"I saw the way the kid looked at me and if he can see it, it's not far from surfacing again. I want this thing gone."

The idea with the surgery had been a bad one. Really bad. Henry knew that now. His abilities were useful and he really didn't want to end up a drooling vegetable if things went wrong. Or forget who he was, who the others were, or have to relearn to speak and walk and even pee.

No, it had been a dreadful idea.

Everyone had told him that and it had finally settled in his mind to believe them.

But now he was back to square one. He was still a lycan, he was still pining after Will, and Will was still oblivious to it all. Magnus had come up with a better pill and while it screwed with his lycan senses, it also kept the need in check.

That Will was spending time away from the Sanctuary helped Henry gain some control over his emotions. He had had only brief contact now and then with the Nautilus, and then it had been fun and banter and quips and trying not to let his pining get the better of him. He hated himself for this weakness, for the cheap way of dealing with the changes. Magnus hadn't said a word, hadn't tried to talk to him again, but the expression in her eyes was enough to have Henry curse himself again and again.

Wimp! Idiot! Weakling!

That both came back worse for wear, almost killed by some freaky parasite, didn't help, though. Not at all. The wolf was clawing at its enforced cage, demanding to check on Will himself, make sure he was only a little banged up and not half dead.

Ashley was casting him curious looks, coupled with thoughtful frowns, and Bigfoot simply knew. His looks had been more to the point, almost like he was just one step away from manhandling Henry into a room with Will and locking the door.

Might be the quickest and dirtiest solution, he thought morosely. And then he could watch a friendship crumble.

But what if Magnus' hints to Will's possible acceptance were right? What if Will was bisexual? What if there were feelings?

He hadn't smelled anything on him. Then again, he had tried to keep away from the potential mate, buried in his lab or room. And Will had been on the submarine.

Henry had reached the end of his emotional rope by the time Will received that fateful call from his friend Danny's wife. He was avoiding the other man like the plague, trying to not make it look like he did. He slept badly, the wolf was surfacing again and again, and the dreams were getting worse. Wet dreams. Very primal wet dreams.

Geeezus! Get a grip! I'm not an animal in heat! I'm human! Human!

But Will was everywhere.

Yeah, okay, so he lived here, but he was still everywhere! It drove Henry crazy. Zimmerman had no idea what was going on inside the other man and on the few occasions they spent more than a minute in the same room he didn't treat him any differently than before – which made matters even worse.

The wolf was prowling, watching, keeping tabs on his potential mate. The wolf also picked up on the small things. A smile, a look, a gesture, a smell. Especially the smell. His nose might not be as good as that of an uninhibited werewolf, one that didn't take the dampening medication – and Henry still took it obsessively – but he had started to pick up on things. Things exclusively Will.

It was frightening and confusing and embarrassing the way he stalked him with his olfactory senses. When Henry caught himself sinking into an armchair in the library that Will had sat in this morning, reveling in the faint scent of the other man, he knew matters were spiraling out of control faster than he had believed possible.

Helen continued to give him encouraging looks and smiles, but he didn't act. He couldn't. The wolf kept pushing against the chemical inhibitor, growling at him, wanting him to act. He couldn't. And the Big Guy and Ashley had by now started to pick up on the no longer subtle changes in the team dynamics.

Shit.

Henry raked a hand through his already tousled hair. He had sought refuge in his lab, with his computers, and aside from Bigfoot bringing him food, no one had disturbed him all day. Privacy was a big thing and the Sanctuary was enormous enough to assure him that. Sure, he was in his usual place, but the others respected it.

"Henry?"

He wanted to slam his head onto the table.

Everyone but Will. Damn the man! And he hadn't even heard him coming.

"Hey Will," he greeted him in what he hoped was his usual manner.

From the mild frown on the other's features he was failing miserably. Must be the psychoanalyst in Zimmerman. The guy picked up way too much that others didn't want him to know. Sometimes Henry wondered if Will wasn't an Abnormal, too. He had scary observation abilities. He was brilliant in his very own way and Henry liked being around him, felt comfortable – had so from day one.

His lycan side almost purred. Wolves never purred! If he was sliding into schizophrenia now, great! Just what he needed. Having conversations in his head with the creature inside him that was pushing them toward Will, drawn to the other man because of some stupid genetic defect that had Henry want to… mate. Not just sex. Sex was okay. No, this was more serious. This was it in a big way.

"You finally been released?" Henry continued, ignoring the emotional uproar inside him, smiling through the fear of what had brought on this visit.

