AN: Hey guys! I'm glad you like the story! I'm sorry to the guest reviewer that didn't and thought Jeremy is acting OOC. I think in some contexts of the show, yes. For me, this story would take place after S2, after he has lost a significant portion of his family, and gone through hell. He's already not a very approachable man to outsiders, so after all of that, he wouldn't be very amenable to an outsider trying to get him to open up and do a showing of his paintings. Anyway...this chapter is pretty cool if I do say so myself! I actually had to do some research on Wicca spells! So yea, enjoy! please review! xoxox


The next morning Jeremy rose early to make breakfast while Natalia slept. He was busy scrambling eggs and sautéing bacon when he heard her rise from his bed and go into the shower. He briefly considered shutting off the stove and going up to join her, but his stomach was already growling, demanding to be fed.

Halfway through the breakfast preparations his phone rang, loud and urgent. At the same time, he heard a car rolling up the driveway. Frowning, he turned the heat down on the burners and picked up his phone, heading to the front door.

Seeing that it was Karl Marsten on the phone, he answered, staring out the window to see who it was that was arriving. He frowned, smelling the familiar scent of Savannah. She was with an unfamiliar woman, presumably a witch.

"Hello? Jeremy? Are you there?" Karl asked.

Jeremy sighed, "Yes, sorry. What is it Karl?" he asked.

"The mutts are coming Jeremy. Within the day. You need to call in reinforcements. You need the pack there." Karl's voice was low and urgent.

Jeremy closed his eyes and sighed, frustration pouring through him. Clay and Elena were more than a day away. Paige and Nick were as well. He was alone.

"Can you come Karl? The others are too far away." Jeremy didn't think Karl would come, didn't believe he could trust him.

Karl sighed, "I'll be there in a few hours. I promise."

Jeremy nodded, "Thank you." He hung up on Karl and watched out the window as Savannah and the new witch got out of the SUV and walked up to the front door, knocking on it loudly. Upstairs he could hear the shower shutting off and Natalia coming out.

Things were about to get dicey.

Sighing, he went to the front door and opened it, ushering Savannah in with a warm smile, "It's good to see you Savannah, please come in."

Savannah smiled and set her bags down, hugging Jeremy tightly. Taken aback for a moment, he paused and then smiled, wrapping her in a warm embrace. The other witch watched them with a warm smiled and when they parted she stepped forward, extending her hand, "Hello, I'm Sarah; it's nice to meet you."

Jeremy smiled softly, "It's nice to meet you Sarah. You're Savannah's guardian while Paige is away?" he asked.

Sarah nodded, "The coven appointed me while Paige is away. We've had a lovely time together, until now. Savannah had a vision of the Mutts attacking us and you; she saw people dying, so we came here."

Savannah touched Jeremy's hand and he turned to look at her, "We need to prepare, put wards up. They'll be here soon. We don't have much time." Her voice was urgent, worried.

Jeremy was worried now, not just about the Mutts and Savannah, but about what he was going to tell Natalia. He nodded and grabbed Savannah's bags, "You can stay in the guest room. Sarah would you like to stay with her, or in the other guest room?" he asked politely.

"With Savannah, I need to stay close" Sarah replied. Jeremy nodded and waved a hand, making sure they followed him upstairs. He pushed the door to the guest room open and was thankful that Natalia had made the bed after her solitary night there. He set Savannah's bags down and smiled as they arranged their things, "I was just making breakfast, please join me downstairs when you're ready."

The women nodded at him and turned to unpack, leaving him free to walk across the hall and inform Natalia that they had company. He found her finishing up dressing, and smiled at the sight of her, just in jeans, her bare back to him.

Walking over silently, he brushed his lips across her shoulder, his hand skimming across her abdomen. Natalia jumped slightly and then realized it was Jeremy. Smacking his hand lightly she turned her head and found his mouth, kissing him, and then whispering, "You scared me! I thought I heard someone else in the house!"

He nodded, brushing kisses along her shoulder, "There are other people here. Friends of the family. A young girl, Savannah, and her guardian, Sarah. They'll be staying for a few days. I wanted to tell you so you weren't startled."

Natalia smiled and stepped away from his roaming hands, pulling on her bra and then a sweater, grinning at his frown, "Well consider me informed." She stepped back over and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly.

Jeremy pulled away with a sigh, "We should go downstairs, there's still food on the burner." Natalia nodded and followed him down to the kitchen, sitting and watching him finish the food. They set the table and a few minutes later Natalia found herself face to face with a young girl and a woman around her age.

She stepped forward and smiled, "Hi, I'm Natalia Romano; I'm an art dealer working with Jeremy. It's nice to meet you both."

Savannah smiled shyly and waved, "I'm Savannah, nice to meet you."

