TITLE: A Weekend in Pleasantville
AUTHOR: Sam (Lestrade42@juno.com)
RATING: PG-13
FEEDBACK: My first attempt at both Special Unit 2 and Big Wolf on Campus.
DISCLAIMER: SU2 belongs to Evan Katz. BWOC belongs to Briggs/Knight .
Bit of explanation: SU2 is a special division of the Chicago police department that deals with the supernatural. Detective Nick O'Malley and his partner Kate Benson track down 'Links' (short for missing links- demons, witches, etc.). BWOC deals with the adventures of high school jock Tommy Dawkins, a werewolf, and his best friends Merton Dingle and Lori Baxter.
Well kids, it's that time of year again. No, not the annual dust bunny massacre known as Spring Cleaning... It's your list momma's birthday! Happy birthday, Karen. Be careful what you wish for... cause you just got it :-)
_____________________________________________________________________
Detective Nick O'Malley yawned for what seemed like the seventh time. "Kate, are you sure you don't want me to drive?"
Detective Kate Benson ignored her partner, concentrating on the dark road ahead of her.
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"Nick..."
"Are we there yet?"
Kate slammed on the brakes and spun around to face him. "If you don't stop, I'm gonna punch you!"
Nick smiled smugly. "So, we're not there yet?"
Kate's fist balled.
"Okay, I'm sorry. It wasn't my idea to do this messenger gig."
Kate calmly nodded and began to drive again. "So what exactly is the reason for this again?"
"The trip or the message?"
"Both."
"Well, apparently Jonathan has been corresponding with this guy on the Internet who has first hand werewolf experience. They've been trading research. He says he's pretty smart, has the possibility of a job with Special Unit Two when he gets out of high school."
"High school?" Kate snorted. "And how do we know that this kid isn't making this up. I mean, we all know how gullible Jonathan is."
"No. Captain Paige checked him out. His home town of Pleasantville is being quote terrorized unquote by a werewolf."
"Quote, unquote?"
"Yeah. See, this Merton guy insists that the werewolf is a good guy and that the citizens are over reacting. Jonathan says he's pretty knowledgeable about other things too, not just werewolves."
"It's a shame this Merton's not a girl. Jonathan would have proposed by now."
"You never can tell with Jonathan. Anyway, we're supposed to bring some experiments and papers to him in return for some werewolf research."
"And the second reason?"
"You mean why us?"
"Yeah."
"Well, actually it's really why me."
Kate sighed. "What did you do to Carl this time?" Carl was the unit's resident gnome thief and Nick's personal punching bag.
"We were just having a friendly conversation about the TV show 'The Sopranos' and he said that no one really uses concrete properly these days."
"So?"
"So I buried him up to his neck in wet cement."
"Those anger management classes didn't do much for you, huh?"
"I had a smile on my face the whole time."
"I'll bet. Pleasantville's the next exit."
~*~
"Merton! How could you!" Lori paced up and down the floor in front of Merton's desk.
"Tommy said he wanted a cure, Lori!" Merton ducked behind the desk, as to avoid her hitting him.
Tommy rubbed his eyes. "But Merton, telling someone over the Internet that you know a werewolf... I mean, come on, man. You've seen stories about people who go to meet these nuts."
"Tommy, I'm not dating someone from the Internet, although the possibility has crossed my mind. You should see this one site, it's all Goth girls in bikinis and..."
"Merton! Rope it in. You've invited God knows who to poke and prod Tommy with some nefarious propose!" Lori stopped and shook her head. "I've been hanging out with you too long."
"Lori, if there's any poking or prodding to be done on Tommy, I'll be doing it."
"Dude," Tommy said, a grimace on his face.
"And I don't mean that in a gay way."
"Thank you." Tommy said around a mouthful of popcorn.
"Still, Merton. How do you know that you can trust them?"
"Lori, I don't expect you to understand the ways of the genius mind. But Jonathan and I have been bonding on a mental level that leaves little room for trechery."
