Henry had almost lapsed into a meditative trance by the time Dr. Riker finally appeared. The problem was that she had her nephew in tow. Growling slightly under his breath, he watched them approach, his sensitive hearing picking up their semi-whispered conversation.

"Get in the car. I'm taking you home and don't you dare back talk to me. I've had quite enough of you."

"I've got my own car. You can shove it auntie dear."

Dr. Riker fumed and then without warning she backhand him, catching him right were Henry had punched him. His head flew back. He doubled over, cradling his jaw.

"What the fuck did you do that for you crazy old bat!"

She drew back to hit him again but he dodged so she stayed her hand.

"You are a colossal idiot. Do you have any notion what the consequences of your actions tonight could have been? Or for that matter did you even stop to think with anything but your penis? Your actions could have ruined everything."

He mumbled something that sounded like 'bitch' but she couldn't be sure. Dr. Riker grabbed his shoulder and shoved him towards her vehicle.

"Now get in the bloody car or I'm going to ship you back to military school."

Henry watched Michael's shoulders slump in defeat as he trudged broodingly to the car. He opened the door and sat in the passenger seat, pouting. Henry shifted his weight slightly and frowned.

He couldn't talk to Dr. Riker in front of Michael. He paused, torn. On one hand he really need to talk to the good doctor and on the other he also wanted to see the display area that the artifact had gone missing from and the area were Dr. Sorreson had died. Even though he'd listened in on the medical examiner and the lead detective when they were speculating that it must have been a heart attack brought on by the shock, he wasn't satisfied with that explanation.

Dr. Sorreson had been like Dante, ancient but in the peak of physical condition and health. He knew the medical examiner would run the usual tests since there were suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, but Henry had learned through his travels that their were a number of obscure poisons out there that could be missed by the usual methods.

There was also the matter that no one really knew when the artifact went missing. The museum had specific instructions not to disturb the area until the unveiling. Thanks to what Jasper called his bat hearing, he'd overheard the chairman of the Museum board tell Detective Winston that the display was installed a week ago by an outside security firm called Safeguard Incorporated.

Henry had felt surprise course through him at the time. He knew the head of that company quite well. When he was still living in Bhutan with his parents an old friend of his father's had come to the Buddhist temple where he'd been pursing his education and training. His name was Derrick Gibbons but everyone called him Hawk. He'd been admitted to speak to the wisest elder and the head of the order to set up security for a sacred religious artifact that their sect had just been given the responsibility of protecting.

He installed the first modern technology the temple had ever seen. Hawk had also taught Henry some very useful skills while he'd been there. He was a former army Ranger, an expert in explosives, artillery, and weapons. He taught Henry how to assemble and disassemble certain types of bombs, as well as how to break down, reassemble, and shoot everything from a 9mm Desert Eagle to military grade sniper rifles. He'd yet to put the knowledge to practical use but one never knew when knowing something like that would come in handy.

If Hawk had designed Dr. Sorreson's security system for the display, that artifact should have been as safe as if it were housed in the deepest, darkest vault in Fort Knox. According to the museum direct, no one but the doctor had the access codes and as far as anyone knew, nothing had been disturbed. There was also the fact that no one really knew what the artifact was, or what it looked like, which supported Henry's theory that it was the jaguar. Dr. Sorreson wouldn't have been so paranoid about any other artifact but the jaguar.

Quickly and quietly, he used the cover of the hedges to circle around the lot to his Jeep. He unlocked the door and eased it open so it wouldn't make a sound. He heard an engine start and looked over to see Dr. Riker's car pulling out of the space. He got into his jeep and ducked down as she drove past him and then turned right at the exit. He cranked the engine, shifted into gear, and followed her; keeping his headlights off.

He wasn't surprised to see her drop Michael off at his house. He watched the other teenager as he and his aunt exchanged a few more heated words and then watched as the boy stormed off. Dr. Riker pulled away and before following her, Henry made a note of Michael's address. It might end up coming in handy.

Dr. Riker lived in a fairly upscale section of D.C. Henry found that he was dropping further and further back to tail her as the traffic thinned and the streets became progressively more residential. It wasn't until she turned and pulled up to a guard gate that he pulled over to the side and stopped.

Henry watched the guard wave Dr. Riker through the high black gate fortifying the entrance to the subdivision and then disappear back into the guard house. He then sat back down, put his feet back up, and turned his attention back to the flickering glow coming from the television set.

Henry got out of his Jeep and stealthily made his way along the wall. The guard was laughing at something on the television so didn't see Henry as he crouched down and made his way to the gate. The black cast iron monstrosity would have been intimidating to others, but Henry had spent a good majority of his formative years scaling sheer cliff faces.

Staying low, he cast a quick glance back at the guard. He was stuffing a piece of pizza in his face and laughing at the television again. Henry found a handhold on one of the ornate decorative curls, braced his foot on the bottom, and lunged upward. He caught another handhold and swiftly pulled himself up and over. He let go and landed with a controlled, nearly soundless drop. He glanced at the guard again. The man was still preoccupied with the show he was watching.

Henry scented the air, expanding his senses. He caught the smell of Dr. Riker's car exhaust and followed it. He turned the corner only to come to an abrupt halt. Dr. Riker's car was pulled up half on the curb and half on the roadway. She stood in the middle of her driveway, eyes wild as she scanned the area, pointing a rather large, black, and lethal looking handgun at shadows.

"Come out you bloody bastards. Show yourselves."

