Disclaimer: Ok, we all know this song and dance routine. Weren't mine, aren't mine, and never will be mine. But hey, a girl can dream, right?

AN#1: Ok, any homophobes, turn back now. This IS slash, and it WILL contain adult situations. Don't like, don't read. Con crit is welcome, and flames should be at least 3ft high. It gets cold in Berwick during the winter.

AN#2: This chapter goes through the events of 'Edward'.

AN#3: And yeah, I agree, those snake-things look like Nagas. Unfortuanatly, I'm too lazy to go back and rewrite, so basilisks they remain.

"Hey."

"Hey," Will said back, grinning.l

"So, I'm probably the last guy you'd expect to hear from," Joe smirked, then frowned as he saw the gash and brusing along the left side of Will's face.

"Well, not the last, but definitely down there," Will teased, then broke off, startled, as Joe grabbed his chin and tilted his head, eyes traveling up and down Will's face.

"What the hell happened to you?" With an incredulous snort, Joe added, "It looks like you got into a fist fight."

"Work related. One of my...uh, patients became...violent."

"Violent, eh? Well, it always seemed to me that you could turn Mother Theresa into a raving axe murderer if you wanted to," Joe shook himself, then got back on track, "Look, I know you quit the force and everything, but damn if this doesn't have your name written all over it."

Will quirked an eyebrow. "Since when did you start appreciating my take on crime scenes?"

"Since the the minute we rolled away from this one."

********************

Henry laid on his bed, sprawled on his back, an open comic book laying on his chest. He had been hiding in his room for the past four or five hours, ever since Will had come back from meeting that cop.

Henry told himself to calm down, to not let his emotions get the better of him, but he was too worked up to do so. Will was his, dammit, and he had come back with that cop's scent all over him. The animal in him cried out to rip the cop limb from limb, then to claim Will, mark him for the whole world to see that someone owned him. That Henry owned him.

Henry snarled, then gasped as his body started to spasm, fighting his mind's control, trying to shift into his other form. He threw himself off his bed, fighting the change. Gazing into the mirror, he watched the bone structure of his face shift, skin turn to fur, teeth to fangs, and mustered every ounce of will he had and forced the change down, falling back onto his bedside lamp.

Panting, he flopped down on the edge of his bed, absently noting the sound and scent of Bigfoot coming down the hallway. Sitting there, he found himself getting lost in his thoughts and fuzzy, faded memories.

"Henry. Food."

Ignoring Bigfoot, he found himself reliving the memory of attacking the Naga. Anger that someone, something, would attack Will, hatred of the snake-thing itself, and complete and utter fear of not being able to get to Will in time. That memory melted into an even fainter one of his childhood. Out on the moors. With a pack.

"Henry."

He heard Bigfoot sigh, then the slight clunk of the tray being set down. He sighed himself, listening to the Big Guy walk back down the hall. It was only later that he realize that, for a brief time, he had been in control of his senses.

********************

Will frowned as he walked through the garden, looking for Edward. After seeing the burns on the mother's arms, he was begining to believe that the father had been abusive. It would explain why the brother had run away.

Will slowed his pace as he saw Edward, one arm supporting a large drawing pad, the other flying over it, rapidly drawing a twin to the real-life statue in front of him.

As Will stood there and watched, a thought popped into his head.

Henry's gonna love this kid.

Will had snuck a peek at Henry's datapad last week, when Henry stayed in his room after the whole Naga incident. He had woken up before Henry, and had started flipping through his digital portfolio with amazement, looking at the various drawings of Helen, Ashley, and the Big Guy. Even a few of himself.

Will felt himself flush as he remembered how he had woken up. Henry spooned around him from behind, carefully supporting his back and leg, a possessive are slung around Will's hips. And his own reaction, feeling protected and comforted, but most of all feeling want. Need.

Shaking himself, Will decided to introduce himself to Edward before he did something embarassing. Like whimper.

"Hey, my name's Will. I think your drawings are pretty awesome.

