A/N: Thanks to Angel of the night Watchers and Niffer01 for their reviews of the last chapter, and also to everyone who added me and/or this story to their alerts and favs lists.

'09...was not a good year for me. Hopefully '10 will be better, and my muses will actually talk to me instead of sitting in the corner and glaring. Thank you all for sticking with me, I swear I will finish this story if it takes me forever. Though I REALLY hope it doesn't .

As always, Review and Enjoy!

Reid pressed his head against the cool glass of the window as he watched the scenery roll by. They'd been driving all of the previous day, their own little convoy of the Impala, the Hummer, and Pogue on his bike. They switched around a little for variety, but it was still mind-numbing to be doing the same thing for hours and hours.

He looked down as his hand stroked through her silky black hair. Talia had been driving all morning, and more than half of the day before. She was now sleeping in the back of her car with her head pillowed in his lap as Will sat up front at the wheel.

They'd met up with Ophelia as planned, and lunch had been pretty good. Too bad she was a vegetarian, he could of used a bit if red meat. Caleb and Sarah had left them then, making their way to her parents house as the rest of them started on the long drive to Rochester. They'd got in kind of late, and had to start fairly early the next morning, so everyone was pretty subdued.

He knew the others were nervous about meeting the Shifters for the first time, he and Tyler more so, since they also happened to by dating two of the most important women to the Alpha. Will was scary enough…Reid was praying that Jakob didn't rip them to shreds.

"How long?" he asked Will quietly, meeting the wolf's grey eyes in the rear view mirror.

"Couple hours," he replied, his voice also quiet, not wanting to wake his sleeping sister. "Don't worry, I got it covered, just get some sleep."

Reid nodded, and leaned back, trying to relax despite his uncomfortable position.

Talia woke to a soft voice, and she realized the car wasn't moving.

"Wake up, babe. You're home," Reid said softly, dropping a kiss on her temple.

"Home? We're in Chicago?" she asked muzzily, sitting up and rubbing the mark off her cheek from Reid's jeans. She looked out the dark window, and sure enough, they were home.

She loved the woods of Massachusetts, and her friends, but her stomach flipped at the though of seeing her family again, of sleeping in her own room.

"Yup, we're here little sis," Will grinned from the front seat. "Pogue and Alex are a little further behind, Tyler and Jess are waiting outside."

Will got out of the car, the door creaking shut behind him and he went to fill Tyler in.

Talia turned to Reid with a grin. "Ready to meet the big bad wolf?" she smirked.

Reid glared at her and she couldn't resist leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled his waist, kissing him leisurely on the mouth as his hands wrapped around her tightly. He sat back against the leather of the seat, and they got lost in a world of wet lips and exploring tongues. His hands had just started to drift up under her tank-top when there was a loud rapping noise on the window, making them jump.

She sighed, resting her head against his. "I guess it's time," she murmured.

"We could always stay here," he grinned. "Live in the back of the car forever, livin' off our loooooove."

She laughed softly. "You are such and idiot sometimes."

"You love it."

"Mmmm, I do, but we'd better get going, the car doesn't have a bathroom, so it might get a little old after a while," she pointed out, sliding reluctantly off her lap.

"True," he grimaced, dropping a kiss on her temple before they got out of the car. They slid out of the back just as Pogue and Alex pulled up.

"We ready?" Will asked, not even lifting an eyebrow as Tal tugged her shirt back down.

"I guess," Pogue answered with a shrug, still straddling his bike.

"Anything we should know? Social faux pas we should avoid?" Alex asked, shaking out her long wavy hair.

Will shrugged, and Talia bit her lip thoughtfully. "Try not to piss people off? Lycans can be a little…aggressive…toward outsiders. Just don't let them get to you. Last thing we need is a fight," she advised, rolling her eyes.

"Roger that," Pogue grinned, giving her a salute. Alex just smiled weakly.

Jess hugged Tyler, kissing him once more before they went inside. It would be obvious to any Shifter who didn't already know that she and Tal were involved with Tyler and Reid, but they were trying not to make a big thing of it, at least until things had settled down.

"Alright," Reid said, clapping his hands together. "Lets get this over with."

Reid tried to act relaxed as they walked through the dented metal doors, but his heart was pounding in his chest, and what was worse, he knew every single Shifter in the place could hear it.

The dim bar was buzzing when they walked in, people talking over beers in the normal small groups throughout the room, a harassed looking waitress darting between the tables. A big guy was pulling drinks behind the bar while a bored looking barmaid leaned against it, popping gum.