Sarah grinned and stepped forward, shaking her hand, "I'm Sarah Harding; it's nice to meet you too. We're friends of the family, and Jeremy's been kind enough to let us stay here."

They all sat down at the table and dug into the breakfast that Jeremy had prepared, chatting politely. Jeremy deftly steered the conversation away from dangerous topics, and both Savannah and Sarah were smart enough to realize that Natalia was not knowledgeable to the truths of their identities or those of the Pack.

When everyone had eaten their fill Sarah and Savannah insisted on cleaning up, leaving Natalia and Jeremy to their own devices. Jeremy went to paint and Natalia sat in the living room by the fire, reading, her solitude eventually being broken when Savannah shyly asked to join her.

Natalia smiled brightly, "Please! It's been awfully quiet with just Jeremy and I around here. Do you have a book to read?" she asked.

Savannah nodded and sat next to her, pulling a book out of her backpack. They sat in silence, Savannah's feet curled under her, her head on Natalia's shoulder.

"Savannah! Come upstairs please!" Sarah called. Savannah sighed and smiled at Natalia before rising and heading upstairs.

A few moments later Natalia heard voices upstairs, talking softly. She wasn't able to make out words, but the tone sounded worried, urgent. Curious, she stood, and made her way silently to the foot of the stairs, listening intently.

After a moment she heard their words more clearly. Sarah spoke softly, "We need to conduct a warding spell immediately if we want the house to be safe. It's going to take time to prepare, so we need to start now. Savannah, are you ready for this?" she asked.

"Yes, I can do this" the younger girl murmured.

"What about Natalia? What do we tell her? She can't know about my family." Jeremy said urgently.

"Witchcraft has been in the modern world for years. She's probably heard of Wicca, so we can tell her what we're doing and it'll seem odd, but it'll fly. Just come up with a story. Okay?" Sarah asked.

There was movement upstairs and Natalia hurried back to the living room, her heart pounding. Come up with a story? Lie to me is more like it. He told me he couldn't tell me certain things about his family…but witchcraft? What the hell!?-her mind scrambled to understand what the hell could be going on.

She was furious with Jeremy for planning to lie to her, for not trusting her with the truth. A few moments later when the trio came down the stairs, Jeremy found her on the couch, her nose buried in her book.

He could sense her emotions were unhappy, upset even, but he couldn't tell if it was about the book, or something else. Walking over, he sat down and brushed a strand of hair back from her face, smiling at her softly. "Good book?" he asked softly.

She shrugged, continuing to read. Jeremy felt his unease grow. Was she upset with him?

"What's wrong Natalia?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just tired." She set her book down and smiled at him, though it was strained, and nothing like how she had looked at him that morning.

Jeremy sighed and nodded, "Well Savannah and Sarah are going to do help me plan a coming home part for Clay, Elena, Nick and Paige. We're expecting them in a few days and they want to make things special. Paige, Sarah and Savannah are in a coven together, they practice Wicca."

Natalia raised a brow and Jeremy nodded, smiling, "Yea, I know. But they would like to lay a protection spell down around the house. There's another big snowstorm coming in, and it would help us stay safe through it. Would you mind helping us?" he asked awkwardly.

Natalia sat, staring at him, knowing he wasn't telling the truth, but that in one way, he was. They wanted to protect the house, they believed they were witches, and they wanted her help. She could either chose to ignore them and find a way to leave, or stay and help and figure out what the hell was going on.

Eventually, her curious side won out, and she nodded, "Fine, I'll help."

Jeremy smiled, "Thank you. I'm going to help them gather the items they need, and when we're ready, we'll come get you, okay?" he murmured.

Natalia nodded and smiled at him stiffly. Jeremy leaned in to kiss her, and felt a cold chill when she turned her face, his lips falling on her cheek. He pulled away and sighed, standing, staring at her for a moment before walking away.

Natalia sighed and shook her head, leaning forward, her head dropping into her hands, "What the hell is happening?" she whispered. She sat that way for a long time, contemplating how her life had gotten to this point.

She didn't cry, she didn't weep, she simply sat and wondered what it meant that her life was at the point that she was involved with a man that would tell her nothing about his family, his friends were witches, and he lied to her.

She had done no better in her first relationship after her divorce. Shaking her head, she stood and walked back upstairs to Jeremy's room, tossing her book on the bed before she mindlessly began to repack her suitcase.

Her phone buzzed and she smiled when she saw a text from JoAnne.

Hey girl! How are things at Jeremy's? Have you two shacked up yet? xD

Natalia sighed and smiled wryly.

Things are ok, we hooked up last night…but things are weird today. His friends are here today, and they say they're saying they're witches.

WHAT?!

