A/N: Hello people! Ok, so, this story is a fanfic based off of a book known as Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn. It's very good, so if you haven't read it (and if you like supernatural stuff like werewolves and vampires), then you should definitely read it. There really isn't too much else to say, so, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kitty or Cormac, but I do own anything those of you who've read the book don't recognize. And you can't sue me, because I own nothing.
Kitty's Fate
Two years after Kitty Norville was chased out of Denver, she had finally decided to settle in a small town in Minnesota called PitchCreek, named after the creek that flows through it. Kitty had traveled for a while after leaving Denver, but it didn't take her too long to get tired of living in hotels. She'd traveled to just about every major city that carried The Midnight Hour; some twice. There was a station about an hour and a half north of PitchCreek that carried her show; she'd decided to make that her new 'home base' and lived in the small town ever since.
She lived in a cabin off of Timber Road, which is one of the many dirt roads in the town. Her cabin was set about fifty feet back from the road and she'd bought an acre of the forest behind it, so as to have a safe place to run during the full moon. The cabin was traditional; fireplace in the living room with a couch, overstuffed chair, and a TV slightly beside the fireplace. The kitchen held a fridge/freezer, sink, dishwasher, and small oak table that seated four. Down the hall to the left was the guest room which had been decorated in grays and browns, and opposite that was the master bedroom.
The master bedroom, hers of course, had similar earthy tones. Her sheets were forest green with matching pillow cases and a matching velvet blanket. Over that was an earth-brown comforter with leaves scattered over it. Her window over looked her extra acre, and she had a sliding door from her room onto her back porch. She also had a bookcase between her dresser and closet.
At the end of the hallway, the door leading off to the left led to the bathroom. The door opposite it led to the laundry room which held only one small washer and dryer, along with the water heater and back-up generator.
Though it was small, the quaint cabin had instantly captured her heart; it was the perfect place for a 'rogue' werewolf like her. Her closest neighbor was half a mile away on either side. A little elderly couple lived in the only cabin farther down the small road than her, and they were both very kind and watched her cabin for her when she was out of town. There was a woman who lived in the cabin on her left, closer to the town, and she'd only met the woman once. Kitty couldn't even remember her name.
It was late April and the full moon had just passed the previous Tuesday. Cormac pulled his well-used Jeep into the small parking lot at the local pub and picked up the file sitting on the seat next to him. He was here to meet a potential client, but since he was at least fifteen minutes early, he figured he might as well review their file. The client was a woman by the name of Jade Granger and she was 33 years old. Granger had shoulder-length blond hair and sea green eyes. Her high cheek bones gave her an almost ghost-like appearance. She was 5'10" and weighed 189 pounds. And apparently she hates werewolves.
Glancing back at his watch, he realized it was almost time for the meeting, so he stepped out of the Jeep with her file tucked into his arm. He didn't bother to remove his gun, or the knife strapped to his thigh. Slamming the door shut, he headed into the pub to wait for Ms. Granger.
Cormac wasn't waiting longer than three minutes before the doors swung open again and a woman who looked nearly identical to her picture walked into the pub. When her sea green eyes connected with his own eyes, she made her way confidently towards him and took the seat opposite him. He inclined his head in acknowledgement and waited for her to speak.
She recognized his invitation and took a deep breath. "You're Cormac, I assume?" she didn't pause for an answer. "Ok, I'll start at the beginning. I live on an old dirt road on the east side of town, and for the past three years the second cabin on my road has been vacant. Then, about six months ago a woman moved into it. I didn't think anything of it at first, until two weeks afterwards, the night of the full moon. I heard howling; we haven't had wolves in PitchCreek for years. I was maybe ten last time I heard any wolves in the area."
"And what makes you think the woman's a werewolf?" Cormac asked automatically. He didn't like being sent after innocent humans if he could avoid it. The woman leaned forward conspiratorially and dropped her voice an octave. He didn't move.
"She bought the acre of land behind her cabin. And the only time I hear howling is on the full moon. Besides that, rabbit and deer carcasses have been found on her property every month since."
"Found?"
"Well, I may have gone snooping once or twice, and if I get up early enough, I can see her putting something in a large black garbage bag in her dumpster. And she never drives anywhere unless it's out of the town. I mean, it's small, but it's not that small, you know?"