Tommy put down the bowl of popcorn. "So, you don't have a clue do you?"
"Nope, not one. But if either of them is as cute as Muffy the Werewolf Slayer..."
"Whatty the Who?" Lori said.
"Ah, before your time." A knock came at the lair door. Merton jumped up. "That'll be them. Now comes the moment for true bravery." Merton ducked behind his desk chair. "Lori, you answer it."
"What!"
Tommy jumped up. "I'll get it." Tommy opened the door slowly, Merton slid behind Lori for safety.
"Hi," Kate held up her badge. "Detective Kate Benson. This is my partner Nick O'Malley. Are you Merton Dangle?"
"It's Dingle," Merton called from behind Lori.
"I'm Tommy Dawkins, this is Lori Baxter and the tower of shivering black velvet is Merton."
Nick smiled. He was gonna like this kid. "Hey."
"Hey," Tommy said.
Nick and Kate stood in the doorway, an uncomfortable silence building. "So," she said, "may we come in?"
Merton peeked over Lori's shoulder. "You have to be invited in?" He leaned into Lori's ear. "Lori! You were right. They're vampires! They're here for Tommy!"
Kate smiled. "Actually we were just being polite."
"So what happens if I don't invite you in?" Merton said.
Nick stepped over the threshold of the lair and pulled a large gun from under his jacket. "Then we come in anyway and I shoot you."
Tommy's eyes glowed.
"Sorry," Kate said hurriedly as she forced her partner to put his gun down, "You have to excuse my partner. His anger management classes aren't going well."
"A bit of an understatement," Lori said, eyeing the gun.
Merton gulped. "Tea anyone?"
~*~
Merton smiled as he sifted through the large box in front of him. Nick leaned over his left shoulder, making sure Jonathan didn't forget to black out anything that was too classified. Sure, this guy was smart, but even he shouldn't know too much. Kate was standing to Merton's right, glancing over a pile of binders full of the info he had promised Jonathan.
Merton pulled out a small bottle, turning it over gently in his palms. "And what does this go with?"
"Jonathan said that everything is color coded for easier reference," Kate said.
Lori grimaced at one of the files contents and passed it over to Tommy. "And you thought Pleasantville had problems."
"Ouch," he said as he looked at it. Lori reached over and flipped it around. Tommy looked at her. "Well, either way it's still bad."
Nick tapped Kate on the shoulder and motioned for her to join him. "Something ain't right."
"What?"
"Doesn't this seem a little too easy?"
"Are you actually complaining that something or someone hasn't tried to kill us yet?"
Nick smiled. "What can I say? I miss the adrenaline rush."
Merton pulled another test tube out. "Hey, the stopper's loose on this one." He jiggled the top and the cork popped out. A cloud of pink smoke erupted from the top and drifted up to Nick and Kate. Merton quickly capped it again as Nick and Kate collapsed into a fit of coughs.
Lori and Tommy ran to them. "Are you guys okay?"
Nick rubbed his eyes. "Couldn't be better. Kate?"
She looked up at him. "Fine. As a matter of fact, I've never felt better." She lifted her hands and ran it gently over Nick's cheek. "Have I ever told how much I love you, Nick?"
Nick took her hand. "No, but then again, I never told you how much I love you either."
"Oh boy," said Merton. He tore through the box of files searching for the one that went with the test tube. "Ah ha! Oh no."
Lori ran to Merton's side as Tommy sat the googely eyed couple down on Merton's bed. "What is it, Merton," Lori asked.
"Apparently the doe eyed detectives over there had a run in with Cupid about a month ago and they had taken some hormones as research material. One whiff and its Valentines Day eternal!"
Tommy waved his hand in front of Nick's face trying to break the eye contact he held with his partner. "Doesn't sound so bad." He joined his friends at Merton's desk.
