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Chapter 9 – All About Annie

At Adam's

Annie lay awake in the bed of the spare bedroom at the Hauptman's. It was hard for her to relax knowing that she was sharing a house with a very powerful werewolf, a lethal predator that could probably kill her before she could say 'oh crap'. Not that she knew if Adam would hurt her, but she was not comfortable being around people who were so much stronger than her. She had learned early on that those who were strong used it against the weak, so it was best to avoid them.

She had drawn her powers around her as a protective shell, the feeling of its warmth calming her down and bringing her some peace of mind. Since she was going to stay, she would have plenty of time to adjust to the idea of being around people who weren't out to harm her, but for now she reserved the right to be cautious.

Rolling over onto her side and smoothing her hair from her face, Annie stared into the darkness of the room. It felt strange, having so many people in her life after being alone for so long, but it was a good strange, one that she wouldn't mind getting used to. Closing he eyes Annie drifted off to a thankfully dreamless sleep.

At Mercy's

Mercy got home later than usual after working on a much loved bug for most of the day. Despite her best efforts however, the bug was dead, and it would cost the owner more than the car was worth for the repairs. Sighing at the realization that she would have to break the bad news to them herself – Gabriel had made those calls the last three times – she had decided to put it off until tomorrow. Unlocking the door and stepping inside, she was met by a waiting Medea. Scooping up the cat on her way to the kitchen, Mercy put her purse down and set about feeding them both.

She hadn't been in the house five minutes when the phone rang. Placing her bowl of pasta on the counter – courtesy of Samuel, who was well aware of how little Mercy cooked – picked up the phone.

"Mercy here." She answered. There were only a few people who had her home number, and fewer still who would call after 6pm.

"I missed you at dinner." Adam's voice came out of the earpiece in a husky tone that she wasn't sure was entirely accidental, but made her heart skip a beat none-the-less. Hopping onto the counter, Mercy let a smile spread across hr lips.

"I had to work late. How was the meeting?" she asked, not really wanting to talk about pack business, but she knew it was important. Adam sighed, conveying how tired he really was before answering.

"It went as well as can be expected. We know what we are up against now with Bright Future and we're keeping an eye out for anything unusual." He proceeded to fill her in while she ate and got ready for bed, with her butting in and asking questions here and there.

"So all we can do now is wait." Mercy stated once Adam had finished, she was lying on her bed, looking up at the ceiling with a slight frown on her face – she hated playing the waiting game, it made her feel like prey waiting for the hunter to strike.

"Unfortunately yes, at least until we have some more information. I'm looking into Blackwood Industries to see what I can find, but right now caution and surveillance is all we can do." Mercy sighed, more than a little annoyed at the situation. Most of the problems that came up always had something that only she could do, but this was just too big, and she was having a hard time coming to terms with the idea of sitting this one out. She knew nothing about politics anyways, so if she did help it wouldn't be very much.

"Go to sleep Mercy, you're tired. Let me handle it." Adam could feel her frustration through their mate-bond, and he knew it wouldn't help if she burned herself out focusing on problems she couldn't fix. Smiling, Mercy looked over at the clock, it was already after 10:30.

"Tell me about dinner first." She was genuinely curious about how Annie was doing, and how she was fitting in.

"Dinner was a little awkward, I think Annie felt out of place, but she and Jesse get along fine, so there isn't anything to worry about." Adam was a little wary of having strangers around his pack, let alone his daughter, but Annie didn't seem to be a threat, and it would be good for Jesse if she had a friend to help bear the burden of living with werewolves. He knew how hard it was for his daughter to straddle both worlds, even if she never complained.

"She's doing well, considering the circumstances. I remember trying to fit in at my mother's house when I went to live with her, and at least she knew I existed."

"It's going to be interesting for both of them, but Samuel knows how important she is, so he won't give up." Adam agreed. He and the lone wolf may not be the best of friends, what with their previous competition over Mercy and the matter of dominance, but he liked Samuel as a person, and he knew too well how difficult it was for male werewolves to have children. Annie was a blessing without even knowing it.

After a few more minutes of enjoying each other's conversation, Mercy decided to call it a night. Hanging up the phone she crawled under the covers, already feeling the absence of Adam's voice. And Adam. Mercy sighed. Ever since they had become mates she had been more inclined to have him close by. They spent most nights at his house, and he frequently came over to hers when she was around.

He had even suggested her moving in with him and Jesse, there was plenty of room and it made sense for them to live together. But she had avoided that conversation, telling him that she liked her trailer, and Samuel was her pack, and he needed her. Both of these things were true, and he let it be. But if Mercy was honest with herself, the real reason she didn't want to move in with him was was silly, she knew, but her trailer was hers and she wasn't ready to give that up; her entire life she had been fighting with dominant wolves to keep herself and her independence, and while she loved Adam, she loved that too. Sighing, Mercy snuggled further into the covers.