When she didn't elaborate on anything after this statement, Cormac sighed inaudibly and shifted forward slightly. "Look, Ms. Granger, I need proof that we're dealing with a werewolf, alright? You've got good hunches, but so far you don't have any hard evidence. What's your neighbor's name?"
"I don't remember; she introduced herself when she first moved in and I haven't seen her since. She's got long blond hair and blue eyes and likes to wear her hair in braids. Also, she seems to like black. And she works nights, which is why I rarely ever see her, you know?" She paused, clasping her chin in her thumb and forefinger. "The full moon was this past Tuesday, right? Well, I sort of snuck onto her property around midnight and took some pictures. It was really frightening, too, because from what I saw, she was way bigger than a normal wolf. And the sliding glass door to her bedroom was open, and there were discarded clothes just inside it." Then she dug into her purse and pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to Cormac confidently.
Cormac opened the envelope and sifted through the amateurish photos. There was a picture of an open sliding glass door with a pile of clothes on the ground and a bed in the background. Other than the clothes on the ground, the room was clean and clutter-free. The next picture was a close-up of the clothes: a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, a bra, women's underwear, and a pair of socks. The shirt and jeans were black.
The next image was of the view from the porch, presumably from in front of the sliding glass door. There was nothing but open forest and a clear path into it not far from the bedroom. The next two pictures were too dark and the trees were indiscernible from any other shapes. The third after the porch view, however, was much more focused. A dark shape only a short distance away that was definitely wolf-like. Granger had obviously discovered the zoom function after that, because the next shot was the same, only zoomed in on the creature. If Cormac were not an expert, he probably could've mistaken the thing in the picture for a normal wolf. But he knew a werewolf when he saw one, even in pictures. That was all the proof he needed.
Tucking the pictures back in the envelope, he slid it back across to Jade Granger and nodded in affirmation. "We're definitely dealing with a werewolf. Now the question is, how much are you willing to pay?"
"How much do you cost?" Jade Granger returned, smiling victoriously.
"…so, what do you think I should do?" Lindsay from Louisiana asked urgently, her painfully 16 year old voice straining against the phone line. Kitty rolled her eyes and repeated the motion with her neck before answering.
"Listen, Lindsay, you're, what, 16? You've got your whole life ahead of you, you don't need to go turning into a werewolf once a month, too. It would seriously interfere with your school work, and you'd have a hell of a time finding a boyfriend. Have you thought about that? Sure, it would definitely put your parents in their places, but I personally don't think it's worth it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks, Kitty." and Lindsay hung up, just like that. Kitty saw the guy in the sound booth signal the end of the show, so she signed off.
"Thanks for listening to The Midnight Hour. This is Kitty Norville, Voice of the Night." and her recorded howl overtook the air-waves.
"Great show, Kitty." Marc, the local sound guy, stated as he shouldered his travel bag. "You want me to walk you to your bike?"
"You don't have to, I'm probably parked a ways away from you anyway." Kitty waved good-bye and stepped into the elevator. She liked Marc, but he liked her too much and it tended to get to her sometimes. That and he absolutely refused to acknowledge the possibility of the existence of supernatural beings like vampires and werewolves.
Kitty turned onto Timber Road around 2:30 that morning and wasn't at all surprised to see her neighbor's lights off and the old sedan in the drive way. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Chalking it up to her paranoia, she parked quietly and climbed off of her midnight blue Honda motorcycle. Unhooking her small backpack from the side, she slung it over a shoulder and took eight steps before she paused. It still felt as though someone was watching her. She turned in a slow circle, her eyes intently scanning the area around her, but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, so she shrugged it off and went inside.
Cormac waited until the woman went inside. Then he slowly stood and stretched the muscles that had been cramped from waiting. He was too far away to identify her, but according to Granger the werewolf he was after lived alone, so he didn't figure he had anything to worry about. He crossed the distance between himself and the cabin quickly and quietly, being sure to keep downwind whenever possible.
He knew better than to try and let himself in the front door, so he went around back and crept towards her bedroom sliding door. When he got there, he made certain that the room was empty before he opened the door. He'd made certain it was unlocked earlier so as to avoid a potential loss of advantage. Sliding it open just enough to slip through, he quickly shut it behind him and removed his gun from it's holster. She was bound to hear him soon, so he had to move quickly.