"Tommy," Merton said pointing to the file, "it doesn't just affect your love life. Look at this." He thrust the file in Tommy's face. "The toughest judge in the Chicago judicial system let off thieves and murders with Buddhist words of inspiration! Can you imagine what would happen if these two run across some enraged..." Merton searched for some creature, "anything!"
"They'd let it go," Lori said sadly.
"Not only that, but with the ferocity of some of the things they go up against, they'd be ripped to shreds before you can say 'chick flick'!" Merton slammed the folder shut.
"We gotta do something. Does it say how to reverse it?"
Merton flipped through the folder again. "Yes! It's in a small test tube with a blue and white stripped top." He threw the file aside and ran his hands gently through the box. "Eureka!" he said, pulling out the tube. "Now, all we have to do is..." Merton stared at his bed, "find them."
Tommy spun around. the bed was empty and the door of the lair was standing open. "Where'd they go?"
~*~
Kate giggled as Nick jumped from the trellace, a rose between his teeth. He gently brushed her hair behind her ear and then placed the rose behind it. "You look beautiful."
Kate blushed and took Nick's hand as they strolled through the park. "It's so weird looking back on things now. We kid and pick on each other but we never told each how we really felt." She spun around and looked him in the eye. "Tell me the truth. Were you really worried when the Scarecrow tried to killed me?"
"Yes, I was. And everything I told you later was true. Losing you would have been the worst thing that happened to me." He raised her hand to his lips. "You're the most important thing in my life, Kate, and I'll never let anything happen to you."
She wrapped her arms around Nick's neck. "What do we tell Captain Paige?"
"We need some vacation time." Nick leaned his head down and brushed his lips against Kate's. They let themselves get lost in the moment, their lips dancing in a silent rhythm, Nick's hands running through Kate's hair. They both knew this moment was never going to end.
"Excuse me?" Merton called from behind them.
Nick pulled away from Kate slowly. She moved her head onto his shoulder, her lips gently pressing against his neck. "Yeah?"
"As happy as you both look right now, I'm afraid it's not going to last."
"What, you have a crystal ball in your pocket?"
"Well, actually it's back at the lair... But that's besides the point." Merton pulled out the test tube as Lori and Tommy had snuck up behind Nick and Kate. "You're both under the influence of some accidentally released Cupid hormones and I need to fix it. So if you two would just come with me, I'm sure we can fix this before word gets back to Jonathan and I lose any possibility of a career." Merton smiled.
Nick and Kate looked at each other. "No," the said in unison.
Merton shrugged. "Okay." He turned away, then turned back. "Now!"
Tommy grabbed Nick and Lori grabbed Kate. "Hurry up Merton!"
Merton ran to them and pulled the top off the test tube and held in front of Kate. A cloud of blue smoke erupted from the top. Kate began coughing and fell to the ground.
"No!" Nick screamed. He threw Tommy back. Lori tried to grab him, but he tossed her aside like a rag doll.
With a growl, Tommy transformed. "We don't want to hurt you, man!"
Merton helped Lori to her feet as Nick pulled the gun out from under his jacket. "Merton, I thought you said this stuff made you all happiness and light!" Lori screamed.
"Well, maybe what Nick feels for Kate is real and the hormone just amplified it. True love make people do strange things."
Nick pointed the gun at Tommy. "Let's go, fuzz ball."
Tommy frowned. "Fuzz ball?"
"Well Tommy, at least he didn't call you wolf boy," Merton yelled. "Remember, don't hurt him. It's not really him, it's the hormone's effects!" Merton took his stationary battle position behind Lori.
Nick slowly circled around Tommy. "Do you know what it's like to be in love? Truly in love?"
"Oh, my head." Kate groaned. Lori ran to her side.
"I don't know," Tommy said.
"You'd do anything for her. You'd be willing to die for her. You would do anything she asked for without hesitation, even jump on an alien spaceship with muddy socks on a Thursday night."
Tommy cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"
"Nevermind!" He raised the gun. "I love Kate and I'll do anything for her."
Kate's jaw dropped. "Nick?"
He spun around. "Kate!" He dropped the gun.