Annie's arrival and Samuel's pending departure from her house made her realize that Sam probably wouldn't need her now as much as he used to. She needed time to think, perhaps living with Adam was a good idea… besides, if she did give up her trailer she would still have her garage. With that final thought she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Samuel's car

Samuel held his breath; he didn't need his werewolf senses to pick up on the seriousness of his brother's voice. Whatever Charles had found, it was not good. Steeling himself, he nodded before remembering that his brother couldn't see the movement.

"Go ahead." On the other end of the line, Charles took a deep breath before shuffling some papers around.

"Well, from what you gave me, I was able to track her movements backwards through the foster care system. After the death of her mother when she was eight, Annie was placed in foster care where she was moved from home to home. From when she was eight until her eighteenth birthday, she had lived in a total of fifteen households."

Samuel frowned as he turned over this information in his head, several things jumping to his attention as he did so. First, was that Annie had been moved around far too many times.

Samuel spoke.

"That's more than one house a year. Does it say why she was moved around so much?"

Charles nodded, knowing very well that his brother couldn't see him.

"According to the files Annie was a troubled kid. She was picked up by the cops a few times for stealing and trespassing on private property. The trouble caused some of the families to give Annie up and place her back in the system." Charles began.

"And the others?" Samuel asked.

"Some of the changes were made at the discretion of the case worker, not at the request of the foster carers. I cross referenced her medical records with her foster care file, When she was in certain homes she had a large number of unexplained injuries. There are broken bones, burns, bruises, concussions and malnutrition. I'd say she was abused on and off during her time in the foster care system."

Samuel took a breath and rested his head on the window of his saw it every time he looked at her; it was in the way she stood, never letting herself get blocked into a corner, always keeping an eye on the exit. It was there in the wary looks she gave him, like she was waiting for him to strike out, and he hadn't wanted to accept it. The very idea that his daughter, his own flesh and blood, had been subject to violence made his blood boil. And it felt even worse to know that there was nothing he could do about it. He could never save her, and he didn't know how to fix it.

"Sam, there's something else. Her file also says that she was incarcerated in a juvenile detention centre for two years. Because she was a minor her record has been expunged, but I was able to crack open the records. Annie was arrested for grand theft auto in connection with a chop shop run by a mobster. She was 15."

Charles stopped to let this information sink in, and Samuel was completely silent on the other end.

Samuel sighed and rubbed his face harshly with his free hand. He had known when he first made the call to get his brother's aid that he would not like the answers he got, but to have all his suspicions proved correct about his daughter's past was hard. She had been abused for years, bounced around and abandoned by people who were supposed to care, left to fend for herself, fell in with criminals and was locked up for two years. No wonder she was so introverted.

"What happened after she got out?" He asked, not quite able to keep the growl from his voice.

"Annie got her GED in juvie and her parole officer got her a job stacking shelves in a library. She's been there ever since, and lives in a rented room in an apartment building not too far from her work." There was silence on both ends. "She got her life together Sam. There's no record of her committing any crimes after she became an adult."

Samuel pondered this before sighing.

"It seems I have a lot to think about. Thank you Charles, you really helped." There was an awkward pause with neither brother knowing quite what to say to the other. Finally, Charles spoke up.

"Sam, I think the best thing is to just be patient, even though the abuse is in the past, she still suffers from the affects now. It will take a while and a lot of help before she will be comfortable with you." He spoke from experience, and Samuel knew that his brother's mate had gone through similar treatment, though he desperately hoped that his little girl had not gone through that.

"Thank you." He said again, unsure of how to reply. He needed to think, and he best did that alone. As if on que, Charles shifted on the other end of the line.

"You're welcome. Goodnight brother." With that he hung up, leaving Samuel alone in the silent car.

Sighing, Sam pushed all thoughts out of his head. He would be patient and wait as long as it took to gain Annie's trust. He knew there was nothing he could do about the past. He could, however, ensure that nothing and no one would ever harm his daughter again. With that in mind Samuel started his car, turning back onto the road towards home, certain that he wasn't going to get any sleep.

At Adam's

The next morning dawned bright and early, as they usually do, and Annie began to wonder at her lapse of judgment that lead to her blinds to be partially open, allowing the entrance of the sliver of sunlight that had stabbed at her eyelids, ruthlessly tearing away the veil of sleep. Groaning, she sat up and looked around her temporary room. It was a Friday, which meant that Adam and Mercy would both have work today.

Jesse's school year didn't start for another three weeks, so the two girls would have the whole house to themselves. Samuel worked the night shift so Annie could spend time with him too. Thinking about work made her remember her own job at the library, and she felt a pang of guilt and home sickness at the thought of it. She didn't have much by way of possessions, but the few people who worked along side her at the library had become good friends, and she missed them, not to mention the normalcy that her work routine had given her.

In the past week her entire world had shifted; she had gone from a poor lonely orphan that nobody wanted or cared about to the daughter of a werewolf, an acquaintance with an alpha and several other people, and the potential resident of a house in Finley, not to mention she had acquired a friend who reminded her of a rainbow. It was a lot to take in, and not for the first time Annie wondered what she had been thinking when she started this mission. Not that she regretted coming, the thought, but she felt odd, as though she didn't know where she fit in anymore.

