A/N: Bones owns. Thanks again to Words without for the beta!
Toboe and I emerged out of the apartment to the sound of a wailing police siren. Hige moved rather guiltily towards his sedan; although the car was hardly blocking traffic, it was not exactly in a legal parking space, either, due to the haste with which he'd arrived on the scene. The policeman who exited the squad car was not interested in minor vehicular offenses though, heading straight for my father instead. Pushing the gun down, Detective Lebowski put a supportive hand to Pop's shoulder and began to speak in hushed, harsh tones.
"Quent, I understand how dangerous this could be if it were true, but… a wolf?" Hubb Lebowski ran a hand through his close-cropped brown hair before shoving his fedora back into place. "You're sure it's not just a dog that happened to be in the alley around the same time as your target?"
"The kid would have had to have climbed pretty damned fast to get up to the roof before Blue and I were on him." Pops recognized the expression of frustrated disbelief in his friend's eyes as well as I did; if I hadn't seen it myself, I'd be agreeing with the detective. "I'm not drunk, Hubb. You know I don't let it addle my wits when I'm on an assignment."
Detective Lebowski shook his head, glancing briefly to Toboe and me to gage our current states of mind. I don't think he liked the expressions he saw, but he recognized them. "Nope; your judgment I can trust. It's just your superstitions that make me worry every now and then." Pops frowned, but since it was Hubb, he held his peace.
"This isn't just some superstition. I know what we saw," I spoke up, moving towards Hige. "I know it's hard to believe, detective, but that thing in the alley wasn't normal. Dogs can't leap like that." Men can't leap like that, I wanted to add, but Toboe was at my side, his eyes firm and his hand twitching toward his bracelets.
"We'll be outta town for a couple days, Hubb. I'm getting this target." Pops tipped his fedora and walked away from the policeman.
The detective let his hand drop and then reached to the wide brim of his hat to return the gesture. "I suspect you will, Quent. You've always been the best at bringing them in."
Hige opened the trunk of his car and lifted a suitcase out of Toboe's hands. "Would you mind telling the Doc that I'm taking a sick leave, Mr. Lebowski?" my fiancé asked. "I feel a bad case of 'Girlfriend in Trouble Flu' coming on."
Lebowski chuckled at that. "I hear you there, but Cher'll miss your help in the lab."
"We'll be back as soon as we can," Hige promised, loading another bag.
I reached for his arm. "Are you sure you want to come along? This could be dangerous, Hige."
"Then you'd be better off with a car and driver," he said with a shrug. "Where to, o mighty hunters?" he asked, pulling open the passenger door for me.
"Let's start with Tsume's apartment. That's the last place that wolf stayed," Pops said, climbing into the back with an unsettlingly silent Toboe.
"All right then," Hige said, turning his keys in the ignition. "But first, we've gotta stop for gas and run by my place for some clothes. Nobody thought to bring food, did they?"