handle the trip better than your old man by now."

Sid chuckled. "Old man? You're just as fit as you ever where and you still made me carry most of the gear. Not my fault you use me like a pack mule."

Tyler laughed as well. "There are benefits to being the elder you know. And I plan on taking full advantage of them."

The two of them continued the banter as they neared the town, returning from one of their multiple night treks into the backwoods of no where, their packs in the bed of the truck along with some mountain climbing gear and various other artifacts that had collected over the years. Sid didn't remember a time when they hadn't used the same truck to go on their trips and he and his father had spent plenty of time fixing the old vehicle up whenever it had a problem, ignoring suggestions that they just get a knew one and always retorting with "If it can be fixed, it ain't broken." And so they continued to drive the old machine, all the creaks, clunks, and roaring that accompanied it a welcome sound to their ears.

The old shocks creaked and the engine's roar died down as Tyler pulled the old vehicle into the driveway of the pack house and let the truck idle. "Alright son, as usual its been a pleasure but if you make me pull you up one more ledge I might just leave you hanging."

Sid stuck his tongue out and laughed. "I seem to recall it was me that did most of the pulling but I've never had a very strong memory after all." Tyler returned the laugh and patted his son on his shoulder as Sid got out of the truck. He reached over the side of the truck and lifted his pack out of the bed and slung one strap over his shoulder, the heavy weight more a comfort than a burden, and with a jaunty wave to his father approached the front door of the pack house. his father backed out of the driveway and roared away in their clunker, heading on back to his own house as Sid entered through the front door of the large building.

As Sid closed the front door behind him he was surprised at the number of people that were already awake and moving about, and was most surprised by the sight of Gavin and his mother right there in the entrance way. With a poorly hidden grimace he sidestepped around the pair to try and make his way up towards his room, attempting to track as little dirt on the floor from his muddy boots as possible.

"I know." James said softly. Of course he knew she was doing this just for the presents. He hadn't been exactly... 'nice' to her, and he was sure despite the teasing that if there was no present involved, she would not be coming. Probably say she had other plans, while usually that wouldn't matter, knowing Ray had better plans then him was irritating. He hid the disappointment with a wave of his fork, "No worries, I assure you, the present is worth it."

Well, it had better be. The cutting had cost a couple hundred dollars then there was the white gold chain which caused a couple thousand dollars then he had decorated the Cave which took a few days and thankfully were still up, so it had all better be worth it. James had not worked harder and spent more on anything before. Chewing on a piece of bacon, he raised his finger to say 'one moment' to Ray to finish chewing.

Taking a gulp, he shook his head before answering, "We are going to a place of magic and mystery." James said waving his fork like a wand, "And all your dreams shall come true!" He said with a flourish, before stopping and flashing a smile, "Just kidding. We are going cave spelunking." He would leave it at that.

Taking another mouthful of omelet, he watched in a somewhat bemused mood at Aziel pestering of, was it Tabitha? Yea, Tabitha. That sounded right, and so he would go with it. He did not really care about her past, her half-brother... brother... step-mother... or whatever it was that was going on, but he had nothing better to do as he ate. Sadly, watching Aziel run through his slow brain process was just... terrible. Like the little mouse in his head was having a seizure as it tried to run on its wheel. Not to mention he kept getting louder as he came near the conclusion... like those slow people who yell when talking to someone who speaks different language like it would help. The only reasons he could be doing this was he was slow and his mouse truly was having a seizure, or he was just doing it to get attention from people... maybe both? Yea, both sounded good.

James scooped another piece of omelet in his mouth savoring the cheese and bacon flavor. Shifting tonight? While James knew there were some girls going on the first, including his dear, sweet sister, wasn't there someone who didn't know about the whole going furry thing? James pondered this for once wishing he had paid a little attention when they told him, but for the life of him, he just couldn't remember. Was it Tabitha? She was new...ish. Luckily, the guy didn't say werewolves, so James figured it would be fine. As long as she didn't ask Ray, she was terrible at lying. James considered what he had seen of Aziel, he purposely made others feel awkward and like crap, he was a 'rebel', he smoked and showed a little 'defiance' when told to not smoke inside... Aziel placed a 8 on James' Asshole scale. If he rode a motorcycle he would instantly become a 9. If a loud motorcycle like a Harley, he would break the scale.