Kitty was shuffling through the fridge when she thought she heard a door slide open. She froze, head cocked to one side and listening intently. After a moment of silence, she figured she'd probably been hearing things, and returned her attention to finding something to snack on. Deciding on chips and dip, she pulled out the dip and shut the door to the fridge before grabbing a bag of Lays potato chips and yanking it open. The noise in the kitchen prevented her from noticing the click of the safety being turned off on a gun.
She was half-turned towards the living room, her back to the hallway that led to her bedroom, when she finally heard the soft footfalls. She froze once more, her body tensing as she became acutely aware of another's presence. She heard him stop walking, and it occurred to her that his scent was oddly familiar. She just couldn't place where from; not that it mattered, really. "Who are you?" She demanded stubbornly. She could hear the grin in his voice when he replied.
"Does it matter? I know what you are, and I'm here to do something about it."
Kitty nearly dropped the food in her arms as she recognized the voice. Without realizing it, she stuttered. "C-cormac? Don't shoot, I'm just going to turn around so you can recognize me." She said, turning slowly to avoid startling him. When she locked eyes with him, she was surprised all over again. She found it stupid, because she knew it was him. She just couldn't believe it. Judging from the look on his face, he couldn't believe it, either.
"Norville? Christ." He swore, flicking the safety on and holstering the gun in one fluid movement before leaning against the wall on the end of the doorway. "I can't believe this." He mumbled, knowing, and not caring, that she would hear him.
Kitty couldn't suppress her grin as she watched him. The fact that they'd met up again for basically the same reason was just a little amusing. He cocked an eyebrow at her and stood up straight.
"I don't see what's so funny."
"Sure you do. Hungry? Smells like you've been outside for a while." and to add to the temptation of her offer, she held out the bag of Lays. With a shake of his head, he grabbed the bag and brushed past her, taking a seat on her couch. She took the seat next to him with enough space between them to place the Tupperware of ranch dip down so that they could share it.
They were silent for a few minutes and, for Kitty at least, the crunch of the chips was deafening. Not being one for silence, she spoke up. "So, you've been hired to kill me again, right? I assume that's why you pointed a gun at me."
Beside her, Cormac nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I had no idea it was you. My client provided proof that a werewolf resides here, then they handed me some money and asked me to do what I do best."
"Kill werewolves?" Kitty said conversationally. The look that flashed across her eyes, however, belied her words. And it didn't slip Cormac's notice, either. But he couldn't honestly deny it. She didn't give him the chance.
Leaning back and turning enough to face him, Kitty took a deep breath and tried to ignore the memories his scent triggered. "So, what're you going to do this time? Something tells me there's no chance you've been tricked into working for the enemy this time. Are you going to kill me?"
Cormac shook his head and placed the plastic cover over the dip. Then his eyes locked onto hers. "No, I'm not." Kitty's eyes widened as his words sunk in. The obvious question floated across her face and he cut her off. "I don't have many friends, and I refuse to kill the ones I do have." Kitty's eyes couldn't get wider if she tried.
"Friends? I…didn't know you actually considered us friends. I figured you could tolerate me when you had to, but otherwise…."
He shook his head. "You're ok, Norville."
"Thanks. You, too, Cormac." Then she stood and carried the Tupperware container into the kitchen. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time. When she'd placed it in the fridge and shut the door, he spoke.
"Tell me something. Why'd you really leave Denver?" She froze and her eyes drifted down, towards the hardwood floor.
"What'd you hear?"
"I heard you wanted to take the show on the road, so you packed up and started traveling. Of course, that particular rumor didn't even hint at any reasons involving your pack. I know for a fact that werewolves don't just up and leave, so what really happened?"
"I was told to leave. Carl gave me 24 hours to be out of town. So I left."
"There's more to it than that. Why would your alpha do that?"
Kitty sighed. "It's a long story."
Cormac patted the seat next to him on the couch and said, "I've got all night."
It was nearly four in the morning by the time Kitty had finished her 'story'. And as always happened when she thought about what had happened, she was fighting off tears. T.J. didn't deserve that. Carl broke his word, and if the rest of the pack had been there he may've lost his position, but they weren't. This is ridiculous, T.J.'s been gone for two years, he wouldn't want me dwelling on it like this. I'm so sorry, T.J.. She was dragged out of her thoughts when a warm, muscular arm draped itself around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. It was the only invitation she needed as she allowed her instincts to take over just a bit, and she snuggled into his side. He tensed briefly before tightening his grip around her. He knew werewolves well enough to know how important touch could be.
