Annelise Laustsen's Story

Annelise murmured a second nervous apology at Alarick's comment about drawing attention, blaming herself as she did far too often to be healthy. "I-I just worry because... Dad.." She whispered, not even realizing how quiet she was, nearly inaudible. But she always got like this when she thought about her father. He was her best friend, and all of the sudden he was gone... and it was all because of those STUPID WEREWOLVES. She snarled at the memories, blushing bright red as she realized how she was behaving.

The nineteen year old looked back up at Sebastian telling her to come over, the anger completely gone from her eyes and shining with innocence once again. Although his tone didn't make her feel much better, it was the thought that made her relax. "I.." Annelise murmured, "Ok. Yeah, I'd like that." She said, smiling once again.

---

“Not you type? I’m so destroyed.” Alarick pantomimed in complete and utter lack of emotion. Though maybe in some twisted world and in some off-color fantasy he could see such a scene happening. An odd thought mused across his mind about which would be top and bottom before he dashed it to the side. Truth be told Alarick viewed Sebastian more like a brother than anything else. They both came from prominent Hunter families with the same amount of pride and stress placed upon their stalwart shoulders. The only difference in the two was that Sebastian still had the stress of his parents looming over his legacy while Alarick just had his memories to supplement such stress.

“Fine fine- I’ll hush.” Alarick mused- his accent coming out in a layer of thickness that he hadn’t quite used in a while. As Sebastian and Annelise had a somewhat personal powwow- he glanced about the diner. The woman he had been so vivaciously flirting with quickly departed in some flurry of rushed yet exhaustedly so motions. So it was going to be a lot harder than previously realized to cull her into his arms, but he would try to manage it. He watched as another woman entered and canoodled with their waiter, and the other diner patrons mulled around somewhat lifelessly against the background of the less than interesting diner.

The monotony was broken up by their food finally arriving and the man helping himself to such a dish as he glanced as his two compatriots with curious looks. “Oooh~ alone time. How dashing. Hm. I suppose I’ll use my day off to work on my abs- or- attempt to find out where that woman went off too. Or there has been this red head I’ve been eying for a while, but let me not get into that. I have a terrible weak spot for redheads, and I think she may belong to the other team.” Of course he was not referring to the female ‘other team’ but the supernatural one. “Unless you have any specific orders for me- eh? Sheriff Sexy Pants I await your instructions.”

---

"Unngh," she groaned, rolling over in her black sheets. The sun was streaming through her first story window, and Ariana knew she had to get up. But she was reluctant. Her head was pounding, and her eyes were blurry when she opened them. Damn, last night was fun. It wasn't often that alcohol affected her enough to give her hangovers. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, letting the sheet fall down to her waist. Her skin was bare, and she surveyed the room sluggishly. There, across the room, was a pair of light gray boxers. The sight made her laugh. Had he actually left those here when she kicked him out last night? Knowing him, he probably did it on purpose, so she would call and have to see him again. Unfortunately for him, she wouldn't. She'd wear them as pajamas.

Ana had trouble even remembering the man's name that had shared her bed last night, but it hardly mattered to her. She crawled out of bed, stretching her arms up toward the ceiling, and yawning loudly. She sauntered over to her closet, and threw the double doors open. Almost every article of clothing was black, and she combed through the hangers, searching for a suitable outfit. She slipped on a pair of fishnets, and a tight black skirt over top. A long sleeved black v-neck completed her look, and she slipped on some black heeled booties. She surveyed herself in the mirror, and nodded approvingly. Her dark eye make up was slightly smudged, but it didn't bother her. It would do.

She exited her apartment, locking it behind her, and walked out into the sunlight. Her hair was tangled and frazzled, but it just added to her look. Her black clothing always made her skin look even more white, and it gleamed in the sunlight. As she strode down the sidewalk, her phone began to buzz. She slipped it out of her wristlet to check the name. It simply read Tommy. Oh right, that was his name. She hit ignore and slipped it back inside. She probably shouldn't have taken advantage of him the way she did, but it was too late for her to have regrets. She'd probably break his heart, but he would learn to not sleep around so easily next time. A life lesson that everyone had to learn at some point.

She approached the diner, and was contemplating breakfast, when she looked in the window and spotted three of her fellow hunters. Sebastian, Alarick, and Annelise. Her stomach decided to rumble loudly just then, and that solidified her decision. She entered the door, making the bell dingle. She didn't hesitate at the entrance, and walked straight over to the booth her friends were sitting at. Sebastian was sitting next to Annelise, making the only open spot next to Alarick. She sat down next to him, her arm brushing his slightly. "Morning boys... Annelise," she said, another yawn escaping her mouth.

The plates of food made her practically drool, so she reached over to Rick's plate and grabbed a piece of bacon and began munching on it. It tasted absolutely delicious. "I see I wasn't invited to the party..." she said, the tone in her voice implying she actually wasn't hurt about it at all. She took another bite, chewing it slowly before swallowing. The four of them sitting at the booth made quite an interesting sight. Seb was their leader, and a bit of a workaholic. He took everything too seriously, including himself. Yet their was a reason he was their leader. His skills were unmatched by all of them combined. Annelise was a young, naive girl. Ariana thought the girl didn't exactly have what it takes to become a hunter. She was sweet, and Ariana generally liked her, but not as a hunter. But around these parts, family and heritage meant a lot, and so she was here. Rick was probably most like Ariana with their personalities. They both drank too much, slept around, and seemed not to have any cares. He was her favorite.