Will rubbed a hand over his neck and winced immediately. The scar was still sore and the wound had been rather deep. Henry had kept himself up to date on his potential mate's condition and he knew all the gory stuff.

"Yeah. Magnus finally deigned me healthy enough. Last treatment was yesterday."

The injections had reversed the abnormality and turned Will back to his human self. Henry had seen what the bug had made of him and it had been frightening. The other Abnormals knew at least what they had been born with. Being forced into it… Henry wanted to kill whoever was behind it.

Protect his mate.

Keep him from harm.

He fought the instinct to rise and inspect the scar, make sure everything was okay. Instead he forced the smile back on his face.

"So what brings you down here into my den?"

Now Will fidgeted a little. "I wanted to say thank you. For stopping me."

Henry shrugged. "Hey, all part of the job description."

"It wasn't," was the quiet reply. "I could have killed you."

Of course he could have. Will, the Will who had looked nothing like the man now standing before him, had been strong and primal and fearsome. Henry had been afraid for his life, but another part had howled at him to stop his mate from doing any more damage. The wolf hadn't forced its way out, but Henry had been very much aware of the possibility… that he could release it with enough fear and adrenaline and willpower. Instead he had fought to get through to the human part in Will, calm him down, make him understand who and where he was. The plea for help had touched something deep inside him, had had the wolf whine and whimper in sympathy, and another part had been ready to rip those responsible to pieces.

In the end he had stayed with his potential mate. Mutated beyond what Henry had ever thought possible, a terrible fighting machine with killer instincts, who had been unable to let go. Henry had stayed with Will for the whole time, touching, calming, talking to him. Those large, strong hands had held on to him, gentle and without harming him.

Until they had been down in the labs and the surgery had begun. Even then, Henry had been present, looking into the black eyes, looking into the deformed face, talking softly. He had no idea what he had said, but it had calmed the creature down. And it had calmed him in turn.

"You didn't kill me," Henry now said.

"No." Will looked at him with a strange expression in his eyes. "I didn't."

"For which I'm very grateful," Henry joked, unnerved by the look. "Would have sucked."

Will gave him a brief smile.

"Hey, that wasn't you," Foss added. "I know that. No hard feelings and all."

"It was me. We all have the violence within us. The bug let it out."

And I got a wolf inside me, pal.

"Why didn't you just stun me?"

Henry blinked. Good question. At the time he hadn't given the idea even a thought. He had just acted.

"No clue. Jumping you seemed the better option."

And the more stupid one, too.

Will chuckled a little. "Idiotic, too."

At least we agree on that. Even the wolf seemed to grumble that. Lycans tended to fight until the weaker part surrendered. Henry hadn't been the stronger one in their confrontation; he had been the weaker fighter. He could have died. But he didn't see himself as a wolf and had simply tried to get Will to stop fighting.

"Hey, it worked. There was enough of you in there to stop yourself."

"From hurting you."

Henry felt his hairs rise at the soft tone. He looked into the now again very much human eyes, unable to say anything.

"Henry… when I realized it was you… This thing inside me… it wanted to…" Will stopped, looking torn.

"Kill me?" he hazarded a guess. Because that's what it had felt when the lycan in him had attacked the snake. Kill the enemy. Tear it apart.

"I… no… If it was something that's always inside me, if the bug let it out…I'm not sure Magnus or Ashley could have stopped me," Will finally blurted.

He was making less and less sense. Henry opened his mouth to say something, then his brain finally caught up with his ears and he blinked.

"Not without a stun gun anyway," Will added.

Henry stared at the other man. "What?" he managed.

"When I realized it was you, when I saw you on the ground, when you touched me, there was another instinct." Will's speech was faster than normal, words blurring into another. "And if not for the pain and the adrenaline and the bug that told me to kill… I remember the feeling, Henry. And I remember seeing something else. I saw you. The real you. I saw the wolf. And…" He breathed hard. "I wanted you to be there. I wanted you to stop me. I wanted you to stay and… God, this is all so messed up and I shouldn't be saying this. I'm the one who's supposed to know about emotional responses and control and I should…"

Henry was on his feet now and he grabbed Will in the same manner he had in that warehouse. He forced the man to look at him. Will's eyes were dilated and he looked… afraid. Of himself.

"Will," he intoned softly. "You're only human. What happened…"

"I know what happened." Zimmerman was breathing hard, trembling a little even, but he wasn't trying to force Henry to let go. "I know what I felt."

Felt?