Tommy took the opportunity and grabbed him. "Merton, now!"
Merton ran up and uncorked the tube. The blue cloud came out again and Nick fell to the ground.
Lori helped Kate to her feet. "Did he... He just said... I heard him say..." She scratched her head. "What the hell happened?"
"It's a long story."
"So I see," Kate said as she eyed Tommy.
"See, I told you." Merton said. "Good werewolf." He sighed. "Anyone hungry?"
~*~
"So we'll have Jonathan go through these binders and check out all your research. We are a little back logged so it may be awhile before he gets back to you." Kate said as Loir and Merton helped her pack the car.
Nick took a sip of his milk shake. "So it's not just full moons?"
Tommy swallowed a mouthful of chicken. "Stress, anger, things like that. And then, bang! I wolf out."
"Must kinda suck sometimes."
"Yeah, but most times it comes in handy." He looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. "So, did you mean any of that?"
"Any of what?"
"What you said about Kate?"
Nick smiled. "Kate knows what she needs to."
"So," Lori looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. "So, did you mean any of that?"
"Any of what?"
"What you said about Nick?"
Kate smiled. "I, um... I think Nick knows how I feel."
Nick walked up to the small group. "You ready to go, partner?"
"Ready whenever you are. So, call whenever you think you have something. Jonathan'll be thrilled to see what you have to say."
"And if you ever need a hand with anything, give us a yell." Nick leaned over to Tommy's ear. "I'd keep an eye on the pale kid. He means well, but I think he's a bit accident prone."
"Oh, if you only knew." He shook Nick's hand.
Tommy, Lori and Merton waved as Nick and Kate pulled away. "Hey," Merton said," do you think they're ever admit to each other how they feel?"
"You know what," Tommy said, "I don't think they really have to."
~*~
Kate yawned as Nick turned on the radio. "Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"Kate..."
She smiled as she put her hand in her pocket, her fingers gently brushing against the rose Nick had put behind her ear.
___________________________________theend______________________________
AUTHOR: Sam (Lestrade42@juno.com)
RATING: PG-13
FEEDBACK: My first attempt at both Special Unit 2 and Big Wolf on Campus.
DISCLAIMER: SU2 belongs to Evan Katz. BWOC belongs to Briggs/Knight .
Bit of explanation: SU2 is a special division of the Chicago police department that deals with the supernatural. Detective Nick O'Malley and his partner Kate Benson track down 'Links' (short for missing links- demons, witches, etc.). BWOC deals with the adventures of high school jock Tommy Dawkins, a werewolf, and his best friends Merton Dingle and Lori Baxter.
Well kids, it's that time of year again. No, not the annual dust bunny massacre known as Spring Cleaning... It's your list momma's birthday! Happy birthday, Karen. Be careful what you wish for... cause you just got it :-)
_____________________________________________________________________
Detective Nick O'Malley yawned for what seemed like the seventh time. "Kate, are you sure you don't want me to drive?"
Detective Kate Benson ignored her partner, concentrating on the dark road ahead of her.
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"Nick..."
"Are we there yet?"
Kate slammed on the brakes and spun around to face him. "If you don't stop, I'm gonna punch you!"
Nick smiled smugly. "So, we're not there yet?"
Kate's fist balled.
"Okay, I'm sorry. It wasn't my idea to do this messenger gig."
Kate calmly nodded and began to drive again. "So what exactly is the reason for this again?"
"The trip or the message?"
"Both."
"Well, apparently Jonathan has been corresponding with this guy on the Internet who has first hand werewolf experience. They've been trading research. He says he's pretty smart, has the possibility of a job with Special Unit Two when he gets out of high school."
"High school?" Kate snorted. "And how do we know that this kid isn't making this up. I mean, we all know how gullible Jonathan is."
"No. Captain Paige checked him out. His home town of Pleasantville is being quote terrorized unquote by a werewolf."
"Quote, unquote?"