"So, what's the cause for the party, huh?" she asked, finishing off the piece of bacon and wanting to steal another piece from Rick's plate.

---

"I...Okay. Yeah, I'd like that." Annelise replied to his offer a bit reluctantly at first, it seemed to Seb. However, it had thankfully calmed her considerably. The last thing he needed was a pack of threatened werewolves teaming up on just the three of them in a diner. Alarick, on the other hand, provided enough comic relief to keep things from getting too tense.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Sebastian shot back, tilting his head and pursing his lips as if he felt some sort of sympathy to the man. "I'm not one for pretty-boys." He wouldn't admit to the fact that he valued Alarick's friendship highly. In fact, if he were to be open with anyone, it would most likely end up being his deputy. Seb looked up as his food was placed before him. He picked up his fork slowly and cut the omelette apart with the side of it before placing a bit in his mouth and thoroughly chewing it. He appeared to be mulling over something but, then again, when wasn't he?

Alarick rambled on about plans for his day off, going on and on for a while. "Unless you have any specific orders for me- eh? Sheriff Sexy Pants I await your instructions.” Seb looked up, chewing another bite of his omelette slowly as he raised an eyebrow at Alarick.

"Sheriff Sexy Pants?" he repeated through his food. Sebastian swallowed his food and then pressed his tongue against his cheek. "That's a new one, Rick." He thought for a few moments before shrugging and shaking his head. "Nothing I can think of, Deputy Dunderhead. Just stay on call, alright?" He left a few bites of his food on his plate, not in the mood to finish. He started to slide out of the booth but was stopped by the appearance of a young woman, dressed in all black.

"Morning boys...Annelise" said Ariana as she slid into the booth beside Alarick. Seb sighed and settled back into his seat, clasping his hands together as he grunted a quick "mornin'" at the woman. "I see I wasn't invited to the party." She stole a few pieces of Rick's bacon and then added. "So, what's the cause for the party, huh?"

"Not much of a party...at least by your standards, I'm assuming," he replied, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Besides, I'm about to leave. Highway duty." He nudged his plate slightly toward the center of the table with the fourth of his omelette still upon it. "Help yourselves to it- I'm not hungry." Seb reached into his pocket and removed his wallet, a weathered piece of leather that held his license, money, and anything else he could fit in there besides a credit card. He'd never seen the point in owning one. Besides, all of the really old stores around town still hadn't become that modernized. A credit card just added one more thing to worry about. Placing enough money on the table to cover his food and then some, Sebastian slipped his coat back on and stood up. "I'll see you all later...come over some time after five, alright Annelise?" Without receiving an answer, he exited the diner and started to his truck. Once inside, he turned on his engine and was shocked to hear the numerous radio transmissions coming in.

"Dead girl...neck severed...forest...urgent...all officers..." they all seemed to say, merging together as all of the officers tried to speak over each other. Seb pursed his lips and sighed, a mixture of relief and reluctance. He was excited to be off of highway duty for the day...but, there hadn't been a murder in the area for ages. He pulled the truck out of the parking spot and followed the directions he could make out from the shouts of officers to where the dead body lay. It brought him to the woods a bit away from the station. He frowned and sighed softly as he parked the truck. On the bright side, he wouldn't have to go on highway duty for the day. Sebastian closed the door sharply and started toward the crowd of people, hands shoved into his pockets. The middle-aged man from earlier hurried toward Seb, his ruddy face drained of color as a cold sweat appeared to drip down his forehead.

"Sir...it's real nasty," he murmured, stopping directly before Sebastian. "You...might not want to look at it." Seb simply raised an eyebrow and stepped around the officer, still making his way to the corpse.

"When have I let a bloody murder get in my way before?" he retorted, glancing over his shoulder. Blood didn't affect him anymore...he'd been splashed with it, drenched in it, coated in it. As he moved closer, the crowd of hospital staff, officers, and civilians parted, revealing the body. Sebastian's brow furrowed at the sight. Well, the corpse certainly was bloody. But, there was something else unnerving about the body. Why did it look familiar? He crouched beside the cold cadaver and placed a bare hand under her chin, turning the head slowly to get a better look. Suddenly, it hit him, and he fell backwards, eyes wide.

His composure had fled from him and, in its place, panic and fear set in. He knew that face. Oh God, it was so familiar! The markings on her body were easy to identify- obviously from a vampire. A few people walked over and helped him to his feet slowly before he pushed them away. Stomach churning, Sebastian excused himself and walked a few yards away toward a tree at the edge of the woods. Leaning upon it, he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. Instead, images of the body flashed against his eyelids. Nika...no, not Nika. She had so much potential. He was going to see her after his shift. Oh, if only he'd stayed! Jaw clenched, he shook his head slightly. No...he wasn't in charge of her death. She should have been able to protect herself.

Shakily, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone to send a brief text message to all of the Hunters. " Man down. Meet by the forest outside of the police station in five minutes."

Annelise poked her food slowly, having not eaten a single bite as she sighed and listened to the two go back and forth. She only looked up again when Ariana appeared, murmuring a tiny "morning." She never felt safe, well not exactly safe.. She never felt appreciated, was a better term, when she was around the hunters. Nobody knew what she could do.. How could she act during training as if she was really being attacked if there was no threat or provocation? If they wanted to see how much damage she could really do, they should talk to her middle and elementary school teachers about all the times she was sent in for beating another child that picked on her.

