Returned

A/N: Hello and welcome to the first of my Kelley Armstrong fanfictions ^_^

Chapter one; The Beginning of...

Malcolm

Malcolm inwardly growled. He did not want to be here. While he did like the occasional beer and going out to the bar, right at the moment, all he could think about was getting into the woods and running. He hadn't been feeling good since his first class that morning. Being in college was tougher then he had thought it would be. Sighing he took another sip of his beer and silently growled. This stuff always tasted like shit.

"You, know, there are two reasons someone drinks. One; they're trying to look cool, or Two; they are depressed and bored. I take it you're the former?" came a female's voice. Again an inwardly snarl. He also wasn't in the mood for a 'girl' to be hitting on him. He turned to shoo her away, but the moment saw her he froze. The girl that stood there wasn't pretty, but wasn't ugly either. Her eyes were a light brown with gold flecks in them. Her skin had a slight tan to it, and her hair fell past her shoulder, the color of bark when the sun hit it just right. She was wearing a dark blue shirt that showed that she had curves and jeans that looked as if she had grabbed them from the first discount table she found, but she looked good. As he looked into her eyes, he saw that there was no flirt in them, but tease and question. Sure she wouldn't be the first girl that his eyes would have fallen on when he came in, and if she hadn't spoken to him, she could have sat right next to him and he never would have noticed her.

A small smile played on her lips as she looked at him. "Already had to much to drink?" she said, her voice laced with tease as she took the seat next to him, and hailed the bartender, who was at the other end of the counter. He couldn't help but smile, maybe tonight wasn't going to be so bad.

"Not yet, but I plan on getting there. Can I get you a drink?" he asked, placing a charming smile on. She smiled at him.

"Sorry, I don't drink." she said as the bartender came by. Malcolm thought of what to say to that while she ordered a Coke. Most times when he offered to buy a woman a drink, she would take it, usually being half way drunk already.

"Then, if I may ask, why hang out here?" he asked with a small wave to the drinkers and dancers, not a single one of them, without at least two glasses of something down.

"I'm here to pick up a friend, but she seems to be a little busy." she said glancing over her shoulder. He followed her gaze to the dance floor and to a dark skinned girl that had to be their age. She was sandwiched between, much to his annoyance, his bar buddies.

"So, you don't drink?" he asked quickly as he turned around. The girl laughed.

"Nope, sorry. I like to know what I'm doing at all times." she said as she smiled. They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before he spoke.

"What's your name?" he asked as he pushed his empty glass away and waved away the offer for a refill. "

Maria Diaz. You're Malcolm Da-uh- Davis?" she said as her nose scrunched, trying to remember his last name. He couldn't help but find just that small movement extremely cute.

"Danvers, how did you know?" he asked. One of her eye brows rose as she took a sip of her soda.

"I have advanced Chemistry and English with you. I sit behind you in English." she said. The smile on her face could be mistaken as one of cheerfulness, but he could read through it and saw the sadness, as if she was use to not being noticed, by anyone.

Thinking of a way to repair this and quickly he reached across her for a napkin. While doing this he used the movement to discreetly sniff, inhaling her scent. The smell of the forest flooded his nose. He pulled back and looked at her for a moment. The forest scent wasn't some spray, those always had a tint of metal to them, but this was all natural.

"I recognize you now." he lied, well, only half lied. He remembered the first day of class, catching that scent and thinking it was the actual woods. At this she burst out laughing. Not that little twittering crap that made his head hurt, but a full throated laugh.

"You, are a bad liar, you've never met me." she said as she sobered. He blinked in surprise, not because she was lying, but because she was truthful, and was laughing about it. Not many females would laugh about not being noticed by a person of the opposite sex, but she did.

"I guess I am. Forgive me?" he said with a grin, a real grin this time.

Malcolm ended up walking home with her, and nothing more. Usually he would take a girl to her dorm room, have sex with her and then leave, but Maria was obviously not interested in doing that, especially since technically they had just met. But he did discover that she was a Chem major and was into photography, and liked to hike. The last one was the best subject, since there was no other around, who knew the woods of New York better then he did. That one topic kept them talking all the way up to her door. "So, will you take me up on my offer?" he asked as he leaned against the dorm wall. She smiled a smile that he was really starting to like.

"I'll think about it Danvers, I still barely know you." she teased as she too leaned against the wall beside her door, so that they could look at each other. He smirked.

"What? Don't like hiking with company, or are you afraid that I'll have to show you how to get around a tree?" he teased. He had been surprised to find that he could tease her, and instead of saying something stupid like, "Oh you suck." "Leave me alone." or the dreaded "Why are you being so mean to me?" with puppy faced pout included. No, this girl said none of these things, in fact she gave as good as she got with word banter.

"Oh, I can find 'my' way around a tree, but I'd be surprised if you found your way out of the building without entering any other bedroom, for, extracurricular activities." she said with a smirk as she glanced down the hall at some of the other girls, all of whom had very little clothing on and were eyeing Malcolm with a hunger that anyone could see. He followed her gaze and grinned.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked, a strange light entering his eyes. Maria grinned and straightened,

"No, it's a bet Danvers, if you can get out of this building without stopping, for, distractions;" another pause and glance down the hall. "I'll give you ten bucks." she said, a smirk curling the edges of her lips, reforming the grin.

'If only she knew what distractions I really want.' he thought and his eyes swept up and down her body as she dug her keys out of her purse. She wore the cloths that showed her figure off so nicely, a little awkwardly, as if she wasn't use to wearing such clothing.