Tal, Jess and Will walked in first, and the second he and Tyler crossed the threshold, the voices cut out, almost like they had been put on mute. Tarbox Ramblers 'Ashes to Ashes' rumbled out of the speakers, not helping the tension any. Every single set of eyes in the place was fixed on them, and Reid noticed a few animal-like glows in the darker corners of the room.

Every single person in the room was Pack.

"Awkward…" Reid said under his breath, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Baby Boy.

Talia squared her shoulders and walked forward, heading towards the back on the room. She nodded at certain people, and stared others down, and Reid couldn't believe how turned on he was by her. She was…regal, almost.

Jess followed in Talia and Will's wake, not directly challenging, but not backing down, either, and Reid finally began understand the intricacies of their hierarchy. They stopped at one of the back tables, and a single figure stood, his dark hair and grey Sarka eyes giving him away as Talia's brother.

And he was big. Well over 6', with broad, well muscled shoulders and a build to match. His mouth was grim, his eyes were narrowed and his muscles were tensed. Pogue shifted nervously beside him, and it was only then that Reid realized the rest of the Shifters had moved soundlessly to surround them, cutting off their exit to the door.

There was some shuffling among the Sons, unsure what to do in the ominous silence. They weren't scared, exactly, more wary of the giant in front of them, and how important his continued friendship was. Not to mention the fact that two of them were dating his sisters.

Suddenly he was rushing towards them, and Reid tensed, feeling Tyler and Pogue do the same beside him. Before they could even react, Jakob was scooping Talia and Jess to him, one in each arm. The girls feet cleared the floor as the big wolf laughed joyfully, and smiles broke out around them, and the attention they were receiving became more curious than anything else.

"Ah, it's good to have you back home," Jakob grinned, finally setting the girls back on their feet. Grabbing Talia's chin, he scrutinized her closely, giving her a scolding look.

"You ever scare me like that again, I'll kick your ass," he threatened, pulling her to his chest and pressing a kiss to her forehead. Pulling back, he gave Will a slap on the shoulder, he smile and nodded proudly, then turned to the rest of them.

"So, you must be the Witches that have been giving us so much trouble," he grinned, not looking particularly upset by the fact.

Tal stepped forward, and Reid relaxed the second he saw the excited happiness on her beautiful face.

"Jake, this is Pogue, Alex, Tyler and Reid," she said, indicating each in turn, and taking Reid's hand as she said his name. Jake's eyes flicked to their hands, and to the way Jess was standing so close to Tyler. His jaw tightened a little, but he didn't say anything about it. "Come, sit!"

They were pulling a few chairs up when they were suddenly attacked by a blur of red hair. Or rather, Jess was attacked.

"Whoa!" Tyler exclaimed as Jess stumbled back into him, a confused look on his face as his girlfriend laughed.

"That's what you get for not telling us you were back!" Rena said, pushing her way through the crowd Garret following behind with a slow smirk on his face. "Alright, girls. Let you sister breathe," she scolded lightly.

Suddenly the guys found themselves under the wide-eyed stare of three pairs of identical brown slanted eyes. Jess' little sisters. The thirteen-year-old identical triplets.

"So which one's yours?" one of the girls asked, the other two snickering.

"Shut up, Mira," Jess glared, a blush spreading over her cheeks.

Rena stepped forward, giving her daughter a big hug, before turning to Tyler and doing the same.

"It's good to see you again, Ms. Li," he said politely, is own cheeks distinctly pink under all the scrutiny.

"Oooooh, he's cuuuute," one of the other girls spoke, grinning shamelessly.

Jess rolled her eyes, sitting down at the large table and pulling Tyler down next to her. "Tyler, this is Mira, Yasmin," she said, indicating the two girls that had spoken. "And Jaya."

The third sister gave them a wave, staying silent, but her grin was just as wicked as the other three.

"It's good see you boys again," Rena said with a warm smile as they all settled at the table.

The rest of the room slowly went back to their business, seemingly a little disappointed that there wouldn't be a fight, and they all took seats around the table, Rena shooing the triplets off to give them some peace.

"Caleb and Sarah should be here in a day or two," Talia said once they were settled. "But we can make a start before then. We need to find out all we can about Costin and Vasili. Tyler's birthday is still a few months away, but it still might not be enough."