The nineteen year old was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Sebastian's smooth voice, "Come over some time after five, alright Annelise?" The sound calmed the girl so much, to think she would be with Sebastian made her heart skip a beat. Annelise opened her mouth to speak, but he was already out the door. She sighed, scarfing down a few bites of her french toast before she stood. "I should go back to the comic shop.." She mumbled, heading for the door silently as she stared at the floor. Maybe, she thought, people didn't appreciate her because they knew about her feelings towards Sebastian and thought it made her weak to be acting like such a fool.

Her hand was just on the handle of the shop door as she got the text from Sebastian, her eyes widening in terror as she read it. Annelise gasped, her heart speeding up as her hands fumbled to lock the door again and put her phone in her pocket. She bolted off in the direction he instructed, tears in her eyes as her legs pumped furiously, knowing she could make it in just enough time.

---

“Dunderhead? Rude much.” Alarick remarked as he speared at his eggs with childish delight. He watched as the yolk broke and covered the cooked whites with a canary colored juice. Many might find the entire scene a bit disgusting, but the man only enjoyed it more. Italians were known of their love of food, and having made perfectly to their tastes. It was fair to say that if this diner wasn’t covered in werewolves that he would frequent here far more often.

He managed to clean his mouth when Ariana scooted into the booth with him. “If this is a party- then my cranberry juice here is lacking some vodka.” Alarick glanced over to the woman and gave his most austere grin. Out of the other two females of his hunter group she was probably the most emotionally compatible to himself. Annelise was too young and naïve, and Nika sat on the other end of that spectrum: a dark tawdry serpent that was ready to pump you full of her seductive venom. Alarick wouldn’t lie- he flirted with that woman heavily and found her lips to be as sweet as wine. Yet neither of them was like Ariana whose bruised soul reminded him of his own. Mind you had hadn’t quite gotten attached in the manner that one would assume from such saccharine words, but he watched his usual flirtatious mannerisms around her- or at least the ones he put on for show.


Alarick’s eyes flicked back to Sebastian as he excused himself. “Have fun Sherriff Sexy Pants.” He remarked and offered a brief salute. Shortly thereafter Annelise offered a flustered goodbye in which he returned with a sad frown. “Leaving so soon? Ah well- you do have a job to tend too. See you soon Annelise.” It was then he eyed Ariana- who had pilfered a piece of bacon from his plate and seemed dead set on the other one. “And then there were two,” he remarked. “And there is about to be one if you grab my piece of bacon you blue-eyed witch. I will stab you,” he then showed her the fork his hand. Quickly he lowered it down upon his remaining piece of bacon and gave her a sincere smile. “But if you want something I’ll pay for it. I am paying for Annelise’s- only seems polite.”

It was then he rather briskly rammed the piece of bacon in his mouth before speaking again- maybe not his most attractive move but he did want at least one sliver of it. “So what do you do last night?” He brought his hand down and brushed Ariana’s thigh before those digits redirected their trajectory towards his pocket. That soft buzz alerted him of a text message.


“Ah,” he paused. “Well looks like our date is cut short. I’ll meet you there- probably not a good idea to travel together.” With that he fished his wallet out of his pocket and dumped thirty dollars on the tabletop. He figured that would be enough for him and Annelise, and then some.

---

All of her companions muttered half-hearted hellos, but Ariana didn't read into that too much. The Bellingstone Hunters weren't exactly known for being lovers. They were fighters. Emotion wasn't common in their conversations. "Not much of a party...at least by your standards, I'm assuming," Sebastian answered, raising an eyebrow at her. She just smirked his way, secretly imagining the sheriff actually letting loose and having a good time. She figured she would die before that day ever came. He was always too serious and business-oriented.

Alarick finally cleared his mouth of food to greet her. “If this is a party- then my cranberry juice here is lacking some vodka.” He looked her way, and their eyes met. He gave her a large grin, and she just raised a single eyebrow at him. "Well, that can be changed," she simply said before returning her gaze to the group. Truthfully, a bit of vodka would liven the entire booth up. Everyone was being rather dull, as usual. Although she shouldn't be surprised. The only one of the bunch that ever really seemed like any fun was Rick. He made enough sarcastic comments for the entire group... and then some. She wondered to herself why they didn't hang out more often. She just might have to change that.

"Besides, I'm about to leave. Highway duty." He pushed his plate away from his body and into the center of the table. "Help yourselves to it- I'm not hungry." She quickly grabbed his plate before anyone else could steal it away. Just smelling the food made her stomach rumble. Maybe eating a little bit would cure her hangover headache. She found a spare fork and took a very large bite, savoring the taste, and sighed happily. Food was one thing she wasn't shy about, even around the boys. She always ate as much as she wanted, and as often as she wanted. Yet still, her body stayed extremely thin. Damn metabolism. She could use a little more meat on her bones.

Sebastian stood up, throwing some bills down onto the table. Ana looked up at him while chewing a bite of her omelette. "I'll see you all later...come over some time after five, alright Annelise?" Without another word or look, he was gone. Annelise quickly left afterwards, seeming quite flustered. Her little crush was about as subtle as an elephant. Yet Ana thought it was cute nonetheless. All girls had their first crush, and even though it practically always ended in heartbreak, it was an experience none of them would ever forget. She just hoped Seb would be gentle to the poor girl when it came time to tell her.