"Yeah. See, this Merton guy insists that the werewolf is a good guy and that the citizens are over reacting. Jonathan says he's pretty knowledgeable about other things too, not just werewolves."
"It's a shame this Merton's not a girl. Jonathan would have proposed by now."
"You never can tell with Jonathan. Anyway, we're supposed to bring some experiments and papers to him in return for some werewolf research."
"And the second reason?"
"You mean why us?"
"Yeah."
"Well, actually it's really why me."
Kate sighed. "What did you do to Carl this time?" Carl was the unit's resident gnome thief and Nick's personal punching bag.
"We were just having a friendly conversation about the TV show 'The Sopranos' and he said that no one really uses concrete properly these days."
"So?"
"So I buried him up to his neck in wet cement."
"Those anger management classes didn't do much for you, huh?"
"I had a smile on my face the whole time."
"I'll bet. Pleasantville's the next exit."
~*~
"Merton! How could you!" Lori paced up and down the floor in front of Merton's desk.
"Tommy said he wanted a cure, Lori!" Merton ducked behind the desk, as to avoid her hitting him.
Tommy rubbed his eyes. "But Merton, telling someone over the Internet that you know a werewolf... I mean, come on, man. You've seen stories about people who go to meet these nuts."
"Tommy, I'm not dating someone from the Internet, although the possibility has crossed my mind. You should see this one site, it's all Goth girls in bikinis and..."
"Merton! Rope it in. You've invited God knows who to poke and prod Tommy with some nefarious propose!" Lori stopped and shook her head. "I've been hanging out with you too long."
"Lori, if there's any poking or prodding to be done on Tommy, I'll be doing it."
"Dude," Tommy said, a grimace on his face.
"And I don't mean that in a gay way."
"Thank you." Tommy said around a mouthful of popcorn.
"Still, Merton. How do you know that you can trust them?"
"Lori, I don't expect you to understand the ways of the genius mind. But Jonathan and I have been bonding on a mental level that leaves little room for trechery."
Tommy put down the bowl of popcorn. "So, you don't have a clue do you?"
"Nope, not one. But if either of them is as cute as Muffy the Werewolf Slayer..."
"Whatty the Who?" Lori said.
"Ah, before your time." A knock came at the lair door. Merton jumped up. "That'll be them. Now comes the moment for true bravery." Merton ducked behind his desk chair. "Lori, you answer it."
"What!"
Tommy jumped up. "I'll get it." Tommy opened the door slowly, Merton slid behind Lori for safety.
"Hi," Kate held up her badge. "Detective Kate Benson. This is my partner Nick O'Malley. Are you Merton Dangle?"
"It's Dingle," Merton called from behind Lori.
"I'm Tommy Dawkins, this is Lori Baxter and the tower of shivering black velvet is Merton."
Nick smiled. He was gonna like this kid. "Hey."
"Hey," Tommy said.
Nick and Kate stood in the doorway, an uncomfortable silence building. "So," she said, "may we come in?"
Merton peeked over Lori's shoulder. "You have to be invited in?" He leaned into Lori's ear. "Lori! You were right. They're vampires! They're here for Tommy!"
Kate smiled. "Actually we were just being polite."
"So what happens if I don't invite you in?" Merton said.
Nick stepped over the threshold of the lair and pulled a large gun from under his jacket. "Then we come in anyway and I shoot you."
Tommy's eyes glowed.
"Sorry," Kate said hurriedly as she forced her partner to put his gun down, "You have to excuse my partner. His anger management classes aren't going well."
"A bit of an understatement," Lori said, eyeing the gun.
Merton gulped. "Tea anyone?"
~*~
Merton smiled as he sifted through the large box in front of him. Nick leaned over his left shoulder, making sure Jonathan didn't forget to black out anything that was too classified. Sure, this guy was smart, but even he shouldn't know too much. Kate was standing to Merton's right, glancing over a pile of binders full of the info he had promised Jonathan.