Kitty's sobs were short lived and mostly silent, but when they ceased Cormac realized that she'd fallen asleep. He hesitated a moment, knowing he could wake her if he moved her, but decided that she'd benefit more from sleeping in her bed than leaning against him. He effortlessly scooped her into his arms and was half way to her room when she woke up.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking you to your room. You'll be more comfortable there."
"I'm not," she paused to yawn, "tired. Damn, ok, maybe I am." she mumbled, her eyelids already half-drooped. She never saw Cormac's grin.
He laid her gently on her king-sized bed before pulling the covers over her. She rolled towards him subconsciously and snuggled into the blankets. He stepped back and watched her for a few minutes before shaking himself out of his thoughts. Turning quietly, he headed into the kitchen, left her a short note, and let himself out, locking the door behind him.
Kitty woke up late that afternoon. She paused, forgetting that she'd fallen asleep early and therefore would wake up while the sun was still out. Then everything that had happened the night before flooded back to her and she sat up quickly. Inhaling sharply, she focused on Cormac's scent. He's not here. His scent's slightly stale-fading. He must've left after he laid me down last night. That or he's crashed on the couch. One way to find out.
Stretching first, Kitty tossed aside the covers and stood, crossing the floor quickly. She knew he was gone before she exited the hallway, and though she wouldn't admit it, part of her was slightly disappointed. Then she spotted the note on the kitchen table. She walked over and snatched it up quickly. It read:
Norville,
Thought you'd like to know I locked your front door behind me when I left. And just for your own information, you want to start locking your sliding door. It's entirely possible that someone else'll get hired to go after you once I drop the contract. I'll be in town for a little while if you need me. See you around, Kitty.
878-5231
Kitty smiled slightly as she read the note. It was nice to know someone cared, even if that someone was more prone to shoot werewolves than to befriend them. Pulling out her cell phone, she programmed in his number and threw away the note. Then she decided to do something about breakfast…or dinner, whichever it was.
Jade Granger glared at the envelope and letter on her coffee table. The envelope contained the portion of money she'd given Cormac-the-werewolf-slayer up front, and the letter was from Cormac, too. It said, simply, Something came up. Sorry for the inconvenience. No signature, nothing. Just two sentences. Seven words. In frustration, she tore the letter into pieces and yelled loudly. No one would hear her, after all.
"Now I have to find someone else who'll go after that damned bitch! She's a freak of nature, yet Mr. Expert can't kill her! He was useless anyway! Dammit!" Her fists pounded the polished wood and knocked over her glass of water, spilling all over the still-sealed envelope which contained her money. She quickly yanked it off the table and righted her glass. Cursing some more, she stood and headed towards her phone. There was, after all, more than one way to skin a cat. Or, rather, a werewolf named Kitty.
Cormac woke when his phone began buzzing irritatingly next to him. He fumbled in the dark for his phone, which was on the nightstand beside his bed, and finally flipped it open when his hand grasped it. He forced himself to sound civil.
"Yes?"
"Cormac? Hey, listen, it's Adler. I heard rumor that you dropped a contract out in PitchCreek. Any reason, or did you just feel it was…beneath you to kill a small-town werewolf?" A male voice asked teasingly. Cormac inwardly rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath and responding.
"I did drop a contract. I had my reasons, none of which are your concern. Is there any other reason you called?"
"Yeah, just thought you'd like to know, your loss is my gain. G'night, Cormac." And Adler hung up. Cormac cursed quietly and dialed Kitty's cell. Not that she knew he had the number.
It rang three times before Kitty answered. "Yeah?"
"Norville, it's me. You have a problem." He could see her pause perfectly in his mind's eye.
"Cormac? How'd you get this number?"
"Doesn't matter. Are your doors locked? Curtains closed?"
"Uh, yeah, I think so. Why?"
"Someone else took your contract. This guy's good, Kitty. Keep everything locked. I'll be there in ten minutes." And he hung up.
Three minutes later, he was out the door and headed for Kitty's with his guns in the backseat.
Kitty stared dumbly at her phone for a full thirty seconds before her common sense returned. Flipping her phone shut, she did a quick walk-through of the cabin to reassure herself that all the windows and doors were shut and locked. They were, and none had strange smells emanating from them, either, thank God.
When she'd successfully combed the cabin, she returned to her small living room and sat on the couch, waiting. She sat there for a full minute before deciding she'd rather sit on the floor, where she promptly curled up with her knees pressed to her chest. She still had at least six minutes before Cormac was supposed to show up.