That left her and Rick alone, still sitting on the same side of the booth. Quickly, she finished off the omelette Seb had left, but was still hungry. She eyed the bacon still on Rick's plate with lust. “And then there were two,” he spoke to her. Captain obvious. “And there is about to be one if you grab my piece of bacon you blue-eyed witch. I will stab you." He held up his fork in what she supposed was a threatening manner. She held up her hands in mock fear. "Oh please don't hurt me!" she exclaimed sarcastically, smiling afterwards. “But if you want something I’ll pay for it. I am paying for Annelise’s- only seems polite.” He then smiled sincerely, something he wasn't prone to very often. He actually had a wonderful smile, although she'd never admit it to him out loud. She could only imagine the ways he'd tease her for it. "You? Polite? They must have slipped something in your breakfast." But she smiled back at him, genuinely.

Showing his great table manners, Rick jammed the piece of bacon into his mouth. She just rolled her eyes. “So what do you do last night?” She thought about it for a second, knowing that he probably had a good guess as to what she did. "Oh, you know, the usual. Drink too much, stay out late, and wake up the next morning with little memory of the night before." She shrugged, acting as if it really wasn't that big of a deal. Which for her, it truly wasn't. She frequently had nights like the one previously. Hell, she was probably buzzed more often than she was sober.

Her thoughts were distracted by the touch of Rick's fingers lightly brushing her thigh. She pretended not to notice. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and reading a message. She leaned over to see that it was Sebastian calling them all together in five minutes. Something was off. He had just left here moments ago, and now he was calling a meeting already. Something interesting was about to happen today.

“Ah,” he paused, and she leaned back away from him after reading the message over a second time. “Well looks like our date is cut short. I’ll meet you there- probably not a good idea to travel together.” Her eyes looked over to him as he fished out his wallet and put a generous amount of money on the table. She turned, letting her leg brush up against his thigh and her shoulder rub against his for a moment. Two could play that game. "If you didn't want to be with me, you could have just said so." She stood up, and walked off before waiting for a response from him. Once outside, she put on a pair of shades and began walking for the meeting spot. She couldn't explain why, but she had a dark feeling. Something bad was coming.

Annelise panted as she arrived quickly, 3 minutes rather than the 5 Sebastian had said. She hoped he wouldn't be upset.. She walked over to him slowly, her knees wobbling from the running she just did, but mainly because of the wolves standing around. She hated them, why did they have to be here. Of course the EMT had to be there, but why was the girl there? She looked over as she saw a second figure walk over to the girl, scoffing at Alarick as she shook her head. Seriously? Annelise's attention was quickly drawn away through when she saw the body. She cringed, staring at it for almost a minute straight before she realized it was Nika. The tears that had been pooling in her eyes starting to overflow as her body shook. But it wasn't a wolf.. No, it was one of the perverts that did.. She hiss internally, wiping her eyes as she shakily closed the remaining distance between her and Sebastian, looking up at him with red eyes, begging to cry more although she willed them not to.

Annelise opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it when she saw the annoyance in his eyes. She stood beside him for what seemed like hours but was really only about 15 minutes. Finally, to her amazement, words escaped her locked up throat. "Should I still come over..?" She asked, her voice shaking far too obviously as her body slowly relaxed.

Jeremy Donovan, the Law office of Bellingstone's Doe-eyed rookie, perched happily in his stiff backed desk chair; filing away not only his paper work, but also the work of several other higher ranking officers too lazy to worry themselves with such tasks. Jer didn't mind though, he was always one to be productive and helpful if he could manage to do so. Most of the police officers he came to work with when he first started there were initially suspicious of his kindness, but they soon came to accept his friendly overtures. They were just part of who this kid was, much like a puppy, and they often liked to take advantage of that fact.

Detective John Riley, A sallow man with a pocked doughy face, crept his way up to the rookie's desk; grinning devilishly. As the head office hazer and heckler, he certainly had his job cut out for him. Jeremy was all too pleasant and nice for his tastes, and wouldn't break the way he wanted him to, which in turn made him try all the harder. Jeremy had been absentmindedly rolling a coin over his knuckles, back and forth with skill, a mundane action that he always managed to pick up whenever he had a free hand, when Riley snatched it free from his fluxuating grasp. "Thanks for the quarter rook, I was just getting peckish." He said rather nastily, fishing a dollar bill from his own pocket and heading over to the snack Vending machine resting on the wall opposite to them. "No wait, stop!" Jeremy pleaded, rising from his seat, arm outstretched. This particular coin was not just some quarter, it was a coin of great importance to the teen who carried it. See back when his sister was still alive, some stoner had bought a dime bag of weed off of her with a cheeseburger and a handful of coins. Buried deep in that mess had been an Irish Shilling, a silver coin stamped with a bull on one side, and a harp on the other. Samantha had decided to keep the coin and deemed it to be her good luck Tolkien, the luck of the Irish. Jeremy had claimed if it were really lucky, she'd of been paid properly for her drugs. Now that she was gone, he carried that coin everywhere.