On that thought was He higher on that scale then Aziel? James just did not care and lacked interest in other people, their feelings, and what happened in their lives, but this guy seemed to take pleasure in their misfortunes, probably because his own life sucked so bad he had to drag others down with him... Nah, James was far better then him. At least he would look good standing next to him. Looking down, he felt a tang of sorrow as he saw he only had one bite left, it was so good, and he was still kind of hungry. Not hungry enough to eat another omelet, but hungry enough to eat a bowl of cereal, but Aziel had worn out his amusement factor awhile ago. James looked up at Ray curious to see if she would snap at Aziel or what, but he might get the ball rolling, as it were, "So, when are you ready to go?"

Ray smiled as James replied, "We are going to a place of magic and mystery." James said waving his fork like a wand, "And all your dreams shall come true!"

Rays eyes widened and she said in mock awe, “We’re going to candy land aren’t we?”

James smiled "Just kidding. We are going cave spelunking." Ray stuck out her lip and pretended to think deeply before replying, “Well, I suppose it’s almost as good as candy land…”

Sticking her now completely washed bowl in the cupboard Ray added more seriously, “Cave spelunking sounds awesome.”


Ray was Just about to ask what she needed to bring for cave spelunking whe she realized that Tai hadn’t managed to get Aziel out of the house. Ray’s fists tightened as Aziel walked up to Tabby, "Gavin's not your half brother right?" he was stating more than asking "So what, his parents are yours and they gave you up or something, wait, you don't know Evon do-you? Infact you just asked if Evon was Gavin's Step-mother, so that means your parents, back from where ever you come from, left him somewhere? Or somehow someone somewhere messed up greatly when it came to parenting guess that means your his foster mum Evon"

Ray was going to punch him. Well, maybe not punch him he was way taller than her, maybe she would just set up a really nasty trap later. A really, really, really nasty trap.

"So, when are you ready to go?" James asked. Ray’s nail were leaving mark in her skin she was clenching her fist so hard. She replied to James slowly, “I’ll be ready to go in a few second-“

Ray was cut short by the arrival of Evon, "I saved his life when his own father left him to die on the night of his first shift. If I should meet his real parents right now, and believe me I hope I do, I'd only tell them how horribly disgusted they make me and what a disgrace they are to our kind! So, yes, I am his mum." She gestured with her eyes at Tabs, sitting next to where she stood. "And this one, I know nothing about. Gavin never talked about her."

For just a second Ray liked Evon. Mainly because she hoped that would knock Aziel down a peg or two. Then she concentrated on her last words ”this one” Now she didn’t like Evon once again. Ray was angry, something that for her didn’t happen a lot. She couldn’t yell at Evon, as she had left and was an adult werewolf.

Instead she took her anger out on the next available target, “Could you stop being an such an ass Aziel, for just a moment of your life and give the girl a break.” Ray almost grinned, that had felt better then she’d expected. Then she remembered that Aziel towered over her, was kind of ripped, and could transform into a wolf and rip out her larynx.

She turned to James, “All right, I’m ready to go.”

“Don’t worry Tab, it’s not always this crazy around the house, especially not in the morning.”

Tabby smiled appreciatively at Ray, and hoped that it would be as easy as laughing it off. The atmosphere in the house was very different to that which it had been the night before. She couldn't even remember seeing some of these guys the previous night...if she had, she'd probably have had a much easier time believing that it really was a den of wild animals! Even Tai - seemingly the 'den mother' - appeared to have a difficult time keeping them in check.

But things only got worse as suddenly the onslaught was coming from both sides. Firstly Aziel continued his tactless enquiries from across the breakfast bar, taking the place Tai had vacated only moments previous. Tabby looked his in the eye intently, her lips thinning as the boy filled in the blanks for himself with infuriating presumption.

She began to reply to him, her voice thin, weak and wavering with rage, "You don't know anything..."

She stopped when the overstated French woman slammed her hand down on the breakfast bar, and was practically leaning over Tabby to address Aziel. Tabby hunched slightly and looked down, riding out the moment of awkward and intimidating proximity. But she could not remain passive at the shocking tirade which flowed from the obnoxious woman's mouth about her own parents.

She pushed her way off the stool and drew herself to full (if rather underwhelming) height, glowering at Evon as she turned to leave again.

"Who the hell are you anyway?" she growled, "My dad's dead, I though Gavin was dead...my mom's back home still thinking they're both dead! I don't know what happened back then, but it sounds to me like you took Gavin away from us and brainwashed him with this werewolf rubbish."

She felt a pang of discomfort in her chest as she heard her own words escape her lips, and realised she may have insulted or angered any number of people. After all, she didn't know how far this werewolf cult thing spread, but the one thing she was sure of was that she was right in the middle of it's headquarters. Aziel had talked about shifts. Evon had talked about shifts. Nobody had taken them to task on it. She had no reason to doubt that everything Gavin had said to her last night was held true to some degree by everyone in the house. That was the only reason she didn't follow after Evon when she left, not knowing if the woman had even taken any notice of anything she'd said. And for a moment she couldn't look anyone in the eye, until Ray spoke up in her defence.

