Disclaimer: I do not own the Brotherhood, Lara-Le and Wynmacher. I made up Karan and Zep the Echidnas. You'll be warned, this story contains Locke/Lara pairing. For anyone who didn't know it yet, I HATE Wynmacher.

WARNING: alcohol in this chapter, violence in the next. May shock young readers.

Still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets and
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that testI watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through


Changes
Turn and face the strange
Changes
Don't tell them to grow up and out of it
Changes
Turn and face the strange
Changes
Where's your shame
You've left us up to our necks in it
Time may change me
But you can't trace time

Strange fascination, fascinating me
Ah changes are taking the pace I'm going through

Turn and face the strange
Changes
Pretty soon now you're gonna get a little older
Time may change me
But I can't trace time
I said that time may change me
But I can't trace time

"Changes," by Butterfly Boucher Feat

A Time for Change

Wynmacher the Echidna glared at his wife, Lara-Le, as she closed the door of their apartment. She was holding a bunch of bright red roses close; the one Wynmacher had seen Locke give her minutes before as he stood near the window. He felt the sudden urge to grab the flowers and tear them apart, but he just glared at Lara. "Where have you been?" he asked in a growl.

"To Haven," she answered honestly. "I wanted to wish Locke a happy twentieth wedding anniversary, in spite of what you said about him not remembering it."

Wynmacher raised both eyebrows in surprise. Locke? Is that it, she spent the entire day with that son of a bitch? No it can't be! "And are you telling me you stayed there all the day?"

Lara nodded half-absently, a small smile playing on her lips. She probably still had the day's events in mind as she searched for somewhere and something to put the roses in. It made Wynmacher's blood boil to see that she wasn't that much phased to have spent the day with his sworn rival. "And, pray tell, what did you do?" he snarled, a thousand scenarios forming in his head.

"It was wonderful!" Lara smiled. "Knuckles came over to Haven, and we went swimming, and Locke taught me how to rollerblade! Then we had lunch and saw a scary movie." Lara's words were coming on top of each other, which irritated Wynmacher as much as the excited tone in her voice. "And Locke brought me home and gave me these roses. Isn't it sweet of him?"

"Yeah, of course it is," Wynmacher spat. "Speaking of which, I'm sure you two had a lot of fun together, at Haven. Alone…"

Lara jerked her head towards Wynmacher, shock written all over her face. "Wyn! How can you think that? You know I wouldn't do that, don't you?"

"After what I witnessed earlier I'm beginning to wonder." When she looked confused he got angrier. Was she faking it for Locke's sake, or did she have no clue at all? Why did you let him kiss you? Don't tell me you still love him!"

"Wyn," Lara sighed as she put her roses in a bright blue vase and adjusted them. "You have to understand that, even if we are now separated, Locke and I will always be close because we once loved each other dearly, which is still the case. The fact that we have a son brings us even closer."

"Then why did you two divorce in the first place?" Wynmacher asked on edge. This situation was beyond his comprehension. Why two persons, who years ago divorced because they realized they were too different, would still care enough to do things together? When something's over, it's over. They have to move on. "Why would you wish to be separated from the one you love?"

"Wyn, if there's one thing I want you to understand it's that Locke and I didn't divorce because we hated each other," Lara said firmly, a contrast to her gentle motions with the flowers. "We just had… disagreements."

"So, you're telling me that after all the things that bastard did to you, you still love him?" Wynmacher asked, frowning.

"Love isn't something you get over easily, Wyn," Lara answered, her voice hardening. "And don't speak about him like that. He has changed and matured over the last years, and maybe it's time for you to do so."

"What's this supposed to mean?"

"It means there's no use in being jealous, Wyn. You know, it's very kind of you to worry about me, but I can assure you being near Locke is far from dangerous. I know you think of him as a jerk for leaving me, but please don't. If anything, I proposed the divorce." Lara turned to him and smiled slightly. "Don't act all stressed out, Wyn."

She gently put a hand to his cheek, which he brushed off angrily. "It doesn't matter what you say. It's obvious that dumb fool acted all romantic on you, and you were too blinded by your so-called love to see past his behavior, that's for sure."

Lara put her hands on her hips. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm sure he talked about how much he loves you, cares about you; but sorry darling he fooled you. I'm sure he doesn't love you; if he did then he wouldn't have done the things he has done years ago. He would have stood up for you, like I do. He would have protected you, like I do. But did he? No, he just took your son and ran away, abandoning you. Is that what you call a good husband?"