Jeremy felt as if there were a stone in his chest, maybe an albatross around his neck. John Riley had the temerity to look offended, sending Jer a stern glance. "Seriously Rook, you'd thing you'd be more generous to your superior officers. It's just a quarter for Christ sakes!" His pudgy fingers hovered over the coin slot, leaving Jeremy's shilling perilously close to tumbling in. Jeremy's voice cracked as he spoke, crumbling beneath emotion."You don't understand, that coin-"

"10-54. All officers to the scene." Riley's radio voiced, screaming static from it's secure spot on his hip. "Scratch that, 10-55. Bring back up. We've got a crowd. over." John Riley rolled his eyes dramatically before tossing the coin through the air, the metal singing as Jeremy deftly caught it. "To be continued." He intoned before trotting off, his black police issued dress shoes squeaking all the way. Jeremy finally let out a breath of relief as he rubbed his thumb over the rough surface of his coin, before placing in firmly back home in his pocket.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Jeremy arrived at the wooded pass, his nervous tension from earlier had melted away. He knew deep down he should be solemn, but he could not help but feel excited. A crime scene! A real crime scene! And he was working it! This was only heightened by seeing Sebastian in all his glory. He was peering down at the body, looking like the serious Byronic hero with his russet hair, tanned skin and uniform, seemingly unfazed by the chill in the air. Jeremy tugged his own shirt high up under his chin, and flipped the collar of his coat up, framing him like ravens on his shoulders, to block out that cold. "Tape off the scene Rookie! Damn! Do I have to tell you everything!" Riley shouted at him from behind, causing Jeremy to flush with embarrassment. He quickly began wickering off a yellow line, forming a square around the body, but paused to take note of who had come to be called deceased. It was some woman he didn't know personally, which was surprising as Jeremy was the kind of person who gotten to know just about everyone in town. He was the sort that remembered your grandmother's eightieth birthday after only having met you once.

She had a great gaping hole torn in her neck, only a few ropes of pale tendon still keeping it attached to the rest of her body. Her skin was as white as bone, dried blood coated her body like the scarlett flames of a wild fire consuming the corpse, and it made it difficult to ascertain just where else she had been cut open at. It was all eerily familiar...animal attack. His mind offered, just like they said happened to your sister. Jeremy's eyes were lit fuses and he heard the ticking of a time bomb in his chest, it was quite possible that being fed that crap line once more would be the death of him, so he should be buried, like a claymore mine, maybe he’ll be harmless that way once he does ignite he thought idly. He stuck the final piece of tape up and knelt down next to the body. "I will find your killer, I swear it. I- I am so sorry." He intoned quietly before rising again.

"You'll wait until I have my report, alright? I'm sure your bed can wait for a little bit...a woman's dead here- show some respect." Sebastian recounted to an EMT, his rich tone, pouring through the air, thick golden warmth, slowing the blood in Jeremy’s veins like sap. It didn't matter that the tone was angry, he sounded like a real live warrior to Jeremy. He would find the one responsible, Jeremy was sure. "Detective Harding!" He called out, bounding over to his superior.

Jo was still studying the body from afar, seeing if perhaps she recognized which vampire made the marks, when one of the men who had been with the Sheriff in the diner approached her. “Came to get my cellphone back from the Sheriff and here I am at a crime scene. IPhones- they all look the same.” He acted nonchalantly, as if it was coincidence that he was here. She was not so easily fooled, but she would play his game. "I don't use an Iphone, I've got a Galaxy. Much easier to identify." She said holding up her phone for him to see. She gave him a noncommittal smile as she spoke to him.

“Same place as you- might be fate. Especially considering you work at a library. Then again- who could pass up the allure of a dead body in a small town?” He said looking at the dead woman. Jo snapped her fingers as she remembered exactly who this man was. "Oh that's right, you work at the library too. You know Maude, right? I've got her keeping an eye on things. There's only a few people there anyway. I couldn't resist seeing what was going on, I can be pretty nosey." She said commenting on the fact that she knew pretty much everything there was to know about the town. She wondered if he would be smart enough to take notice that she was more than suspicious of him.

“Not to make it any less gruesome- but- ah- I’m doing this wrong. Is there any good way to hit on a woman at a crime scene? If there is- you can help me.” She chuckled. Even if he was what she suspected, she couldn't really care less. This man was certainly charming and was rather handsome. “I’m Rick.” he said, extending his hand to her. "Jo, nice to meet you." she said, and it certainly was nice to meet him. Axel certainly wouldn't approve of her behavior, especially considering she was supposed to be with Sam, but when had he ever told her what she could and couldn't do? It was true he was the Alpha, but ever since they had met as cubs, he knew she was never one to be tamed.

As she thought of Axel, she recalled the situation at hand. Lassiter was still being firmly scolded by the Sheriff and had not answered if he had contacted Axel yet. She was pretty certain that he hadn't and that now would be the best time to do so. "Excuse me," she said to Rick, "I've got to call and check in with Maude." she said, lying.

She stepped away, closer to the yellow rope that the younger cop had just placed around the scene and pulled her phone from her pocket. She quickly dialed Axel's number, hoping he would pick up. Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring. "Hello, you've reached the vo-" She hung up as the voicemail picked up, frustrated. She was sure that he was busy with work, he always was, but this matter was extremely important. Sighing she dialed again and left a voice message for him. "Axel, it's Jo. Something's gone down close to the police department, actually, more like someone. Definitely a fanger attack, the girl's dead. Lassie and I are here, but the Sheriff is as well and the people he was with earlier. There's something off about them. I think they might be Hunter's but I don't have anything concrete..yet. I'll keep you posted." she said and ended the message. Hopefully he would get a break soon and get it.

After she was done, she walked back over to where Rick was. She crossed her arms, peering back at the crime scene. "So, did you know her? Or were you just curious too?" She said nonchalantly. Her true motive was to find out if this girl was associated with those she considered Hunters, and if it would cause the Sheriff to begin an all-out war with the Fangers and by extension the Pack, of course, that was if they were Hunters.