Everything she thought she knew had changed, and the future she had anticipated was no longer the road ahead of her. Rubbing her hand over her face to erase the residue of sleep, Annie flipped the covers aside and hopped out of bed. She would have to go back to Ann Arbor soon, but not today, so there was no use thinking about it.

Finally up and ready for the day, Annie came out into the main area of the house downstairs to find Adam and Jesse up and readying breakfast. Frowning at the man's presence she looked around for a clock, finding one on the wall in the dining room she was surprised to see it was 7:30, she hadn't realised she was up so early.

"Hey, you're awake! Good thing too, Dad would've eaten all the pancakes if you had slept in." Jesse's voice was bright and cheery, much like the girl herself, and Annie was hit by the notable discovery that her colourful friend was a morning person.

"Good morning Jesse, Mr. Hauptman." She replied as she walked towards the two occupants, nodding to each respectively.

"Good morning Annie, and please, call me Adam." The alpha replied, turning slightly to study the girl before him. He was still curious about her odd reactions – or lack thereof – to werewolves but had yet to spot anything else out of the ordinary. Her body language told him that she was cautious, but she seemed a little more relaxed in Jesse's presence, obviously not considering her to be a threat.

As she sat down next to Jesse – leaving the width of the table as a barrier between herself and the alpha – Adam went about serving her a good sized plate of pancakes which she proceeded to smother in butter and maple syrup. She was a small girl and could use some added weight.

The Hauptmans and their guest made some small talk, mostly fuelled by Jesse, who couldn't wait to show Annie her CD collection, and Annie felt herself calm down, settling more comfortably in her seat.

Adam had not, as he had pretended, missed the odd interactions of his dinner guests the previous night, and looking back on it now, wondered if their was perhaps something personal going on between Samuel's daughter and his wolf Ben. While he had at first doubted it, since both Warren and Annie seemed confused, the more he thought about Ben's behavior, the more out of character it seemed.

Ben was a misogynist and, to put it bluntly, a bit of a jerk. If he had known Annie, he would have said something, and no doubt it would have been inappropriate, though he did tone down his bad behavior for Adam and his daughter. He was also loyal and painfully honest, and Adam trusted him perhaps more than he did most of the other members in his pack.

He had been wary of the Englishman at first, but Ben had proven himself beyond a doubt, putting his life on the line for his pack on more than one occasion. No then, they didn't know each other, Ben however, appeared to recognize her. Adam had not missed his obvious distraction during their meeting, or the smug look he wore in the presence of Samuel's daughter.

For whatever reason, this girl had piqued Ben's interest and he only hoped that nothing bad came of it; Ben was an odd one, but not as dangerous as he seemed. Adam trusted Warren to keep Ben in line, and for now Adam had seen nothing to make him think that Ben was anything but extremely curious. It was an amusing thought, one he would share with Mercy later.

Ben's office

Ben both loved and hated Fridays. They signalled the end of the week, and there was always the knowledge that when you stepped out of the office at the end of the day, you wouldn't have to return for two days. However, Fridays also seemed to drag on, and mostly consisted of filing paperwork and answering emails. Despite this boring workload, he was in a markedly better mood then yesterday.

His hunt was back in full swing, and all he needed to do now was figure out his next move. He was intrigued by Annie, he wanted to know where she was from, why she was here, and why now? He had been unable to ask these questions at dinner last night, and looking back had the hindsight to realise that making her uncomfortable was not likely to help.

Scratching his head, effectively turning his tidy hair into an array of messy blonde strands that somehow looked better on him than the previously neat hairstyle, Ben sat down on the computer chair in his office ad placed his work bag under his desk. He had the entire weekend to come up with and execute a plan of action, and the sooner he got through his work, the sooner that weekend began.

At Mercy's

Samuel ha drifted off to sleep sometime in the early hours of morning. It had taken him a while to settle down his wolf and start thinking rationally about the situation. Once he had stopped imagining how easy it would be to track down Annie's abusers and rip them to pieces he had begun to think in terms of the present; what would he now do with the information Charles gave him?

That had been easy to answer with a clear head: he would buy the house that Annie wanted; he would support her, nurture her and love her unconditionally. He would build a perfect and safe place in his life for her, and he would never let her suffer again. It was on that note that he had gone to sleep, and it was still there when he woke up mid-morning. (Being a werewolf had its perks, one of which being that he didn't need as much sleep as a normal human, as long as he didn't overdo it.)

Mercy had already left for work, so Samuel had the trailer to himself as he showered dressed and ate breakfast – with the food doing more to wake him up than the warm water of the shower did. Once ready for the day Sam began sorting out everything he had so far on the house hunting project, taking the advertisement for the last house they visited and placing it off to one side. He would keep his promise to keep her safe and happy, and if that meant buying the house she wanted, then he couldn't really think of a better thing to do.

Last of the revised chapters, and now onto the new ones, please review and tell em what you think!

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