Yea…they want to do a protection spell around the house…because there is another snow storm coming, and they want us to be safe…plus some bullshit about a homecoming party for Clay/Elena/Paige/Nick. I don't know JoAnne…I don't trust him. Something isn't right.

Do you want me to come get you?

Natalia sighed and ran a hand over her face, shaking her head.

I don't think so. I just want to understand what's happening here.

*sigh* Okay. If you need anything, you let me know.

Natalia smiled.

Will do girl :D

:) ttyl Natalia

Natalia hear footsteps outside the door and sighed when the door opened, revealing Jeremy. He stood in the doorway, staring at her. "We're ready. Would you come outside with us?" he asked softly.

Natalia nodded and stood, "Sure." She pulled on her coat and followed him downstairs where Savannah handed her a white candle and a lighter.

Sarah handed her a walkie talkie, "We'll light the candles simultaneously, otherwise the spell doesn't work. Got it?" she asked.

Natalia nodded, taking the walkie and slipping it into her pocket before following her outside. Sarah pointed to the corner of the house, "We need to dig holes into the ground at the four corners of the house, bury the candles, light them, and then Savannah will burn the photo she has, and we will all repeat the following spell."

She handed them slips of paper which they read silently, and then tucked into their pockets. Sarah rubbed a spot of lavender oil onto each of their foreheads before nodding, "Okay, we're good. I set up the altar inside. Let's go."

Natalia nodded and headed for the south corner of the house, kneeling down to scrape away the snow and then dig into the frozen ground with the shovel that Jeremy had leaned against the house. When she was done she settled the candle into the ground and pulled the walkie out.

"I've got my candle ready" she informed the group.

"Good, I'm ready here" Sarah replied.

"Me too" Savannah chimed in.

"All done" Jeremy spoke softly.

"Okay, on the count of three, we light our candles. Everyone get ready" Sarah informed them.

Natalia knelt and pulled out her lighter, waiting.

"One"

Natalia flicked the lighter, getting the flame ready.

"Two"

She brought her hand closer, her other hand cupping the candle, making sure the flame wouldn't expire.

"Three"

She lit the candle, jumping when the flame jumped nearly six inches.

"Now read the spell" Sarah called out over the walkie.

Natalia pulled the slip of paper out and began to read it;

"candles of thee, green and white,
bring protection here this night,
the moon is full, the sky is clear,
misfortune and evil disappear,
the mighty wolf shall ever reign,
and be protected from hair to bone,
come hither, come hither,
sprits of the wolf, strong and great,
be guarded by this circle and thought out your life."

As she spoke the final words, her vision blurred…..suddenly she saw two large wolves, one charcoal black, the other an oaky brown. They were standing in front of StoneHaven, hackles raised, growling as a line of wolves galloped towards them.

Two brightly burning figures flanked them, hurling bolts of fire and ice and power, knocking the oncoming wolves aside, red painting the snow.

Natalia had never felt such terror in her life.

Turning, she ran, faster than she had run ever before. Hearing a huffing noise and pounding footsteps behind her, she glanced over her shoulder, terror seizing her heart when she saw an enormous grey wolf chasing her.

She ran faster, if that was possible, but the wolf only increased its pace. It let out a howl, sending a chill down her spine. A moment later it lunged, knocking her to the ground. Her head slammed into the snowy ground, momentarily stunning her.

The wolf's hot breath roused her, and a moment later, its teeth bit, tearing the flesh and muscle of her shoulder. Natalia screamed in agony….it was never ending….until the wolf's weight was gone and she could roll over weakly and stare up at the sky.

As the snow fell, she felt nothing but pain…and then, suddenly it worsened; her spine feeling like someone had ripped her in two and set her on fire. Screaming…writhed in pain…..

The vision ended and Natalia found herself on her back, staring up at the sky, breathing heavily. Jeremy knelt by her side, concern and fear etched on his face. He reached out and touched her cheek softly, "Natalia, are you alright? What happened?" he asked worriedly.

Natalia's brow furrowed, "Did you…not see that?" she asked. She wasn't sure she believed in magic….but she didn't know how to explain what had just happened….unless she was just crazy.

Jeremy's face crumpled into confusion, "See what?" he asked softly. Had she seen the spell work? Had there been some sort of repercussion? Running his hand over her forehead gently, he stared down at her worried, "Are you ok?" he asked again.

Natalia sat up slowly, shaking. "I-I don't know. I think I just didn't eat enough…being out in the cold…I must have passed out." She wouldn't meet his eyes, and Jeremy was certain that there was more to the story.

Despite that, he nodded, "Okay, let's get you inside." He smiled gently and wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her into the house. He forced her into a chair at the kitchen table and quickly got her a plate of leftovers, making sure she was eating before going to speak with Sarah and Savannah.