---

Seb slowly relaxed against the tree, crossing one leg over the other as he pressed his back to the bark. Might as well wait for things to clear up...he and his Hunters wouldn't be able to meet either way until people cleared out of the vicinity. With his gray eyes narrowed slightly, Sebastian observed the scene that unfolded before him. Some specialists appeared to be arriving, since Bellingstone lacked a forensics department. A photographer was already snapping shots of the body, though he looked more like a journalist than a crime scene photographer. Seb whistled, getting the man's attention.

"Hey buddy, get out of here," he snapped, flicking his badge with his fingers quickly. The journalist frowned and opened his mouth to speak. In fact, he started to reach for a lanyard, which probably held some sort of identification. Seb shook his head and jerked his thumb back toward town. The journalist glared and slowly stood up, retreating to his van with camera in hand. He looked to the corpse, zoning out slightly as he examined the damage from a distance. He sensed a presence beside him and glanced over, noticing Annelise, eyes and face red from crying. She seemed to be silently begging for something, but he had not a clue what. Sure, he was able to infer many things about observations he made...yet he was never good at interpreting the emotions of others. Sebastian met her gaze for a few moments, annoyance still evident, and looked away as she closed her mouth.

Minutes passed, an awkward silence between the two until Annelise finally broke it. "Should I still come over...?" she asked, her voice wavering and unsteady, sounding as if she were on the verge of tears again. Sebastian looked up, fighting to keep the annoyance out of his expression. A sigh passed through his lips and he nodded slowly.

"Yeah...yeah, you should," he murmured. "I'll...be a little later at the station, though. Paperwork and stuff...follow-ups regarding the death." He pressed his lips together roughly, thinking. He rubbed his hand along his cheeks, the bristly hairs of his beard scratching against his calloused hand. "Um...do you think you could pick Leigh up at school? It's an odd request, I know...but I hate leaving her there." Seb looked away as a few more cops arrived at the scene. One, a young rookie, looked around the scene in amazement.

Sebastian gave a small, almost mournful smile as he watched the boy for a few heartbeats. What had happened to that child-like curiosity in himself? He couldn't remember the last time he had felt that excited. Perhaps it was when he killed off Achilles? Yes, maybe that was it. The rookie began to tape off the scene while examining the body. As he finished the square, Jeremy, the boy, approached the maimed body and knelt beside it. He lips moved, from what Sebastian could tell, but he had not a clue as to what the boy said. Jeremy seemed to finally noticed Seb and his face lit up, beaming broadly at his superior.

"Detective Harding!" he exclaimed. Sebastian met Jeremy's gaze and nodded quickly.

"Wonderboy," he greeted, using a nickname he'd heard around the station for the boy. Seb slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the lighter and pack of cigarettes he had on him. Lighting up a cigarette, he took a drag and then held it by his side as he released the smoke through parted lips. "You wanna clear the scene up a bit? I have to make sure the cataloging is running smoothly..." He turned to Annelise and scanned her quickly, eyes flitting up and down along her figure quickly as if investigating her first. "If you'll excuse me..." He placed the cigarette back between his lips and started toward the corpse again with his hands in his pockets and his body hunched slightly.

Annelise cringed as Sebastian turned his head towards her, his eyes filled with agitation. The sigh he let out made her shrink back slightly, but she nodded at his reply. Although his request visibly surprised her, causing her to look up at him, shining with confidence although she was obviously still upset about Nika. "Of course.." She murmured, blinking her remaining tears away as she forced a brave smile. Sebastian was trusting her with something important, how could she say no? But it's not like it was a burden anyway, she loved the little girl, she was so sweet and brave. The shouting behind her caused her to jump before she looked back, relaxing slightly as the rookie ran over. Annelise backed away while the two talked briefly, daydreaming in the short period she had. If she hadn't glanced up at Sebastian again she wouldn't have noticed his eyes wandering over her, causing her face to turn a pretty shade of pink. She nodded to him, silent as he walked off slumped over.

The girl sighed, walking off towards the shop again, but heading straight past it towards the school.

Annelise smiled, listening to the gleeful sounds of the children being let out as she neared the school. She sighed, walking over slowly as she weaved through the crowds of parents and their offspring, finally reaching Leighton and another girl her age sitting beside her. "Leighton." Annelise chirped to get her attention, kneeling before her at eye level with a smile. "Are you ready to head home?" She asked, mentally groaning. You should explain first, idiot. She snarled at herself mentally. "Sebastian won't be able to pick you up today, because of work, so he told me to take you home since I'm coming over anyway." She thanked herself for somehow being good with kids even though she wasn't crazy obsessed with having one like other girls her age. She stood and extended her hand to the little girl with a reassuring smile before noticing that Leighton's friend was still waiting while most kids were gone. Annelise hesitated, wondering how Sebastian would feel before shoving the thought aside and grinning down at Leighton. "Do you want to bring your friend along too?"

When Annelise arrived at Bellingstone Elementary, Leighton and Brittany were both leant in across the bench, sharing some quiet confidence. Brittany's pigtail ribbon had come loose and her hair mingled with Leigh's, copper on gold, rich and shining. Anyone would be able to tell from the incline of Leighton's head that the subject for discussion was something best kept between themselves, and wideness of the blonde, seven year old's eyes and the quirk of her brow suggested that it was mischievous in nature, which was not an odd notion when one considered just who Leighton was. She had been demonstrating her maturity through use of acerbic wit of late, and Sebastian has done little discourage the little lady.