Now angered, Lara blurted out: "You know, Wyn, I'm beginning to wonder whose love is stronger. Yours or his. After all he took my remarriage pretty well, and he tries his best to be civil to you. Why can't you do the same to him?"

Wynmacher found himself taken aback by those words; they were meant to reason, not to hurt, but anyway that's what they did. The brown echidna fell silent, and his expression turned dark. "Well, if that's what you think, Lara, so be it. From now I shall take matters in my own hands, seeing as you can't do so yourself. See you later." And then he left. He slammed the door and strode outside, leaving a very sad and distraught Lara-Le behind him.

What is he going to do?

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"Chill out, Wyn my man!" Karan drunkenly said, elbowing an annoyed Wynmacher in the side. "Why are you so stuck up, anyway?"

Wynmacher sighed and shook his head. He wasn't about to tell his friend about Lara-Le; in his current state the bright orange echidna was likely to spread the news, a thing Wynmacher didn't need right then. He turned to his drunken sunglasses-wearing counterpart. "No special reason."

"Leave him alone, his girl cheated on him, that's why," Zep grunted. Zep was a dark red echidna, with a single lock of brown hair resting on his forehead. His aqua blue eyes were less clouded than Karan's brown ones, showing he had been drinking more moderately. But drinking nevertheless.

"Is that true?" Karan exclaimed, a little too loudly for Wynmacher's taste. The brown echidna threw glances around him, but the others echidnas in the bar were either drinking themselves into oblivion or laughing their heads off; far too occupied to listen to them. "How did you find out?"

"Well, I wouldn't say she 'cheated on me', as Zep would put it, but she did spend the day with another man she happens to know very well," Wynmacher darkly explained.

"Did you kick his ass?" Karan asked, now staggering dangerously.

"I think you've had enough, Ka," Zep stated while pushing the orange echidna down on his chair. The dark red one then turned to Wynmacher. "Seriously now, Wyn. Who was it?"

"Lara's ex-husband," the brown echidna whispered, fidgeting nervously.

Karan widened his eyes. "That's bad, man. Very bad." When Wynmacher looked at him the echidna shrugged. "Your girl might go back with him, you never know. However I'd say you go to him and kick his sorry butt! That'll teach him to mess around with you!"

"For once I agree with him," Zep nodded. "This guy – whoever he is – had his chance; he lost it, now Lara-Le is yours. And if he doesn't get it what about making him?" Zep frowned when he heard Wynmacher sigh. "What's the matter, bud?"

"It's just that… it's not that easy, you see. I know he's much stronger than I am, you can't even imagine what he's capable of-" He was cut off when Zep shook his head. "What?"

"I've got the key to your problems," the red one affirmed. He got up and went to order a tall glass of a suspicious-looking liquid, which he slammed on the table in front of Wynmacher. "Drink this."

"What is it?" the brown one asked as Karan grinned mischievously.

"The cure you've been waiting for," Zep said.

Wynmacher took the glass and sniffed its content, wincing when he identified the smell. "Alcohol?" he grunted. "You don't expect me to drink this, do you?"

"Trust me; you'll feel much better-"

"And you'll want to kick some butt!" Karan guffawed before drowning once again in his beer-filled mug. Wynmacher winced, disgusted. He's never been drinking seriously before, and he didn't know if it was a good time to start.

Hesitantly, he took the first sip…

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Three echidnas made their way out of the bar. It was past midnight, now, and there wasn't much light as the three males staggered in the street, clearly showing they'd been drinking more than moderately.

"I told you it would make you feel better," Zep blurted out, struggling to keep his balance to a minimum.

"You were right," Wynmacher admitted drunkenly. The brown echidna was feeling light-headed and invincible. He was struck by the urge to break something, to destroy and cause chaos. These were emotions he had never had before; would have Locke been standing next to him he would have ripped his damn head off.

"You ready for some ass-kicking, then?" Karan asked, his vision clouded.

"Stop saying that, Ka!" Zep burst out, whacking Karan upside the head. "Wyn will of course beat the bastard to a bloody pulp, won't you pal?" Zep turned to Wynmacher, a dazed smile on his lips. "Won't you?"

"Of course I will." Wynmacher hopped into his car, turning it on. He didn't care if he was too drunk to drive, he knew Constable Remington wasn't making a round tonight. "See you later, buds."

"Later, pal!" Karan exclaimed and waved frantically.

Wynmacher took off towards Haven… with every intention to teach Locke the lesson he'd been asking for.

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What will follow is the reason why you should never listen to drunken friends' advice.