They stood in the living room, talking softly. "I think Natalia saw something when the spell was initiated. Did you?" he asked them.

Sarah and Savannah shook their heads.

"We were all connected, we should have all seen a vision if she did. I don't understand…." Sarah trailed off. She looked over at Savannah and frowned.

Savannah sighed, "I'll talk to her, see if she did anything different, if she changed the spell, she might have initiated a vision." Sarah nodded, it was possible.

Jeremy paced, worried. They had used a spell of wolf protection, specifically because they were protecting against Mutts. What if the spell had revealed to Natalia the truth?

He would have to kill her.

He walked out to stare into the kitchen, watching as Natalia ate, her face pale and drawn. He could smell her fear, worry, and pain. She was so scared, and none of his lies could make it better.

A moment later, he heard the sound of tires on snow and turned, walking towards the front door. He inhaled deeply, sighing with relief when he recognized the scent.

Throwing the door open, he smiled warmly at Karl Marsten. "It's good to see you Karl" he said, reaching out to shake his hand.

Karl nodded, but his demeanor remained solemn. "We really need to move inside. They're coming."

Jeremy stepped aside, shutting the door behind them and locking it. "When?" he asked tersely.

Karl glanced around, "Now." He pointed to the doors and windows, "You'll need to lock up a bit tighter mate."

Jeremy stiffened and nodded, "We need to get to it. Can you start?" he asked.

Karl nodded, "Get your bird somewhere safe" he quipped.

Jeremy paused, and then nodded. He went to the kitchen and touched Natalia softly on the arm, "Natalia, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" he asked.

She turned in her chair and stared at him, a whirlwind of emotions racing through her. Finally she nodded, "Why?" she asked softly.

Jeremy pulled her up out of the chair and up the stairs to the work room where he painted. He gently pushed on a panel in the wall and then stood back as it sighed, sliding aside. Natalia watched with wide eyes as a panic room was revealed.

"What the hell?" she muttered.

"It's for emergencies" Jeremy replied softly.

"No shit" she whispered.

Jeremy walked her in and she was surprised to see it was more spacious than she thought, with an attached bathroom. Jeremy showed her the security feeds of the house, and the food supplies. Last, he pulled out a trunk and showed her the guns that she could use if anyone managed to break into the panic room.

"They can't, not without my handprint. But, if they somehow realize it's here, and force me to let them in….use these. Got it?" he asked.

Natalia stared at the guns and then up at him, his expression deadly serious. In that moment she wanted to run away, get as far as possible from StoneHaven. Finally, she nodded.

"When this is over, we're done" she murmured. She watched as a pained expression crossed his face, and hid her own, swallowing it, burying it deep. No man worth being with would put her in this kind of danger.

"I understand" Jeremy whispered, avoiding her gaze.

They stood, not looking at each other for a long time, until Karl shouted up the stairs, "Oye! I could use a hand here Danvers!"

Jeremy startled and turned to look at Natalia, her expression one of loss, and pain. He wanted to hold her, make it all go away. But he knew how angry and hurt she was.

"I'm sorry Natalia. I never meant for any of this to happen. I only ever wanted to be with you, and to be happy. You've made me happier than I thought was possible." He spoke softly, watching her face, and when she didn't react he nodded and turned away to leave.

Her hand on his arm stopped him.

Natalia grabbed him and pulled him back, her hand winding through his hair, rising up on her toes to kiss him, desperately. Jeremy's arms wound around her waist, snaking up her back to pull her closer, pushing her gently back against the wall.

They kissed until they had no air left, until they had given each other everything, and when they broke apart, Natalia had tears streaming down her face. Turning away, she felt Jeremy behind her, his breath warm on her neck.

He stood that way for a long moment, aching to stay, to try and fix things, but knew he couldn't, there was no fixing this.

Taking a shaky breath, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I wish I could change things." He waited another moment and then backed away, his heart aching with the loss. Placing his hand on the wall outside the safe room, he watched Natalia's form until the door slid shut.

Standing outside it, he listened as she cried, heart wrenching sobs.

Turning away, he let the pain, anger and sadness settle in, galvanizing him for battle. When these Mutts showed up, they would find an Alpha hungry for battle, and eager to release some of his pent up emotions.

There would be no mercy.


AN: Hey guys! I went back recently (8/18/2015 and edited all the chapters. Since multiple people were saying that Jeremy was acting OOC, I thought I would do some editing to try and fix that, and I think I've done a good job? lol I would hope that those of you who think that he was acting OOC could tolerate going back and re-reading and letting me know? This is something that's really bugging me, so if it still seems like he's OOC to you after the edits, then I guess we'll all just have to live with it, because I honestly don't know what else to add. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think!