Alice Sinclair fought back laughter as she watched Johnny Depp in full pirate gear running for his life from ravenous cannibals. His facial expressions alone were worth a giggle from the black haired woman... ring ring Reaching over Alice picked up the phone, a smile on her lips as she kept an eye on the TV and asked, "Yes?" "Hey." Jess Drake's voice was gently amused, "What are you doing tonight?" Alice sighed happily, "Sitting on the couch in my jammies, watching Pirates." Jess laughed, "I saw that. Just wanted to see how you are." "Is there trouble again?" Alice asked, picking up a undercurrent in Jess' speech. "Not yet," Jess said, "in fact, I'm trying to head some trouble off." "Be careful," Alice said quietly. "I'll do my best," Jess promised. Jess hung up the phone, reaching up to run a hand through her now dark brown hair. She had lightened it with bleach then dyed it the almost oaken brown, her black roots mostly hidden beneath the new color. "Why the new look?" Rose asked, the somewhat scruffier brown haired woman looking at her warily. Her skin was oddly pale and her eyes were unusually sharp, almost dangerous as she scanned her surroundings. "Thought it was about time," Jess answered dryly. She walked by Rose to grab her coat from the rack nearby the front door to her tattoo parlor, "So, run this by me again, Wolfie." "Don't call me that," Rose scowled as the walked outside. "Would you prefer puppy?" Jess asked as she locked the door then set her mystic alarms. She had a dangerous reputation, but Jess wasn't going to stupidly rely on it alone. "I'd prefer you call me by name, mage," Rose said with a sigh. "Sure Rosy," Jess said agreeably. "Arrgh," Rose threw her hands in the air, stomping along while Jess chuckled. In a much more serious tone Jess said, "Do you really think you could tail me and I wouldn't pay you back?" "Point," Rose sighed. "Now," Jess said in more business-like tones, "what's going on?" Rose sighed, looking off in the distance as she collected her thoughts. "I recently began to be aware of other wolves in town," she said quietly. "And this is a problem?" Jess asked. "It is when their pack leader is ambitious," Rose sighed, "and wants to establish a territory here..." "This isn't going to be a friendly moving in and meeting with the neighbors?" Jess asked, feeling her stomach tighten. "No," Rose shook her head, "he wants to drive the residents of a small enclave out... by brute force if needed." "Great, just great," Jess muttered, thoughts racing. "We need to swing by my apartment first," she said firmly, stopping them then leading Rose across the crowded street, horns blaring. "Should I..." Rose hesitated. "Come on," Jess said firmly, "besides, you probably already know all about it from when you and your friends were tailing me." "I know where it is, yes," Rose answered with a shrug, "though I have to confess we never found anyone who'd let us in." Jess smiled slightly, "Weren't able to con the building's manager into letting you in?" "He's very crusty," Rose recalled, "wouldn't take a bribe or anything." "You should have offered more money," Jess smirked as they almost jogged, "he'd have made a profit and you wouldn't have found much there anyway." "You're taking this well," Rose noted as they reached Jess building. The woman used her key to unlock the outer door, then they headed through the lobby to the elevator. "I had some time to think about it," Jess said dryly. They rose the elevator up then hurried down the hall, Jess unlocking the door and waving her inside. "Thanks," Rose said as she trotted in, then stiffened as she head the click of the door lock behind her. "What...?" she turned to look at Jess. "Cut the bullshit," Jess said flatly as she put her key away, "I know the head of the wolves in this town, and she'd never pull what you're saying." Giving Rose a flinty gaze she asked, "What do you REALLY want?" Rise looked around, eyes darting, "But I told you..." "Little puppy, I warned you last time not to mess with me," Jess cracked her knuckles loudly in the quiet of the room. "What did you do to Lucy?" Rose finally burst out, lips drawn back in anger. "Ah," Jess breathed out. "I didn't do anything to your boss," Jess said calmly. "Yes you did!" Rose snarled. Her breath was coming in pants now, eyes narrowed, "This is the first time I've ever seen her back away from a case..." "Oh hell," Jess backed up to her kitchen counter as Rose shuddered, eyes almost glowing a sinister yellow as she began to change. With a guttural noise Rose leapt, her body already spouting the first traces of fur... ... when Jess scooped up some pepper from behind her on the counter top and flung it right into the bestial woman's glowing eyes. "Ahhh!" Rose cried out in pain and surprise, her eyes suddenly watering and burning as she staggered backwards, rubbing at them desperately and only making the pain worse. "Sorry about this," Jess muttered as she rushed forward, ducking under a wild swing. "I'll rip your heart out for this," Rose snarled, tears streaking her face. Jess grabbed at the slightly shorter woman's head, "All right, maybe not so sorry." "Wha..." Rose tried to grab at Jess' hands. With all her strength Jess whipped Rose around and hammered her head right into the wall, sending pictures that had been hanging there crashing to the floor. Seeing she was still up Jess did it again, her general state of irritability at the whole situation adding a bit more force to the second strike. "Urgle," Rose made a incoherent noise as she slid to the ground. "Damn," Jess sighed as her knees gave out in relief. Lucy Yamazaki sighed as the office phone rang, the redheaded half-Asian woman going over the latter to a client requesting payment once more. "Boss," her secretary and man Friday Tom called, "it's Jess Drake. Claim's it's urgent." "Drake?" Lucy blinked in surprise. In the week since their meeting in the office Lucy had deliberately tried to put that case out of her mind, even though it frustrated her to leave something like that unresolved. "Yes?" she asked coldly once Tom transferred the call. Jess sounded tired as she said, "Did you intentionally send Rose after me?" "What?" Lucy tried to hide her surprise. It was near enough to the full moon that Lucy had been concerned about Rose, concern that had developed to full worrying when she hadn't come in to work this morning. "Where is she?" Lucy demanded. "Out cold on the floor of my apartment," Jess said dryly, "also tied up, because I am not facing down a pissed off werewolf again. You wanna get down here?" "I'm on my way." Lucy hung up. "Boss?" Tom blinked as Lucy rushed by, grabbing her coat. "Watch the office, I'll be back as soon as I can," Lucy tossed over her shoulder as she hurried out. ‘Drake had better not have hurt her,' she thought as she ran out to her car and jumped in, tires squealing as she raced off. The trip took only a few minutes but felt like forever, including the elevator ride. "I've calmed down now," Lucy felt a flash of relief when she heard Rose speaking as she reached the door, "you can let me go now." "Like hell, you tried to bite me when I cleaned your eyes," Jess shot back. "Hey, it hurt," Rose protested. "Rose, are you..." Lucy burst in... only to find herself laughing. "That hurts, boss," the morose and heavily tied Rose said, sitting at the table with Jess. She looked terrible, a bit of blood still on her face and flaming red eyes, ropes binding her to a almost silly degree to a chair. "You wanna take custody of her?" Jess asked Lucy with a sigh. "Of course," Lucy strode over to Rose's side, her voice tender as she asked, "are you all right, love?" "I am now," Rose sighed a bit more happily.
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