Alfred Fay's Story

"Hey what the hell? What do you mean I can't get in?"

Alfred Fay's voice wasn't normally loud enough to be heard from outside of The Den. Well, it was also fair to say he wasn't exactly a regular there compared with it's clientele. Today however, he had business within it's walls, and the officer blocking his path waas an obstacle he had not been expecting.

"What's going on inside? Something happen?"

Alfred's answer came in the form of jostling bodies as people where being instructed to exit the bar which it would seem was being closed for the time being. The police where keeping the bar patrons held for questioning, and none of them looked particularly happy about being made to mill about outside while the police where securing the second crime scene in as many nights, and on the same street no less.

As Alfred was shoved once more back away from the bar, he found suppressing a snarl very difficult. But when he noticed the officer grab onto some weapon at his hip, the young man backed away with a scowl.

"Fucking Bobbies." He muttered under his breath as he retreated into the crowd. Damn, of all the times for this bull to happen It had to be one of the few times he decided to show his face around the Den.

Before he could reach into his jacket for his trusty flask, Alfred found himself spotting something useful.

"Hey, you." He called with a gesture of his head in Ivan's direction. "I've seen you around before, could I talk with you for a sec?:

"Sure," Ivan replied, turning to face the speaker. His gaze was wary, cautious.

"Help you?"

As the pack came out to the outside, being ushered by the police, Blaze took her phone from her front pocket, then sat down on the side walk, wondering what was happening. She then began biting her nails, her nasty habit.

Removed

"Thanks mate." Alfred nodded, breathing a sigh of relief as he slid against the dumpster to lean on it beside Ivan.

"Can you tell me what all this nonsense is about? I mean, I aint around enough to be a face everyone knows, but I'm regular enough. I had business with some people who were supposed to be inside, important business. But lo and behold, fuckin coppers all over the place got it shut down tight. "

"Greetings gents.", a younger man walked down the alley in their direction from the main street and the front of the bar. Even from here they would know that he was like them but not a part of the pack. "You mind answering a few questions for me?" He was armed, a black semi-automatic pistol on his right hip. Around his neck by a loose chain hung a gold badge and across his shoulder was a strap holding a camera. The black jacket he wore had a logo that clearly displayed a name, 'VINDEX'.

"You're gone one week and come back to find everythin's gone to shite"

Muttering angrily to himself, Alfred Fay walked down an aisle towards the stage. "Heaven's forbid I ever decide to go on holiday, I'll return to find everyone wiped out by a plague."

A heavy sigh escaped him as he climbed onto the stage, taking a moment to stand in the center, admiring the ruined remains of a once fairly decent theatre.

"Such a lovely place for this arrangement." He yawned, fishing a flask out of his jacket. "Very symbolic, and I hope it's not an omen of things to come."

He took a swig from the flask and returned it to his jacket before turning on his heels and sliding behind the curtain. When he came within earshot of the others present he spread his arms wide in greeting.

"Well then, what exactly have I missed, my beloved brethren."

"What have you missed?" Julienne bit out as she turned about to face Alfred. "Is that the best you have to say for yourself? Eliotte's dead, or didn't you care?"

Julienne always did have a sharp tongue for Alfred. He wasn't like most of the pack, he kept to himself a lot, and in her eyes he was an outsider here among friends.

"'ey," Desmond interrupted. "We 'ave more than enough trouble at our doors without scrappin' among ourselves. There's some problems that need addressin'. Not the least of which is sittin' right 'ere behind us."

His skin was a few shades paler than normal, likely on account of the mauling and the blood loss and he wiped the back of his sleeve across his brow.

"There's a chance she's the one who attacked that lad," he said as he gestured towards her with the gun still in hand while Snow was re-securing her with the chains.

"Took a bite out of me arm she did."

The boy's story had been all over the news, headlines that where still vying with Sophia on coverage time. The child's prognosis was grim, and as the boys condition deteriorated in the hospital, the outrage among the Lutetian citizens was on the rise. The rogue wolf on the loose was a problem for all of the packs, but with the victims cropping up around Bloodstone territory, it was a matter of some urgency for them in particular. The police, and VINDEX where both beginning to cotton on to the pattern and it was bringing heat down on the pack. And now Baron was cooling his heels in jail.