"Look it's OK." she mumbled, "I didn't mean to cause a stir here. I should probably get going...I just, could I use the phone to call Lance?"

---

Tai's panic spiralled to new heights when Evon bit back as Aziel. The words she spoke were nothing Tai hadn't heard before, but the way she spoke them...that was enlightning. Evon had such indignation for the father who'd supposedly abandoned Gavin to his death, and yet had been keen to remain aloof from him from quite an early age and for most of the time except when she felt like interfering. There was most certainly more to all of this than she had supposed, especially considering Tabby had a version of events which raised questions to say the least.

"Evon..." she implored, "...come on. We're all getting crossed wires here, let's get a drink and calm down. James, show Tabby where the phone is would you please?"

Adrian was alerted by the raised voices downstairs, and finished buttoning up his shirt before hurrying out onto the landing. At the top of the stairs he ran into Kathy and Sid.

"Mornin' guys," he said, peering discreetly down the stairs to see what was going on. "Sid, how's the old man? Not coming in for a catch up today? Shame he couldn't have come last night, Jeff was there in a panda suit. It was priceless. Anyway, uh...I think I'd better check out what's going on downstairs."

He heard the voice that made his skin crawl...Evon Argentum. 'Knives on a plate' didn't even tell the half of it.

---

Calvin was having a hard time not laughing at the scene which was unfolding. Yeah, it was tragic, but in a pathetic kind of way. Aziel was being an ass of course, but hell there had been enough mystery about this situation already. He liked Aziel's way of dragging the facts out kicking and screaming. And there was very nearly some literal screaming going on too.

Things got a little uncomfortable after Tabby got visibly upset by what was being said, and Calvin decided to wade in as a distraction, but couldn't resist pouring just a little fuel on the smouldering coals.

"Hey Az," he said, "so far as I understand it there's gonna be two first timers with us tomorrow night. Seems Gavin and Jac 'took care of business' in the woods last night y'know what I'm sayin', and Lyra and Kiyoshi..."

The words caught in his throat as he almost broached a topic he didn't really want to think about...Lyra and Kiyoshi together.

"...well none of my business, but yeah, Jac and Lyra, they'll both be running with us. Got a feeling it's gonna be a wild one."

He looked across at James and gave him a 'here's lookin' at you' gesture, "Hey James I guess that puts you on the back-foot huh? Not gonna look good if the future alpha doesn't have his first lady."

James laid his chin on his hand watching as Ray gave Aziel a piece of her mind. It wasn't too harsh, but enough to let him know she was agitated. She was... adorable, he wasn't sure she could scare or immediate anyone. James quickly looked away pretending to find something on the wall that was fascinating when she turned to him. He did not want to be caught staring at her. James turned back to her smiling, "Alright, lets." Before he could finish his mom told him to help Tabitha find the phone. Really, she had great timing, he was trying to do this before he chickened out again like last time, and she really wasn't helping.

"Alright then." James said trying to hide his annoyance. Why did he have to show her? He barely knew her! "Ray, I'll meet you outside." James said flashing a bright smile, "Lets go.. call this lance guy, who I am way better looking then." He said pointing at Tabitha. Standing from the table, James stretched as it was going to be a long, and hopefully, good day, but again before he could move any further yet another obstacle jumped in his path in the way of Calvin, really? Why did everyone decide this would be the best time to talk to him? It did agitate him further as he brought up his sister with Mr. Stereotype. James returned with a 'what can you do' shrug, "I pick who I am going to love and be together with, and I am not going to be rushed." Or conversely, he was going to pick who he was going to love not some hairy mutt.

James moved around the table and offered Tabitha his hand just to make a joke to amuse himself. If he was going to have to do this and waste time he could be spending with Ray, he would be damned if he could not enjoy it, "Take my hand if you want to..." He paused before deepening his voice to dramatize it, "call this Lance." Seriously though, as soon as he was done with this it was straight to the cave, no more stopping or interruptions. He had to get through this. He had to take the next step before someone else tried to snatch her, or she realized who her mate was and left to find him. He was not going to lose, to anyone.