"The bug enhances what's inside humans. Violence. Killer instinct. Destroying what threatens us," Will went on, hands clenching into Henry's shoulders. "And it lowers all the necessary barriers, all the inhibitions. So what I felt was real, Henry. It was part of me, still is."

He swallowed hard.

"You still have the violence?" Henry prompted, his stomach feeling strange and unsettled. He was trying to make sense of all of this and the more he interpreted, the queasier he felt.

"No. Yes. Not the violence of the fight." Will shook his head, sounding desperate. "The treatments purged me of the abnormality, and what it had done to me, but my original feelings are still there. I wanted to kill Danny because he was my opponent… and I wanted to protect you, wanted you to help me, never to leave," Will breathed, panic rising again. "I needed you…"

He looked vulnerable, defenseless, not at all like the forensic psychiatrist Henry knew. Zimmerman was out of his depths at the moment, rattled by the events in the last days, and his near-miss.

Henry's stomach did flip-flops and the wolf pricked its ears, rumbling.

"When you touched me, it was like a lifeline, like cold water and safety and my best gift all together," Will went on. "And I shouldn't tell you, but I need you to know. Because it's still inside, not controlled by the bug, and it's stronger than before. The barriers are down and I can't…" He drew a shuddering breath, sounding terrified and desperate. "I can't keep it locked away any more. It's too strong. I should… I should be able to… I was trained… I might do something rash and I want you to understand where it's coming from, and that I'm already sorry, whatever I might say or do… I'm myself, I know, but I can't… It's like trying to censor myself. The whole hormonal mess… and then there's you, everywhere, and it's so damn hard. Harder than the first time, harder than the last months…"

Henry cupped Will's face, unconsciously stroking his thumbs over the smooth cheeks. Freshly shaven, still smelling of aftershave.

"I need you, too," he said softly, breaking through the haze of panic within the other man.

Will froze.

Henry plowed on, risking it all, opening up. "I thought you were cute from day one. Chemical barriers and all left me blind when it came to my senses, but the instinct was there. And I don't need my abnormality to realize you're a really handsome guy. You didn't need me running after you, tongue out and ogling your ass. You didn't need some freak on your tail. I can control those urges, I didn't make a fool out of myself… I'm human and humans can hide their feelings. We're not a pair of randy teenagers." Henry gave him a brief, weak grin. "Until the snake."

"The snake?" Will managed, transfixed.

"It was a threat against you. I had to save you. You, Will. It was all because of you. Part of me… the abnormal part… recognized you, and it initiated the final change. Not the transformation, but the whole hormonal crap involved."

"What am I?" Will asked, eyes wide.

Henry hesitated. Will's focus was suddenly shifting toward him, drawing itself out his misery, and alert.

"Part of my pack," he said softly.

And more. So much more.

It all made so much sense now. The wolf hadn't chosen the unavailable. Subconsciously Henry had picked up on Will's signals, his interest, even though the other man had tried not to be so obvious.

Those alert eyes were now sharp and reminding Henry of the few times he had Will seen work his magic, had seen him put clues together.

"Part of the pack," Zimmerman repeated.

"Yeah."

"But you're not the alpha."

"No. Magnus is. Wouldn't want to fight her over that position." Henry grinned, trying to move the conversation back into safe waters.

"She has no beta."

"Not my position either."

They were still touching, Will still holding onto him like a lifeline.

"Who is yours?" he suddenly asked, catching Henry completely off guard.

"W-what?"

"I read about lycans. After… you saved me. Who is your mate?"

"I'm not…"

"Unmated males never join packs."

"We're talking humans here, Will," Henry said quickly. "I'm the only lycan around."

"Your changes…" Will leaned closer, or maybe Henry was meeting him halfway. The wolf expressed its pleasure at the closeness. "You said I'm cute."

"I…"

"I know what I felt when I was that thing, without inhibitions, Henry. And it frightened me. Because I didn't know if you felt the same. I didn't just want to fight. I would have killed anyone coming close to us in that moment, yeah, but I also wanted to…" Will broke off, flushing.

Henry felt his brain malfunction. "Will?"

"When you touched me, I was drawn between finishing off Danny, who I perceived as a threat, and following whatever you said. They demanded a kill of me, but you were more important. I needed you, Henry."

Henry remembered that moment. Will looming over him, all muscle and primal instinct and raw power. He could still see those distorted features, those bared teeth, and he recalled how Will had wanted to turn back to kill his opponent, but had turned desperately to Henry.

Help me.

"The bug…" Henry heard himself say.

"Only enhanced what was already inside. Violence, killer instinct… emotions," the other told him again.