Once Snow had Chloe secured, Desmond stood back up and reholstered the gun in his back holster.

Chloe's eyes grew wide at the accusation of attacking another. "H-hey!" She exclaimed. "I'll admit that I accidentally attacked you. But I'm not taking blame for something someone else did!" She said.

She had heard about the boy being attacked, and had even been on the case right after Re'Altarm had been attacked. Though with the attack on Desmond, her chances of convincing the rest of the pack was slim unless there was harder proof. "You can't pin that on me." She muttered, glaring needles at Desmond.

"You don't remember doin' this either," Desmond reminded her. "Might be there's other things you don't remember doin'?" he asked.

There was no malice in his words, but it was a serious enough question. Had Snow not happened on the situation, the day could have gone very different. Desmond would have been the newest headlines, and would she have ever known she was the responsible party?

Ulrich had come into the theater with the rest, but he was quiet at first, like Raquette. Backstage with everyone there was slightly stuffy. There was a good amount of dust. He remembered that smell from high school. Theater dust.

The man looked grim, which wasn't much of a statement for Ulrich. He normally seemed a bit down or harried, but it was particularly apparent that day, carving grooves above his brow. So much had happened in the last few weeks. Nothing good. People were missing, dead, and hospitalized. A grim week, it was.

He trained his attention on Raquette, who'd stayed mighty quiet the whole time, as she often did. He hovered near the two Jeans, however.

"This..!" She started off as if she were going to raise her voice but backed off immediately, finding it wise not to tick off most of a pack. "This time.. Was different.." She said, lowering her gaze away from Desmond, furrowing her brows. Why was it different though? She had never lost control during the day.

She would have more problems if she were to remain captive over night as well.

"I don't know how to convince you that I didn't do it.." She said, the note of uncertainty in her voice. Could it be possible that she was involved with the attacks? She couldn't remember attacking Desmond, but she hadn't randomly ended up naked in the middle of somewhere she didn't remember how she got there prior to this event either. But Bowen had been insistent she see the attack site where Re'Altarm had been and has made sure she was locked up from that point on.

Could it have been her?

"It couldn't have been me.." She said, more quietly and less certain that before.

"I don't think it was her." Snow stated, shaking his head. "Her attack on you was random. A result of her losing control. My understanding of this rogue wolf is that their attacks are deliberate, and malicious. And I don't think a VINDEX operative could have flown under the radar while carrying out such regular attacks."

He pulled a wooden chair over from the side and sat reversed on it, resting his arms on its back. "The fact remains that we need to find who did attack that boy, and the others. We can't let that sort of thing happen on our doorstep."

"I agree with him for once" He spoke up, pointing a finger with thumb cocked back at Snow, and then pressing the thumb flat against the side of his hand in a mock shooting gesture. He shot Snow a wink before turning to Desmond.

"You know me. I've lost control like she has before, only I didn't have the fortunate of being stopped and made aware until hundreds were hurt or killed." Not to mention the near one hundred partially eaten he thought to himself, shuddering slightly before straightening his posture and regaining his composure.

"I say we try to be a little forgiving here and focus on the more important matters. No offense to you and your missing, erm... chunks."

Rather than react to Julienne's scolding, Alfred found it was much more advantageous to simply shut up and listen, and by doing so he got the answers he was looking for.

"Been quite a week then." He nodded as he walked past Snow, and up to the restrained Chloe.

"Loss of control hmm?" He asked rhetorically as he bent at the knees, squatting a bit to get to her level. "Well, that's convenient ain't it?" Again he went fishing into his jacket, only this time it wasn't for his flask.

"In that case,I 'appen to have something here for you. Would you like to see what it is?"

Chloe had been lost in thought, so she hadn't noticed Alfred until he squatted next to her. She narrowed her gaze at him, suddenly wishing she hadn't been so compliant to be tied up again.

"Considering I must look like some bondage porno gone wrong when you came in, forgive me if I don't seem too terribly interested in what's in your pocket, sir."

Always an awesome time to be a smart ass when you're outnumbered and chained. It's not like she had much of a choice one way or another if Alfred decided to show her what he was talking about.

Jean-Pierre smirked at the exchange between the bound girl and Alfred.

"I can assure you that whatever it is, miss, he's not just happy to see you." He quipped.