"Oh, yes you are." James said simply, his smile long gone. He was tired of this, Tabitha was going to call this lance guy, and he was leaving. He was not going to wait for Aziel to make more of an ass of himself because James could hazard a guess what he was going to do. Ray would go with because she would be worried about leaving her friend with a guy like Aziel then she would spend all day helping Tabitha get over the fact that they could go furry. "You are taking a No for an answer, and here it is, No." James said again, "You can make an ass of yourself after she has called this lance guy, and after Ray and I leave." James had enough of Aziel and people trying to ruin his day and plans. Dammit, he worked hard for this, and he had no problem fighting Aziel over this, they were the same age and almost exactly the same height, and he did not even like the guy. He did not care about Tabitha's feelings or how she would take it, he did not care, but dammit, this man was trying to ruin his day!

He was going to the cave with Ray, he was going to impress her with all the work he put in for her. James was finally going to express himself to her and either be rewarded or completely shut down, and people would stop getting in the way. Of course, a small part of himself just wanted to fight him, so he could avoid showing Ray the cave, but he preferred the former reason, so he was going with it. This self-loathing, pathetic man was either going to let her have her damn phone call, or they were going to have problems.

"So keep your mouth shut for the next five minutes then feel free to go back to being an ass." James said harshly, "If you do not the people going outside are you and me, and I swear, I will knock your damn teeth in." He had not spent weeks decorating the cave and spending thousands on the amulet to have his dreams sidetracked again this time by some jerk whose life sucked and finally realized nobody cared about him or his problems so had to make other people miserable just so he could look himself in the damn mirror. James could feel the adrenaline already starting to rush through his veins making everything clearer and his body felt electrified, he was ready to go, and he was sure he was going to enjoy it. Immensely.

“Werewolf rubbish? Werewolf rubbish! Before you call this Lance fellow, mind if I show you something? Won't take long I promise, Ray over there can come with you if you want, since she seems to be 'glued' to you. Just so you know, I’m not taking no for an answer"

So much for knocking Aziel down a peg or two. Not only was he still being an ass, but he was being an ass and freaking Tabby out. Ray wanted to introduce Tabby to werewolves, but not like this. She wanted to describe to Tabby how she imagined it would feel to be a werewolf, she wanted to show her the unity of the pack, get the boys to tell her about having heightened senses when they had wolves, she wanted to get Lyra and Kyoshi to explain what it felt like to be mated, she wanted to show Tabby how amazing it was to be a werewolf!

But Aziel was doing his best to kill that dream. “Pack unity?” That wasn’t really shining through in the current situation. Tabby probably thought they were all insane, and that this pack was about as functional as a radioactive submarine.

"Oh, yes you are, You are taking a No for an answer, and here it is, No." James said again, "You can make an ass of yourself after she has called this lance guy, and after Ray and I leave."

Ray smiled, and in that moment officially crossed James off her list of people she disliked. Sure he had his bad moments, but right no Ray knew he was a good person. And if he could stick up for Tabby so fiercely, he might even make a good Alpha sometime in the (very distant) future.

She couldn’t do much about Aziel, she doubted he’d back off because of the threat of a prank sometime in the future. Instead she decided to do something about Tabby. She raced out of the room quickly; she didn’t want to miss anything. She grabbed the first phone she spotted off it’s charged and dashed back to the kitchen.

Without coming between the boys she headed over to where Gabby was standing. Before she handed the over she said, “The werewolf stuff is real, we’re not crazy, I promise. I get that it seems pretty insane to you, but to the rest of us it’s our life.” She handed the phone to Tabby, and stood to the side, ready to fetch Adrian if things got to out of hand with Aziel and James.

Raising an eyebrow at James as he offered his hand, Tabby cocked her head and grimaced a little.

"Actually, I'm good thanks..." she declined, wondering who on earth James thought she was calling if he'd felt the need to suggest that he was 'better looking'...clearly he didn't realise that Lance was a guy twice her age who could quite plausibly be her uncle, as she had told Lyra and Tai he was even though that was't true.

But when Aziel began to laugh at her Tabby could scarcely get a word in edgeways with everyone seeming to pull her from pillar to post. She certainly had something to say to Aziel's insisting that she go with him to be shown something, except the trepidationg this time was far greater than last night when Gavin had told her he was going to prove his point. She could see there was a door in the kitchen which seemed to lead out of the house, and the idea of bolting was coming to the fore as the most attractive option...in which case Lance would probably have done her a favour by failing to turn up with her things, because she'd have nothing to leave behind! What was going on in this house, and how on earth had she become the centre of attention of it all?!

Then James came to the rescue, but his mannerism suggested a something less than altruistic motive. Even so, she was willing to use the guy as a buffer zone between herself and Aziel, and then Ray ran out of the room...perhaps to get Tai to come back and restore the peace? Actually perhaps not...Tai had already done her part by removing that French woman and was probably wrapped up in that.

Oh god... Tabby thought to herself, ...is this the sort of thing mom was trying to protect me from by keeping us seperate from the rest of town all those years?