"So, do you take the bet Danvers? Or do you not have the ten bucks to give to me?" she teased as she palmed her keys. Malcolm smirked and straightened.

"It's a bet." he said. Maria laughed, one that he was finding that he was increasingly enjoying.

Malcolm looked up at the window that was now three floors up. That was her room. If it wasn't because he had counted the windows, it was because he could see her profile moving around her room. Bending down he scooped up a medium size rock. Weighing it for a second he tried to judge the distance that the rock would have to go, and not break the window. After a moment he lightly tossed the stone. Strike, it even landed on the sill. For a moment nothing happened, and then the window opened. Maria's head poked out the window and looked down. "So, where's my ten bucks?" he called up. Maria burst out laughing.

"Hold that thought for a second." she called down to him, holding her finger up as she retreated into the room. He was about to leave, when her head reappeared. "Here." she called; laughter still lacing her voice. It was automatic when he reached up and caught the rock, which she tossed back. Opening his hand he looked down to see that it was the rock, and wrapped around it, was a ten dollar bill.

"You do know that I wasn't serious." he called up. She smiled.

"I know 'you' weren't, but I keep my word. There is no way, that I would break such a tradition over something so little." she said leaning on the sill. Malcolm laughed and unwrapped the bill.

"I am never spending this." he said, laughter lacing his voice as he looked down at the ten. Scrawled across the front of it was "Dork" written in her handwriting.

"Now that would be funny. You handing a clerk that, and she laughing her head off." she said looking down at him.

Malcolm looked up at her and for the first time saw that the gold in her eyes seemed to glow in the dark. He smirked. "Thought you said that you 'always' kept your word." he said. Her smile seemed to soften,

"I do." she said before straightening. "Good night Danvers. See you in class." she said before pulling away from the window and closing it. Malcolm chuckled and turned away, starting back to his apartment. His spirits were indeed lifted, and for some reason he didn't feel the pressing need to Change. But as he walked through the forest he remembered that he 'needed' to, not just wanted.

The forest ground was a blur beneath his paws as he ran. Finally he stopped, just stopped. He really didn't have anything in particular that he was doing, just standing and inhaling. With each deep breath, Maria's face came to mind. The smiles and laughter. She smelled just like the forest that surrounded him. The giant oaks and aging willows. A shiver passed through him as his mind wandered to things about her that extended past just her scent. Turning he began to run as fast as he could back to his clothing, he needed to return to his apartment quick, and have a long cold shower.

She was late. Malcolm looked around the already filled classroom, other students milling around waiting for the professor that was eternally late. She wasn't there. He turned slightly to look at the empty seat behind him and inwardly growled. Something was wrong. He didn't know why but he just had a gut feeling that something was wrong with her. Then he caught her scent, which cut through every other musky, perfumed scent in the room. He turned, a smile tugging the edges of his lips, but then he saw her. She was wearing a long sleeved grey shirt and jeans, nothing that really flattered her but that wasn't was he first noticed. It was her eyes. Her eyes seemed empty and dark circles seemed to make them sink into her face. It was as if she hadn't slept, and had been crying. As she walked past him, her head down, he turned, about to ask what was wrong, but that damn professor walked in, apologizing like a fool.

He barely heard what the human in the front of the room said. All he thought of was getting her to smile again. He of course would try and ask what was wrong, but he had a feeling that she wouldn't tell him, not just yet. So the best he could do was cheer her up. As he thought his gaze turned to the window. Hiking. That was it. She loved to hike and what better way was there to spend an afternoon, especially for him, then hiking. He had just been out in those woods the night before, so he knew that it would be good. Now he had a plan.

As he scanned the crowed hallway he couldn't remember a time when he disliked humans more than now. He had tried to catch up with her in the classroom, but that had been impossible and now as he wove his way through the crowed hall, he wondered if he would ever catch up. Then he spotted her, she was leaned against the wall, her back to him, waiting for the next class to let out so she could find her seat. He grinned and started to hurry forward, until a group of girls surrounded him, talking and giggling, all their eyes on him. "Excuse me." he said finally, giving them a cold smile, which seemed to work long enough to get out of their group. "So, thought of that offer for the hike? No afternoon classes today." he said, coming up behind her. She looked up at him and blinked, and then she turned forward again.

"I'm not in the mood today Danvers. Sorry." she said softly. He could hear the tiredness in her voice and wondered if it was from crying or lack of sleep.

"Look, I can tell something's up, but I won't ask. Unless you want to tell me, I won't ask. But at the least let me cheer you up. Come on, what harm can a hike do? Unless you're afraid that a skunk's going to make your day worse. And if that's the case, I promise to protect you from all the evil little skunks." he said in a low whisper, adding the last part as a tease. At this she burst out laughing, turning so that her back was now to the wall. He couldn't help but smile at her, his hand pressed against the wall, so that he was almost leaning over her.

"Skunks." she said, the laughter still on her face as she shook her head.

"Fine, it's a date. And you have to promise to protect me from the evil skunks." she said, her laughter returning and lacing her voice as she reached and hand up and patted his cheek. His smile grew.

"It's a date."

A/N: Hello I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This story is actually the Second in a series I've been trying to write, and for a long time I'd given it up because I didn't see the point if I couldn't share it than I saw Women of the Otherworld fan fictions finally here. Alright, a little explination. I know if I actually followed a semilance of time line that Kelley shows in "Men of the Otherworld" 'Infusion', I probably have the time wrong for the women's movement; but I can't help it. . I hope this is still enjoyed though. ^_^