Henry slow walked towards her, his hands extended. He didn't think she'd shoot him. Despite their differences, Dr. Riker was a well respected anthropologist. Well respected anthropologists didn't just wake up one day and randomly start gunning people down. Still, she was jumpy, upset, and behaving strangely. He should probably exercise some sort of caution.

"Dr Riker."

She turned abruptly. Henry stopped in the middle of the street and stared down the barrel of a HK45 compact that was now pointed right at his heart. He could almost hear Maggie in his head berating him for being a reckless idiot.

"Dr. Riker it's Henry Griffin."

She narrowed her eyes and stepped towards him. She didn't lower the gun.

"You followed me home, why?"

Henry swallowed. "To talk. You knew Dr. Sorreson better than anyone. You were his partner for five years. You're the only other person who would suspect the nature of what he was going to unveil tonight. It was why you were there."

"If you're trying to get me to confess to something Mr. Griffin, then you've made a mess of it. I suggest you leave this instant."

Henry didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere, not until you tell me about the jaguar."

Dr. Riker regarded him for a moment and then slowly lowered the gun. "I always wondered if he had ever told you about what he was really looking for. He was obsessed with finding it. It was his white whale."

"Captain Ahab was insane, Dr. Sorreson was not. Besides he…" Henry trailed off and frowned, his nostrils flaring. "I smell blood."

Dr. Riker sighed. "Yes, you do. You want answers Mr. Griffin. Perhaps it's time you realized exactly what you're up against. This way please." She motioned for him to follow her. He did, reluctantly.

Riker led him to her front door where the source of the blood smell became abundantly apparent. On her door step was a replica of a stone circle depicting the Aztec calendar. It was broken in half and dipped in blood. On her front door in dripping red was one word—Chaos.

"You want to hear about the jaguar. Come inside and have a seat Mr. Griffin. This is tale best told in private, without the possibility of others overhearing."

Maggie hadn't heard from Henry all weekend. She'd picked up her phone countless times to call him, unhappy with how they'd left things after the ball, but she'd always stop herself before dialing. Maggie had been musing almost nonstop over her discussion with Jasper the night he'd driven her home.

Jasper had told her that Henry was in love with her.

She honestly wasn't sure how she felt about that.

On one hand she'd finally admitted to herself that she had feelings for the jungle boy. He was just so…virile. She'd tried to dismiss those latent fluttery feelings as the natural psychological and physiological response of a female animal responding to the strongest, most attractive, and blatantly masculine predator in the pack.

It was basic evolution. When a female desired a mate it was the strongest, healthiest specimens that were in prime demand, as they produced the strongest, healthiest offspring. It was only natural that she would be attracted to him. She had convinced herself it was only animal, didn't mean anything, and thus could be ignored as she was never one to be reduced to her base instincts.

Now, well now she had to admit that she'd been lying to herself. Whatever was between her and Henry had never been as simple as animal attraction. He'd been her friend, her confidant, her shoulder to cry on, her anchor, and her safe haven. He'd been there for her and encouraged her in a thousand insignificant but meaningful ways.

He was the reason she was going to try to be an astronaut instead of settling for being an astrophysicist. He was the reason she didn't cave under extreme pressure as much as she used too.

Taken altogether it could amount to only one thing—one very foolish, very stupid, very disastrous thing.

She'd gone and fallen in love with the most unsuitable boy in the world. The one that would leave once he had his diploma in hand to get back to the life he loved.

Maggie sighed. She had no idea what she was going to do now.

With the weight of her newfound revelation weighing her down she pulled her books out of her locker and went to shut it.

"Hey Mags, how's it going?" She jumped, her hand sliding over the tiny sharp piece of protruding metal along the edge. It sliced deep.

"Ouch, dammit Jasper, don't sneak up on people like that!" Blood started to well and she quickly grabbed one of her extra shirts to staunch the flow. Jasper winced. She glared at him and pulled the fabric away so she could get a good look at the wound. He hissed and let out a low whistle.

"Sorry Maggie, man that looks deep." She narrowed her eyes and reapplied the shirt to her wound.

"What did you need Jasper?" He shrugged, sheepish.

"I was wondering if you'd seen Henry today? He took off early this morning and I need to talk to him about something I found out on the internet."

Maggie tried to keep her face expressionless as she replied. "I wouldn't know where he is. I haven't talked to him all weekend."

Jasper muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Damn clueless idiot," but Maggie couldn't be sure.

"My dad was pretty upset with him when he decided to strolled in at the crack of dawn on Saturday, with no word and no explanation about where he'd been all night. Needless to say after I assured my dad that Henry wasn't out corrupting you and that I'd taken you home; he was still pretty livid when he refused to offer anymore information. Last I heard dad had grounded him till he was forty, with the possibility for parole by the time his thirtieth birthday rolled around. Of course that was contingent on good behavior."

Maggie turned to him, frowning. "Let me get this straight. Henry was gone all night long and refused to tell you where he'd been?"

Jasper shrugged. "Pretty much. I tried to get him to tell me but you know how tight lipped he can be when he wants to be. Since there were no obvious external injures I decided to respect his right to privacy."

She scoffed. "You mean you conceded defeat."

"I prefer to call it a tactical retreat."

With an angry huff she slammed her locker shut and stalked in the direction of the Doum rooms.

"Where are you going? Class starts in five minutes!"

"I'm going to find that Neanderthal and give him a piece of my mind!"