"Leighton." a tiny voice peeped, a voice that didn't sound very sure of itself. Leighton's head snapped over to it's source, and a crease of worry lined her brow. Where was Sebby? "Are you ready to go home? Sebastian won't be able to pick you up today, because of work, so he told me to take you home since I'm coming over anyway." Annelise trilled on politely and Leighton sagged with relief, grateful to know Sebastian was just busy and not lying in a hospital bed somewhere or worse. This situation was alarmingly reminiscent of the day Seb picked her up from school and informed her her father had passed. She would not dwell on that now, she was too pleased with the days turn of events to think on such things.

"Hiya Annelisey-bo-Beisey! Yup, I am ready." She sing-songed, hopping off of the tall bench with a springy jump, her Hello kitty backpack slung over her tiny narrow shoulder. "Do you want to bring your friend along too?" The woman asked uncertainly, eyeing the redhead with a sympathetic gaze. Leighton just shrugged in response. "I would love to, that's my bestest friend Britt...but I don't think Mrs. Shurley will let us." She paused. "Her mommy will be coming for her soon, she is always late apparently, thats what Brittany says anyways."

"Yep." The penny haired girl croaked, obviously not well acquainted with socializing with strangers. "She works at the hospital, so she is always a few minutes behind. I'll see you later Leigh Leigh!" Leighton waved her hand back and forth enthusiastically in response. "BYE!" She shouted as she and Annelise turned toward her car to leave. Leighton began to pick up her pace, her walk turning into a merry little skip as she smiled amicably up at Anne.

Annelise nodded in understanding, waving at Brittany as she walked off with Leigh, giggling at her happy skips. "How was school?" She asked sweetly, trying to make conversation as she headed through the small shortcut between the shop and the school, a relatively small meadow that emptied out into the forest, flowers covering the spots where grass was missing. Annelise leaned down for a second, grabbing a flower and examining it as she held Leighton's tiny hand in hers, helping her up the somewhat large ledge where the parking lot starts and the grass ends. She unlocked the car and opened the door for Leigh, placing the flower on the pouch inside the door, making sure it would stay safe and intact.

Nobody really saw Annelise act like a girl willingly except Leighton, when Annelise went over to Sebastian's she always made sure to spend some time with her, she never felt comfortable around the other female hunters because they looked down on her. But she was perfectly fine around Leighton, she was never afraid of being degraded because of something she did, or people thinking she was weak. Even if the others saw how she acted with her, they always just assumed that she was acting that way to be more appealing to Leigh. Annelise wasn't even sure Alarick knew that's how she was in reality, just a kid stuck in a young woman's body.

As Leighton skipped after Annelise's through her shortcut, slowing only to grab the adults hand, she smiled happily at the field before them. It looked like something out of a picture storybook with it's ice capped hedgerows, and patches of purple Pansies sprouting out of the fresh white blanket of snow that covered the ground, it was a winter wonderland. Leighton could hear the birds weaving melody and harmony together in an impossibly complex song, as if they had planned a concert purely for her enjoyment. It was all very beautiful. Annelise knelt down and plucked one of those Pansies from it's resting place nestled deep in it's cluster of friends, and twirled it in her nimble fingers.

"How was school?"

"Not so bad, made a new friend, got a pink slip though...some boy was being mean to her and hurtin' her so I called him a name..." She replied unabashed, her voice tinkling like several tiny silver bells.

At last the pair had made it to the parkinglot where Annelise's car sat, and she opened the door for the little girl, waiting patiently as Leighton clambered in. Her small stature made it difficult for her to reach up that high, but she preferred to struggle on her own than to ask for help. She then pulled her safety belt across her narrow chest and clicked the buckle into place as Annelise came around to the drivers side to get in. The car smelt rich like french cologne and vanilla though Leighton had not a clue as to why seeing as Anne didn't seem like the type to wear perfume, not to the little girl anyways.

Annelise smiled as Leighton recalled the events of her day, "Some boy was being mean to her and hurtin' her so I called him a name..."

"Just a name?" She teased playfully, getting into the drivers seat and buckling up. "I used to do much worse than that. Luckily most of the time they were smart enough to realize it wasn't my fault." Annelise smirked, "But don't go thinking you should go and beat up everyone you don't like." She smiled, starting the car and driving off slowly, looking at Leighton through the mirror she asked "So what did you call him? Stupid or something?" School's were ridiculous enough now to penalize kids for anything, but never the kids who deserved punishment. Annelise turned on the radio, some popular radio station she was sure Leighton would like, but quiet so the two could still talk. She blushed as she heard herself humming along, and the blush only got worse when she noticed how close they were to Sebastian's house already. That was a much shorter drive than she remembered..

"A mother fucker." she replied unabashed, her cheeks dimpling with a wry smile. Profanity sounded so alien coming from the mouth of the small cherub faced girl, in a voice so tiny and melodious. Leighton giggled and bobbed her head along to the song playing over the radio waves, it was one she enjoyed. Whatever reaction Annelise would have to Leighton cursing would prove only to please the seven year old. She had such a playful disposition which delighted in anything mischievous.

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Derek's small black ears folded back against his skull. She wanted him to come over to her house? Her home? It was one thing for them to be playing, wolves in the wild; well, as wild as the woods outside of town could be, but it was another matter completely for human interaction. Derek wasn't so great at that. He could handle the mundane everyday conversations well enough, but it had been a few years since he had actually spent any time with people in a social setting. "I uh...I don't have any clothes." Brilliant.

