Disclaimer: All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

A/N: Because I have been so slow at updating, and because this story is connected to SeoHyun's stories, written by Imaginationqueen87 (go read her stuff, she writes in a variety of areas!), I am trying to move it along to be more inline with SeoHyun's latest story arc, Time to Grow. Hence the double update!

Also, the incident that happens between SeoHyun and 'Andrew' happens in imaginationqueen87's story, Hope and Family.

P.S. Imaginationqueen87, you said you couldn't wait to see what Kara will do to Andrew for bullying SeoHyun... here it is! Enjoy!

********************A&O********************

Kara was livid. Several weeks had passed since her parents moved away, but that wasn't why she was angry, No, she was angry because she hadn't been there when that asshole, Andrew, decided to bully SeoHyun. Bully. More like freaking assault her, but the school was calling it 'bullying'. Bronwyn intervened and managed to keep her cool better than Kara probably would have despite the fact Kara had been a wolf longer.

Now that it was all over Kara wasn't allowed to do anything physically to him but... he needed to be paid back for it. A thought came to mind and an evil grin flashed across her face. Andrew was on the football team, one of their best players, of course the school wasn't really going to do anything to him, but that didn't mean she couldn't.

She headed for the field where she knew the equipment manager/water boy would be cleaning up from practice. "Hey Billy, what's shaking?" she asked as she approached him. They had two classes together and tended to share notes.

"Hey, Kara, not much. I heard about what Andrew did to your friend, SeoHyun. That was pretty... crappy of him."

"Shitty, the word you're looking for is shitty," she replied, which got her a laugh. "That's actually why I'm here. I can't do anything to him, physically, even if I want to kick him in the balls, but he needs some payback and I was wondering if you'd like to help. I know he's an asshole to you too."

"Depends. Whatcha got in mind?" he asked. Kara told him her plan and he grinned. "Count me in. You get the stuff, I'll get you access to his locker."

"Cool. I'll let you know when I've got it," she said and left.

********************A&O********************

It was Saturday afternoon, twenty minutes before the team would arrive to suit up for football practice, when Kara slipped into the locker room at the high school and made her way to Andrew's locker. She had several items in a bag she had slung over her shoulder and after unlocking the combination lock she went to work. Their school colors were red and black but their rival's colors were orange and blue. Since Andrew had light brown hair, well, changing his hair color would be easy. To his shampoo she added dark blue hair dye and then added orange to his body wash. Then she put on gloves, took out his jock strap (really, he left it there? Kinda gross but it made this easier for her), and applied a liberal amount of ultra strength tiger balm to it. She'd seriously considered using liquid heat. It was a potent drain cleanee, but she was worried it would cause permanent damage and she didn't want to maim him, just hurt him. Then she left and went to the bleachers to wait for the team to hit the field.

********************A&O********************

Half an hour after Kara's visit to the locker room the team headed onto the field. Within minutes Andrew started to frown. Soon he felt a burning sensation that got so bad he ran off the field, ignoring the coach's orders to get back there, grabbed his stuff from the locker, and went to shower. He didn't know what was wrong, he just knew it burned. It wasn't until after he'd finished showering that he realized someone had messed with his stuff.

"You little shit!" Andrew snarled as he stalked out onto the field and headed straight for Billy. His teammates and the cheerleaders all stared at him.

Billy backpedaled quickly. "What? Hey, I didn't do anything!" he countered.

"The hell you didn't, you're the only one who could have," Andrew said and reached for him.

Kara took the steps down to the field two at a time and moved to intercept on Billy's behalf. "Leave him alone. You want to try to beat on someone for the tiger balm and dye, you're looking at the wrong person. That was all me, dickhead. Maybe if you'd pull your head out of your ass and stop picking on others I wouldn't have had to resort to putting you in your place." She stepped between him and Billy and when he reached for her like he was going to grab her the way he'd grabbed SeoHyun a growl trickled from her. "I'm not a submissive like SeoHyun. You put your hand on me and I'll break it."

The coach came over in time to hear her and tried to bully her into submission because he was 'an adult'. "Threatening another student can get you suspended, missy."

"And assaulting one can get your quarterback both expelled, and thrown in jail, coach. You really think Charles Cornick is going to let this little prick assault his daughter and get away with it?"She saw the look in his eyes and grinned. "Then of course there's the Marrok. SeoHyun Lee Cornick is his granddaughter and you have family who are pack. How do you think they're going to feel knowing you ignored him assaulting one of our submissive wolves just so he can keep playing? And yes, I will be sure they know all about it," she added. "Oh, and Andrew, if you or anyone else tries to screw with Billy because of this, I'll do worse than tiger balm and dye next time." With that she sauntered off to her own practice.