---

Calvin's mood was taking a dip in proportion to the raising of voices, which were not doing his headache any favours. James' challenge to take Aziel outside was the last straw, and Calvin set his mug of coffee down on the side counter with enough force to make a loud bang...as well as spilling a little bit of the piping hot coffee onto his hand.

"Ow, dammit!" Calvin cursed, "For fucksake guys will you both just sort it out? I've got a hangover and I will personally shove your heads up each others asses and turn you into a wolf ying-yang if you don't turn the noise down. Az, come outside with me, I got something I wanna tell you."

The scene was quite something to behold, and even within his throbbing brain he was relating everyting that unfolded to what Jason had told him in the bar the night before. It compounded everything. Chaos. That was the inevitable outcome of trying to create a static type or order in a pack just stagnated and festered in a human-like existence. Which all sounded reakin' philosophical for a guy who was still half-cut from the night before, but the words had made such an impression on him that the confirmation bias took hold over his hangover and sent his mind into overdrive.

If it was to Calvin's advantage to sow seeds of discontent...well, Aziel was a grow-bag full of rich compost. He picked up his coffee again and walked over to the back door to the patio, and looked at Aziel to see if he could come.

---

Tabby looked at the ground, hoping that Aziel would follow the other guy outside and the gorilla chest-beating in the kitchen would burn itself out, when Ray reappeared with a phone. Thank god. Tabby held out a hand to take it with a grateful smile, but the smile dropped slightly when Ray did not immediately hand it over, but instead unexpectely implored her to believe that there was truth to the werewolf business. But coming from Ray it was different. There wasn't a hint of malice, mischief or bravado...or even pretence. Tabby didn't doubt that Ray believed what she said, and that she didn't want her to be frightened by it. She was also the first person to intimate the slightest hint of sympathy that such a claim would be hard for Tabby to accept.

So Tabby took a deep breath in and nodded, took the phone and hesitated before dialing, looking across at Ray and wondering how to respond. It didn't matter how genuine she seemed. Tabby didn't believe in werewolves. Or ghosts. Or fairies. And no amount of sincerity was going to overcome that. Even so, it was obviously important to these people. Hell, Ray had said 'it's our life'...Tabby had no interest in trying to challenge or rock the foundations of that if it was such a big deal to them.

"That's cool." was all she could think of to say, "I get that. Who am I to say it isn't real...thanks."

She gave a weak smile and stepped out into the hall with the phone, struggling to remember Lance's number. She couldn't even check it on her cell phone because the battery was dead...damn...what was it again...?

---

"Too bad." Adrian said to Sid with a nod. No worries though, I'm sure I'll catch up with him soon enough. And yeah when you see Mr Dean on Monday be sure to make a Panda joke, it was a classic moment. And make sure you tell your dad about it, he'll get a huge kick out of it!"

He chuckled to himself as he began to make his way down the stairs. Of everyone in the entire Khöller pack, Sid was the pup who'd turned out most like his father. It was sometimes like having Tyler back in the house all over again. Which for the most part was an awesome thought...but that said, Adrian and Tyler had been through some pretty rough stuff together. The fact that there was one bedroom with a much newer window and decor than the others was testimony to that...

Anya, who had lead Duncan into the kitchen after Calvin, merely stood at the edge and observed the scene. It was quite something. James and Aziel were fronting up to one another, with the threat of taking it outside hanging in the air. Her gaze flickered towards Tabby to see her response. Uncomfortable. That's exactly how she looked. Not frightened or disturbed, which meant that someone had explained everything to her. Anya was glad. It was better that she understood what she was if she was going to remain here with the Pack. It was only a matter of time before she found out anyway. The full moon was only one night away now and there would be wolves running around everywhere. Including herself now. Which was a scary thought...

As Calvin gestured for Aziel to follow him, she felt Duncan wrap one of his arms around his waist. The tiny gesture sent warmth spending throughout her body. Turning to him, she gave a bright smile, nodding her head. "That's ok, you don't have to eat. But I probably should...I'm going to need all the energy I can get right?" Worry crossed her eyes for a brief second, before it disappeared. Reaching up, she kissed him lightly on the lips, before turning to everyone else. She was still worried about how he was feeling over his father's death. After all, it had only happened the night before.

"Well, good morning," She said as cheerily as she could manage. There was a distinct tension that hung over the room from Aziel and James' little fight. "I see you stayed the night Tabby. I'm sure that Ray is looking after you." Turning to the young girl, she smiled comfortingly moving her hair behind her ear. Glancing at Duncan, she took his hand and pulled him towards the breakfast table, the smell of toast too inviting.