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Jeremy was gripped by that strange novel emotion of indignation. Any stray feelings of guilt he had in coming over there to check on the EMT's progress melted from his body, pooling at his feet, streaming and fizzing as they evaporated away. Jeremy was an all around nice guy most days, and it wasn't as if he had even been rude to the man, only thought about it. Where had that come from? The light he had seen in the man's eyes, Lassiter's eyes, contrasted sharply with his response. His body was like a sadistic mockery of the man Jeremy thought he saw within. "You too Sir." He said politely, his tone short and clipped, but before he could turn to leave, some raven haired woman was glued to his side, asking questions about the scene.


"What's with all the commotion?" She pushed curiously, brushing against him as she seemingly leaned in to get a better view from behind the tape. "Miss, as I said earlier, the law enforcement has everything under control. You have nothing to worry about. If you want details, read the paper tomorrow morning. We will have issued an offical statement by then." He said with a gentle smile, his voice warm and kind. However, now that he was looking at her, really looking, he realized she was something worth looking at. She had dark obsidian tresses and bright icy eyes of an incandescent blue. Falling back into a typical teenage fashion, a doopey grin crawled up his face and latched on there, his insipidly boring ken doll features turning positively smitten. He wanted to say more, it was his first day on a scene and he was so proud he could gush just to impress her, but too many voices in his head screamed repercussions.

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Livius smiled superciliously and tilted his head, it oscillating in an almost reptilian manner as Benny folded his arms over his broad chest and left him to his own devices. Outwardly, Benny seemed quite relaxed, even cordial, the small smile on his face more suited to one talking about the weather than someone wordlessly being threatened by an older vampire, but if any of the diner patrons would look upon his face closely enough, they might be inevitably drawn into his bright blue eyes, flickering with undisguised fury.

When he re-entered the Ragin' Cajun, his keen senses were engulfed in the smell newspaper and crawfish, of warm beignets dashed with powdered sugar and in his ears rang the rich sounds of zydeco. Benny's lips made a grim twist that was like the joyless cousin of a smile. This was as close to his home as he was going to get in Bellingstone. His gaze flickered to his great grandson Harrison, rabbiting around the diner, pestering waitresses much to old for him, and well out of his league. To Benny's horror, venom pooled in his mouth, his canines lengthen and sharpening, biting into the inside of his lower lip in his closed mouth. The fresh outside air had only done him diservice in the way that the copper flavor of pulsating blood in the air beguiled him until he decided to turn tail and head back outside. "Oi Benny!" Harrison called, noticing his entrance. "Where you going now?" Benny groaned mentally. "Outside! Gotta check my voicemail, sorry!" He yelled in reply, his warm and strong accent strained.

As soon as he walked out the door from which he came, he was elated to see Livis had left via the woods and wasn't still waiting on him. Benny pulled his green blood soaked apron over his head and slung it in the grass, wiping his hands down his tired face covered in three day old scruff bordering on a beard. This wasn't getting easier.His hunger was like a fire; flames licking the line of his pulse, making it race. He could feel something in his chest, something volatile, a live thing that stirred, dizzying him with an appetency that made him shudder, turning logic to madness. He needed a distraction. He swiftly retrieved his cellular phone from the abyss of his jean pocket with a shaky hand, and proceeded to actually check for messages he didn't expect to be there.

"Hi, I...um, I saw your ad in the paper and I was wondering if you were still looking for a roommate. Look, I won't be able to move in with you. I got this townhouse some weeks ago and I've unpacked a lot. I understand if you're not willing, but I'm in this big townhouse by myself with room enough for two. I don't live too far from your restaurant and if you call me back, I can easily come out there and meet you. You can even come see the place tonight if you want. Just...call me back and we can set the time...or day. No rush."

Some girl prattled on nervously, obviously uncomfortable with leaving a message in the first place. Benny just stood there shocked momentarily, the phone still pressed to his ear long after she had finished speaking and the voicemail had clicked off. Isn't this what he wanted? What he needed? But could he handle the temptation? He wasn't married to his apartment, hell, he would welcome a chance to move out and someone to share the burden of the bills with, but could he handle the call of human blood twenty four seven? He placated himself with the fact he would be at work during the day, and who knew, maybe she wasn't a home body to begin with.

Benny quickly brought the phone back down, punching in the phone number, and put it to his ear once more, letting it ring....

Annelise grinned and burst into laughter, giggling uncontrollably as she pulled up to the house and parked. "Good job!" She squealed, unbuckling and getting out, nearly tripping on the curb as she walked around to open the door for Leighton. She smiled, still trying to control her laughter as she waited for Leigh to jump down before walking up to the house with her. "Y-You have your key right?" She asked, smiling as she finally calmed down and stopped in front of the door, glancing at her watch to see how much longer Sebastian would be. Honestly she had completely forgotten about him during the car ride, too busy enjoying Leigh's company to remember.

Leighton smiled rakishly at the young woman. "Thank you! I heard Sebby say it on the phone a few times." she quipped looking up at Annelise with a happy youthful face, her blond hair falling about her like the halo she lacked. She placed both hands in her gregarious companions one as they traversed up to the blue front door, and offered her a now wan smile. From the almost somber look in this little girl's eyes, it appeared that she had made some important distinction. Of course, she was never truly serious, and this distinction would remain to Anne forever unknown. She did after all belong to the secret club of childhood. "I gots my key. Duh. What do you think I am a baby or something?" She teased lightheartedly as she finally released Annelise's grip and stuffed her hand into her dress pocket, shifting it's contents around as she pulled forth the silver set of chief constituent's, and placed them in Anne's palm.