********************

Henry leaned against the side of the elevator, arms crossed, lost in thought. Considering all the pros and cons of the surgery Helen had offered. He wasn't too keen on having his brain messed with, but if it kept him human, so be it.

He closed his eyes, thoughts roiling, shifting his weight slightly as the elevator slowed it's decent, stopping for someone on one of the floors. Edward.

At first the boy seemed fine, but as the elevator started again he became agitated, glancing fearfully in Henry's direction, finally cowering in a corner, whimpering.

And Henry decided.

If Edward could see it, it wasn't far from surfacing. He wanted this thing gone.

He wouldn't put the Sanctuary, his family, at risk.

He wouldn't put Will at risk.

********************

Henry slumped back in his chair after Ashley left, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up.

Henry, I think about what you're about to do, and it scares me.

Henry snorted in disgust. It scared him, too. But the thing inside him getting out scared him even more.

I just don't want to loose the Henry I know.

Henry groaned and hunched forward, scrubbing at his face with his hands. No matter what be did, he was going to be different.

Yeah, but maybe the abnormal different isn't as bad as you think it might be.

Oh, come on Ashley, you're not talking to an amatuer here. We've both seen the ugly side of the abnormal world, up close.

Yeah, but we've also seen it's wonder. It's beauty.

*********************

Henry grinned as the Big Guy smacked him in the back of his head and growled at him to get back to work. He resisted the urge to smack himself in the head as well. Foot in mouth, indeed.

He got back to work, setting the systems up so Helen's 'midnight movie' thing would work. Henry hoped it would. He really wanted to know what the hell had really happened.

He sighed, and propped his head up on one hand, waiting for the system to finish it's update scan. He was more confused than ever about what he should do about his...gift. The pros and cons were starting to level out, exspecially with Ashley and the Big Guy falling into the 'no, don't do it' category.

Still, the surgery was days away. He still had time to settle his mind.

Right?

********************

For all we know Robbie could be blaming himself for his father's death. We gotta try and find him. He could be hiding out of pure fear.

You know I understand that.

On part of Will's mind focused on the conversation with Helen, but the rest was on Henry. On whether or not he was going to get the surgery. On where he was.

Helen's phone rang. She answered.

"Hello?" then "Henry, where are you?"

After a minute, she snapped the phone shut.

"Henry's found Robbie."

******************

After Edward and Robbie had been reunited and bundled off to a private set of rooms in the Sanctuary with their mother, Henry once again sat in the library, still going over his mental pros and cons list. His head snapped up as he heard a soft set of footsteps enter the library. That was another thing he had noticed. His control of his senses were getting better.

"Hey," Will said, sitting down across form Henry.

"Hey," Henry responded. His nose flared and his head cocked slightly, taking in the clean scent and the steady heartbeat of Will.

Will fidgited a little, then, "So, you still going through with the surgery?"

"I don't know," Henry sighed, "I honestly don't know."

Will nodded, and started to talk of inconsequential things. Henry found himself being drawn in. An hour later they were walking down the hall to their rooms, laughing at a story Will was telling about one of his highschool teachers. They stopped at Henry's door, and before Will could continue on to his own, he found himself speaking.

"You shouldn't have the surgery."

Henry blinked. "Why?"

"It'd be taking something out that makes you, you. We all like you the way you are," Will took a deep breath, then, shyly, "I like you the way you are."

And, before he could chicken out, Will leaned over and kissed Henry, soft and closed-mouthed.

The blushed.

Stuttered.

And fled down the hall.

Henry stood there in shock for a moment. Then grinned. He could feel his animal side laughing at his human side.

"Shut up," he grumbled, "Or I'll hit you."

His animal side only laughed harder.

********************

Helen smiled as she left Henry's room the next day. She was glad her friend had chosed to remain as he was. And there had been something different is Henry's eyes. Brighter, happier.

A changed man, indeed.

Well, peeps, wha'cha think? R and R.