Neither man was saying it and Henry knew it was a cheap way out, but he was too scared to read too much into this.

"You said I'm cute," Will repeated softly, suddenly smiling.

"Will…"

"And I read the books, too. I know what triggers change, even in medicated lycanthropes. I talked to Magnus. She confirmed it."

"You what?!"

Henry tore away, panic rising. Magnus had told him?!

"I asked. I needed to know."

The panic clashed with the wolf that was growling to stop being such a wimp and take what was offered.

"Henry, I feel the same. I told you." In a messed-up, panicky sort of way. "And I don't care about you being an Abnormal."

"That's not it!" Henry hissed, feeling the instinct to claim what was his bubble closer to the surface, now that it was offered so freely. "You have no idea what this means!"

"I do."

"From books?" He knew he sounded hysterical.

"Where do you get your own information from?" Will challenged.

He clenched his hands into fists. "I know what's inside me, Will. I know what it wants!"

"Me."

It was a simple statement that held so much truth.

"This isn't just a fling," Henry pleaded. "This isn't for a good time, don't you understand?"

"I know."

Henry groaned. "No…"

And then Will was in his face, crowding his personal space in a major way. Forget personal space, there was no room left between them! The wolf howled to take what was his, to act and claim, but Henry fought. He fought against it all. Will didn't help, though.

"I know what I want, Henry."

"You don't… understand. This is… mating."

"Yes."

"For life."

"I know."

"For good."

"Henry, I know."

"We're both male…"

"Know that, too."

"Pairs with two dominants… don't work," Henry breathed.

Will smiled. "We'll figure it out."

The wolf was dominant because of its power. Will could be a dominant human; control was part of his job. Getting together… it would be more of a fight than whatever else… Neither was an alpha, but both weren't pure betas either.

Henry felt his breath catch in his throat at the image of what those fights might be like, what pleasures could be derived from making Will his. There was no doubt in his mind who would top who. And the challenge that Will Zimmerman presented was an intoxicating thought.

He growled.

From Will's expression he knew his eyes were changing. Yellow and canine.

Their mouths collided in a kiss that was far from gentle. It was possessive and spiraling out of control, like the whole encounter.

Not here.

Not so fast.

Not…

Henry's brain was melting with the heady smell of aroused Will, of the wolf's insistence to let this run its course, and he groaned as hands stroked over his bare skin.

"I know what it means," Will whispered harshly into one ear, sounding breathless.

All? Henry wanted to ask. Do you know all?

Probably. It was in the books. Especially the first claiming. It would be hard and fast and pure instinct and raw sex combined with the power struggle.

The wolf snarled at him to finally get with the program.

His inhibitions went out of the window fast when Will gently bit his neck. He grabbed his future mate and pushed him against the wall, growling, pinning Will's hands against the concrete. He took in the scent, nostrils flaring, and he knew there was no hesitation, no fear, no second thoughts. Here was a ready offer, and he would take it.

Now.

The next thing he knew, Will had pushed him against the wall rack in turn, the contents clattering dangerously around, and his mouth was thoroughly ravaged by the other man. Henry curled his fingers into the waistband of his future mate's pants, drawing him closer, his tongue battling against Will's for dominance. His whole body was high strung, on the verge of overpowering the scientist, showing him what he was dealing with – what he was about to let loose. It was a primitive need, something from very deep inside him, something that targeted Will Zimmerman as its victim, its prey, while also recognizing it as a fellow hunter and dominant. It was confusing and simple in one.

They separated, breathing hard, eyes wild and dilated. A flush covered Will's skin and his hair looked unruly. He had never looked more desirable and a longing rose with the desire, a longing so primal it shut out everything else. Their bodies were pressed together and Henry's hands were splayed over Will's tight buttocks. Something seemed to fizz through him, sizzle along his nerves, settling way down south.

The wolf growled demandingly, wanting to be lose, to get what it needed.

Henry drew the other into a searing kiss that grew more demanding with every second. He was acutely aware of Will's body against his, so perfect, so familiar, but still very new and exciting. His desire rose several notches and a small part in him told Henry to get a room before he completely lost it.

Good idea. Great, actually.

Thoughts collided with each other, tumbling around in his head.

Room.

Safe place.

They were still kissing, clawing at each other, then suddenly Will tilted his head back and the wolf howled in triumph at the simple gesture of surrender. Henry felt rational thought blend into the background, instinct taking over, and the wolf was free. Raw need merged with primal power to mate.

He thought he heard Will cry out with the same need, then he was drowned out by his abnormal side.

tbc...