Merton pulled out a small bottle, turning it over gently in his palms. "And what does this go with?"
"Jonathan said that everything is color coded for easier reference," Kate said.
Lori grimaced at one of the files contents and passed it over to Tommy. "And you thought Pleasantville had problems."
"Ouch," he said as he looked at it. Lori reached over and flipped it around. Tommy looked at her. "Well, either way it's still bad."
Nick tapped Kate on the shoulder and motioned for her to join him. "Something ain't right."
"What?"
"Doesn't this seem a little too easy?"
"Are you actually complaining that something or someone hasn't tried to kill us yet?"
Nick smiled. "What can I say? I miss the adrenaline rush."
Merton pulled another test tube out. "Hey, the stopper's loose on this one." He jiggled the top and the cork popped out. A cloud of pink smoke erupted from the top and drifted up to Nick and Kate. Merton quickly capped it again as Nick and Kate collapsed into a fit of coughs.
Lori and Tommy ran to them. "Are you guys okay?"
Nick rubbed his eyes. "Couldn't be better. Kate?"
She looked up at him. "Fine. As a matter of fact, I've never felt better." She lifted her hands and ran it gently over Nick's cheek. "Have I ever told how much I love you, Nick?"
Nick took her hand. "No, but then again, I never told you how much I love you either."
"Oh boy," said Merton. He tore through the box of files searching for the one that went with the test tube. "Ah ha! Oh no."
Lori ran to Merton's side as Tommy sat the googely eyed couple down on Merton's bed. "What is it, Merton," Lori asked.
"Apparently the doe eyed detectives over there had a run in with Cupid about a month ago and they had taken some hormones as research material. One whiff and its Valentines Day eternal!"
Tommy waved his hand in front of Nick's face trying to break the eye contact he held with his partner. "Doesn't sound so bad." He joined his friends at Merton's desk.
"Tommy," Merton said pointing to the file, "it doesn't just affect your love life. Look at this." He thrust the file in Tommy's face. "The toughest judge in the Chicago judicial system let off thieves and murders with Buddhist words of inspiration! Can you imagine what would happen if these two run across some enraged..." Merton searched for some creature, "anything!"
"They'd let it go," Lori said sadly.
"Not only that, but with the ferocity of some of the things they go up against, they'd be ripped to shreds before you can say 'chick flick'!" Merton slammed the folder shut.
"We gotta do something. Does it say how to reverse it?"
Merton flipped through the folder again. "Yes! It's in a small test tube with a blue and white stripped top." He threw the file aside and ran his hands gently through the box. "Eureka!" he said, pulling out the tube. "Now, all we have to do is..." Merton stared at his bed, "find them."
Tommy spun around. the bed was empty and the door of the lair was standing open. "Where'd they go?"
~*~
Kate giggled as Nick jumped from the trellace, a rose between his teeth. He gently brushed her hair behind her ear and then placed the rose behind it. "You look beautiful."
Kate blushed and took Nick's hand as they strolled through the park. "It's so weird looking back on things now. We kid and pick on each other but we never told each how we really felt." She spun around and looked him in the eye. "Tell me the truth. Were you really worried when the Scarecrow tried to killed me?"
"Yes, I was. And everything I told you later was true. Losing you would have been the worst thing that happened to me." He raised her hand to his lips. "You're the most important thing in my life, Kate, and I'll never let anything happen to you."
She wrapped her arms around Nick's neck. "What do we tell Captain Paige?"
"We need some vacation time." Nick leaned his head down and brushed his lips against Kate's. They let themselves get lost in the moment, their lips dancing in a silent rhythm, Nick's hands running through Kate's hair. They both knew this moment was never going to end.
"Excuse me?" Merton called from behind them.
Nick pulled away from Kate slowly. She moved her head onto his shoulder, her lips gently pressing against his neck. "Yeah?"
"As happy as you both look right now, I'm afraid it's not going to last."
"What, you have a crystal ball in your pocket?"