Jake grinned. "What do you take me for, little sis? I already pulled what I could from the archives. Most of it is un-translated, but there's some interesting stuff. 'course, if I actually knew what you were looking for, I mighta been able to help out more."

"Stop complaining, it's not like you haven't been busy enough," Rena scolded, raising an eyebrow.

"What happened?" Jess asked, frowning.

Jake sighed, shaking his head. "Just the usual, pack issues, Council on my back…" he shrugged. "The normal troubles of being the boss. Anyway, we can deal with all this tomorrow. Have a drink, relax, get some food if you're hungry. We had some rooms made up for you, you're our guests, after all," he said loudly enough that everyone in the bar would hear.

"So," Jakob began with a teasing grin. "How've you been doing in school little sis?" he asked, earning himself a glare from Tal.

The conversation took a more relaxed turn as Jakob asked the girls and Will about their time in Ipswich. They all shared in the stories, and the Sons began to feel more relaxed. But there was still a certain tension, and it had nothing to do with the dozens of skill and strong Shifters in the room.

Both Ty and Reid were involved with Jess and Talia respectively, and Jakob knew it. It was clear in the assessing glint of his eye, the way he watched them all talking together. Exchanging a look with Tyler, Reid knew his friend could sense it too. And some point, they were going to get 'the talk', the one they'd been able to avoid with Will. It was only a matter of time.

He looked over when he felt a hand on his thigh, meeting Talia's light-eyed gaze. It wasn't a sexual touch, although he still felt the familiar stirring in his groin. It was just meant to reassure him, and it worked. He returned her smile and settled back, allowing himself to simply enjoy the evening.

Taking her hand under the table, he squeezed and ran his fingers over her knuckles. He was almost drifting off himself when Will gave a jaw-cracking yawn, earning himself a few sympathetic winces.

"I think it's bedtime for you guys, you must have been driving all day," Rena said, dripping with motherly concern. "C'mon, I'll show you the rooms we made up."

Talia sighed happily, spinning and flopping onto her familiar bed. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the feeling of sinking into it. So much better than Spencers' mattresses. Back in her own home, in her own room – or the one she shared with Jess, at least – in her own bed. She gave a happy sigh, stretching her arms out in the soft red blankets.

She cracked an eye open when the bed shifted under her, smiling as Reid sat down next to her.

"So this is your room, huh?" he asked with a grin, looking around at the pictures and posters. "I was half expecting forest scenes and wolf eyes peering out."

She snickered and shook her head, but stayed silent, just watching him. It was strange, seeing him there. Like her two different worlds colliding. The one where she had to be the tough, perfect Alpha's little sister; the one where she could be herself with her friends.

That thought stilled her, her brow creasing. When had her life in Ipswich become the true one, and the one here the show?

"What's wrong babe?" Reid asked with a frown, running his index finger over her frown.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling at him. "It's just weird to be home."

"Tell me about it," he grinned back. "Your brother is, uh..."

"Big?" she supplied, laughing.

He growled playfully at her, dipping his head for a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his talented lips teased her. But they were cut short, jumping apart as Rena cleared her throat as she stood in the doorway.

"I'm all for young love, but it's time for bed, and you," she pointed at Reid. "Are sleeping down the hall," she replied firmly.

"Fine, fine," Talia sighed, rolling off her bed. "Night Reid," she said softly, placing a soft kiss on his lips before he walked out.

Sticking her tongue out at Rena, she grabbed a pair of pyjamas and got ready for bed.

It was a little past three in the morning when the sound of a door opening woke Tyler. He sat for a moment, then decided he needed to use the bathroom. Stumbling through the unfamiliar room guided only by the dim light of the hallway, he kept one hand on the wall as he headed for the bathroom.

The door was shut, and there was a little light shining through the bottom, so leaned against the wall as he waited for whoever was inside to finish up. A second later, the door opened and Tal shuffled out, looking a little rumpled, her hair sticking up where she'd slept on it.

"Hi," he said softly.

"Mmmph," she grunted in response, and he grinned as he noticed she wasn't heading back to her own room, but instead to the one he was sharing with Reid. He watched the door close behind her and shook his head on a chuckle.

Looks like he was sharing with Jess after all.

Talia was barely awake as she slipped into the room, her squinting eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light. Shuffling over to the occupied of the two beds, she slid under the covers without a word.

"That better be you, Tal," Reid mumbled sleepily, moving a hand over her waist. She just pressed a kiss to his jaw before drifting off into dreamland.