********************A&O********************

Kara had enlisted SeoHyun's and Bronwyn's help on the scenery for the play and both girls were hard at work when she came in. "Hey, where were you?" Bronwyn asked.

Kara shrugged at her. "Taking care of something," she replied. "Let's just say, I don't think Andrew will be bothering SeoHyun anymore," she added.

"What did you do?" Bronwyn asked. "Kara, you could get yourself in trouble, not just here at school, but with Bran too," she added worriedly.

"I didn't hurt him, geez. Give me some credit," Kara said. "I put tiger balm in his jock strap and he'll be sporting blue hair and orange skin, with blue streaks compliments of the blue hair dye, for a while," she added.

Bronwyn, SeoHyun, and Riley, who'd caught the end of what she said, all stared at her for a moment before they busted out laughing. "Oh my god, that has to be the greatest payback, ever," Riley said. "Especially since we play Troy tonight."

"I thought so too. He tried to go after Billy because he thought he did it so I 'fessed up and he tried to grab me like he did SeoHyun," Kara said. At the look in Riley's eyes she continued quickly. She didn't want him getting hurt for no reason. "I told him I wasn't submissive like SeoHyun and if he touched me I'd break his hand. The coach actually had the nerve to threaten me with suspension for 'threatening' another student."

"Uh oh, I think I know where this is going," Bronwyn said.

"I told him that assaulting another student is grounds for expulsion and jail time, which made him nervous," Kara said, "And I told him that I was gonna be sure to let his uncle know he let his quarterback get away with assaulting one of our submissive wolves," she added with a grin. "You should have seen the look on his face, it was great."

They all laughed then while Bronwyn and SeoHyun went back to work on scenery Kara and Riley joined rehearsals. The performance was two weeks away and everyone was in a frenzy to make sure they had every move, every word, just right. The hand jive song was one of the hardest scenes for them to do because of the timing but even that was coming along.

********************A&O********************

Kara put the finishing touches on her makeup, made sure her wig didn't move, and nodded at her reflection. Since her hair was longer than her character's she'd decided on a wig in order to really embody the role of Rizzo. Showtime was in ten minutes and she felt the flutter of nerves that made her close her eyes and take a deep breath. She'd peeked out at the audience a little bit ago, half expecting to see the two reserved seats next to Sage empty, and couldn't help the spurt of happiness she felt when she saw her parents were there. Maybe them moving to Missoula wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Looking good there, Rizz," Riley said with a grin.

Kara turned and gave him a sultry look. "Eat your heart out, Kinickie."

Riley laughed. "You are definitely channeling Stockard Channing tonight," he teased. "You ready for this?"

"Oh yeah. This is going to be so much fun," Kara replied. The lights dimmed and they took their places.

********************A&O********************

The play seemed to fly by. Kara lost herself in her role for a time and when it was over she was a little sad. She'd had a lot of fun. The really sucky part was, since she was graduating a year early, she wouldn't get to do this again unless she took drama at college That was a thought.

Riley approached her, picked her up, and hugged her. "You were awesome as Rizzo," he said and laughed at the noise she made from being picked up.

"Dang it Riley, you startled me! It's a good thing for you I've got a good sense of smell. Startling a werewolf can be bad."

"Damn, sorry, Kara. I wasn't thinking about that."

She shook her head. "No biggie. I had so much fun, I'm sad it's over," she told him.

"Me too. Looks like you've got company, see you," he replied and stepped back as her parents arrived.

"Kara, honey, you were wonderful," John said and hugged his daughter tight. "These are for you," he added and gave her a dozen roses.

Ellen Beckworth kissed her daughter's cheek. "Your father is right, you were really good," she said. She'd made John sit next to Sage during the play but she had a feeling the person on the other side was a werewolf too. She couldn't help that they made her uncomfortable.

"Thanks mom," Kara said. She could smell her mother's discomfort but she wasn't sure of the cause so she said nothing about it. "So, um, I was thinking... maybe I could go back to Missoula with you guys tonight and spend the day with you tomorrow."

"Oh, honey, we would love that but this weekend isn't a good time," Ellen said.

"We've had some problems with the house. The room that is to be yours for when you come on the weekends had some floor damage that we're having to replace," John explained. "It's supposed to be finished by the middle of the week so what do you say you come next weekend instead?"

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, sure daddy," Kara replied. She plastered on a fake smile because she figured there would be another excuse the following weekend.