"Well, actually it's back at the lair... But that's besides the point." Merton pulled out the test tube as Lori and Tommy had snuck up behind Nick and Kate. "You're both under the influence of some accidentally released Cupid hormones and I need to fix it. So if you two would just come with me, I'm sure we can fix this before word gets back to Jonathan and I lose any possibility of a career." Merton smiled.
Nick and Kate looked at each other. "No," the said in unison.
Merton shrugged. "Okay." He turned away, then turned back. "Now!"
Tommy grabbed Nick and Lori grabbed Kate. "Hurry up Merton!"
Merton ran to them and pulled the top off the test tube and held in front of Kate. A cloud of blue smoke erupted from the top. Kate began coughing and fell to the ground.
"No!" Nick screamed. He threw Tommy back. Lori tried to grab him, but he tossed her aside like a rag doll.
With a growl, Tommy transformed. "We don't want to hurt you, man!"
Merton helped Lori to her feet as Nick pulled the gun out from under his jacket. "Merton, I thought you said this stuff made you all happiness and light!" Lori screamed.
"Well, maybe what Nick feels for Kate is real and the hormone just amplified it. True love make people do strange things."
Nick pointed the gun at Tommy. "Let's go, fuzz ball."
Tommy frowned. "Fuzz ball?"
"Well Tommy, at least he didn't call you wolf boy," Merton yelled. "Remember, don't hurt him. It's not really him, it's the hormone's effects!" Merton took his stationary battle position behind Lori.
Nick slowly circled around Tommy. "Do you know what it's like to be in love? Truly in love?"
"Oh, my head." Kate groaned. Lori ran to her side.
"I don't know," Tommy said.
"You'd do anything for her. You'd be willing to die for her. You would do anything she asked for without hesitation, even jump on an alien spaceship with muddy socks on a Thursday night."
Tommy cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"
"Nevermind!" He raised the gun. "I love Kate and I'll do anything for her."
Kate's jaw dropped. "Nick?"
He spun around. "Kate!" He dropped the gun.
Tommy took the opportunity and grabbed him. "Merton, now!"
Merton ran up and uncorked the tube. The blue cloud came out again and Nick fell to the ground.
Lori helped Kate to her feet. "Did he... He just said... I heard him say..." She scratched her head. "What the hell happened?"
"It's a long story."
"So I see," Kate said as she eyed Tommy.
"See, I told you." Merton said. "Good werewolf." He sighed. "Anyone hungry?"
~*~
"So we'll have Jonathan go through these binders and check out all your research. We are a little back logged so it may be awhile before he gets back to you." Kate said as Loir and Merton helped her pack the car.
Nick took a sip of his milk shake. "So it's not just full moons?"
Tommy swallowed a mouthful of chicken. "Stress, anger, things like that. And then, bang! I wolf out."
"Must kinda suck sometimes."
"Yeah, but most times it comes in handy." He looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. "So, did you mean any of that?"
"Any of what?"
"What you said about Kate?"
Nick smiled. "Kate knows what she needs to."
"So," Lori looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. "So, did you mean any of that?"
"Any of what?"
"What you said about Nick?"
Kate smiled. "I, um... I think Nick knows how I feel."
Nick walked up to the small group. "You ready to go, partner?"
"Ready whenever you are. So, call whenever you think you have something. Jonathan'll be thrilled to see what you have to say."
"And if you ever need a hand with anything, give us a yell." Nick leaned over to Tommy's ear. "I'd keep an eye on the pale kid. He means well, but I think he's a bit accident prone."
"Oh, if you only knew." He shook Nick's hand.
Tommy, Lori and Merton waved as Nick and Kate pulled away. "Hey," Merton said," do you think they're ever admit to each other how they feel?"
"You know what," Tommy said, "I don't think they really have to."
~*~
Kate yawned as Nick turned on the radio. "Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"Kate..."
She smiled as she put her hand in her pocket, her fingers gently brushing against the rose Nick had put behind her ear.
___________________________________theend______________________________