Sage had hung back a bit to give Kara some time with her parents since she'd not seen them in two months, but at the dejected tone in Kara's voice she approached. "You were amazing tonight, kiddo," she told her. "I couldn't help but overhear and I have an idea. Since the problem is the bedroom Kara is supposed to have, why don't I just put Kara and I up in a hotel in Missoula for the night? That way she can still spend all day tomorrow with you guys." If the reason they'd given was genuine, their reaction now would prove it.

"Are you sure Bran will let us do that?" Kara asked.

"Of course. Missoula is part of our territory, sort of. Besides, this is for you, and if he wants us to have someone else with us, I'll get Tag to come along."

"That sounds good to us," John said.

"It's settled then. We'll call you and let you know what hotel we're staying at when we get there," Sage told them.

As it turned out, Bran wasn't willing to let the two of them go by themselves so Tag packed a bag and headed to Missoula with them. He would get an adjoining room so if he was needed he could be there in seconds. Truth be told, he didn't mind being in a car with Sage, not that he'd ever let even his scent give that away. He was damn good at pretending to not be attracted to anyone. "I'll be right through here if you need me," he said as he went through the door between their rooms.

"Thanks for agreeing to come with us, Tag," Kara said. "It really means a lot, getting to spend time with my parents tomorrow."

"You're welcome, Kara." He let his gaze shift to Sage because she wasn't looking and then left.

Kara noticed the look but shrugged because she wasn't sure what it was for. She and Sage found a movie to watch then went to sleep because Kara had a full day ahead of her.

********************A&O********************

At eight the next morning Kara sat in the hotel lobby waiting for her parents to arrive. Sage sat with her while she waited and she knew Tag was watching them from the dining room area where he was enjoying the breakfast the hotel offered.

"Don't worry about anything, you just enjoy your time with your folks, okay?" Sage said.

"I feel bad leaving you to sit around the hotel room all day," Kara replied.

Sage laughed at that. "Oh, Kara, honey, I won't be sitting around the hotel room all day. There is shopping to be done!"

Kara laughed. "Oh, yeah, you do love to shop." She spotted her parents and stood. "They're here. See you back here tonight," she said and left. They would have breakfast together, then it was some sight seeing, a trip to the Missoula Art Museum, and since it was warm enough, they even went to Splash Montana. They had lunch in between all of that, then a visit to St. Francis Xavier Church simply because it was a gorgeous church, and dinner at The Silk Road, which specialized in Spanish and Asian cuisine.

********************A&O********************

While Kara was off with her parents Sage went shopping. Tag went along and found himself carrying bags... and enjoying himself, immensely. That surprised him. Okay, maybe the real enjoyment came from watching Sage light up over a piece of jewelry or some outfit that caught her eye. But still, he was enjoying shopping? If anyone ever found out he'd never live it down. They got dinner at a steakhouse near the hotel then waited for Kara's return.

"You know, it's kinda late evening, Kara doesn't have school tomorrow, why don't we just stay one more night and head back tomorrow?" Tag suggested once Kara was back as well.

"I don't see why not," Sage said after a moment. "If we go back tomorrow we can stop at the Farmer's Market along the way. I like that idea," she added.

"That's settled then, back up to the rooms," Tag said and ushered them to the elevator.

Sage laughed softly. "You just don't want to drive anymore today," she teased.

"You found me out," Tag replied with a grin that made Kara and Sage both laugh.

The trio watched a movie together in Sage and Kara's room. Tag stretched out on one of the beds while Kara and Sage shared the other. He stole glances at Sage periodically and when the movie was over he went to his own room so they could all get some sleep.

********************A&O********************

The drive back to Aspen Creek the next day was uneventful but Kara was still in a great mood thanks to getting to spend time with her parents. "Thank you guys, so much, for spending your weekend in Missoula just for me," she said as they pulled into Tag's drive to drop him off.

"Any time Kara. That's what your pack is here for," Tag told her. He waved them off and headed into his house.

"I think Tag likes you," Kara said once they were headed home.

Sage arched a brow at her. "What makes you think that?"

"Just... I don't know. Like, the way he looked at you back at the hotel when you weren't looking. I dunno, maybe I'm wrong."

Sage glanced at her. "Interesting." She would have to do a little thinking about that... and maybe a little digging.

As soon as they were back Kara was on the phone filling first SeoHyun and then Bronwyn in on all that she'd done the day before. It didn't make up for her parents neglecting her before, but it was a start. Sage just hoped they kept it up.