I know I could find whoever's out there, but Cormac said he was good. If he's worth warning me about, then I shouldn't risk it. He could be out there right now, waiting for me to leave, or go stand next to a window. She glanced over at the clock, trying to assess when Cormac would arrive, and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone knocked on her back door.
Cautiously, she stood and walked towards the bedroom, her body tense in preparation for the inevitable fight. She relaxed only slightly when she recognized Cormac's scent.
After she'd unlocked the door and allowed him to slip inside before promptly locking it again, they crossed back to the living room and crouched on the floor in front of the couch. Kitty made herself comfortable and turned to look at him as he checked to make sure his revolver was fully loaded.
"Ok, so, what am I up against, exactly?" She asked curiously.
"An associate of mine, calls himself Adler. He's one of the best in our line of work; he comes almost as recommended as I do."
"He's almost as good as you, then?"
"Almost."
"How do you expect to help me out of this, exactly? I assume that's why you're here."
"It is." He paused, re-holstered the gun and glanced over at her. "If I know Adler, he was on his way here when he called me. He probably hasn't physically met the client yet, which means he'd have to stop by her place and get all the necessary details that can't be exchanged over a phone. Then he'll head over here and do a stake-out for an undetermined amount of time before deciding on how best to do what he came to do. I don't actually expect him to make his presence known for at least another hour. Still, it pays to be cautious."
"I agree, but how can you be so sure of all that? I mean, what if he was already here, watching my place, when he called you? If that's true, he probably knows you're here. And what if he sees your Jeep?" Kitty asked.
"He wouldn't see my Jeep, I parked it beyond your cabin and hiked back through your property. Since I came around back, even if he was out there, it's not overly likely that he knows I'm here. If he saw me coming, he'd have made his move by now."
"I guess that makes sense." It was her turn to pause as she considered how to say what she was thinking. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you doing this? Helping me, I mean. Couldn't you, like, get in trouble for this?"
Cormac grinned, and shook his head. "I don't have a boss, Norville. And I'm helping you for the same reason I refused to kill you last night. I don't have many friends."
"I guess that makes sense, too." She mumbled, looking away as her thoughts drifted of their own accord. He doesn't care about you that much, Stupid. You're lucky he's bothering to help at all.
They were still sitting on the floor, half-hidden by the coffee table on one side and completely hidden by the couch on the other side when Kitty's head snapped up and her eyes glazed over with a focused expression. Cormac went still and shut his own eyes in an effort to focus on his surroundings. After a long moment of silence, Kitty leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Adler's here. I can hear him walking around; he's trying to be quiet, but I can hear him. He's heading toward my back door." Cormac nodded and un-holstered his gun, flicking the safety off with barely a movement.
Silently, they stood and walked briskly into the hallway, positioning themselves beside the partially-open bedroom door. Cormac had his back to the wall on the left of the doorway, the gun in his hands. Kitty was across from him, her head inclined so that she could just barely see into the room without being seen from the sliding glass door. She saw a shape, about 6'4 and broad shouldered with close-cropped hair and a gun in his hands, and the man was inspecting the lock on the door. Kitty heard the tell-tale click of the lock snapping back and quickly darted out of viewing range and beside Cormac.
Cormac didn't need any notice that Adler was in the cabin. If nothing else, Kitty's reaction gave it away. Raising the gun, he positioned himself so that he could easily get the drop on Adler when the hunter entered the bedroom doorway. He only had to worry about whether or not Kitty was too vulnerable in her current location. Which worried him more than he'd like to admit.
Kitty seemed to sense that she was vulnerable in her current position, so she silently back-stepped out of the hallway and into the kitchen, where she ducked behind the island with a perfect view of the entrance to the hallway. She forced herself to remain calm, half-heartedly wondering why she was the only one who could hear her heart racing. Just focus, Kitty. Cormac knows what he's doing; besides, there's two of us and one of him, and he doesn't know that I know he's here. Right? Oh, God, what if his call to Cormac had been some sort of trick?
The thought disturbed her, but it was too late to warn Cormac, so she just had to hope it wouldn't make a difference in the fight. Or that he already suspected it, too. She preferred the latter option.
Cormac was poised with his gun, focusing on listening for any sounds that might indicate when Adler was going to exit the room. At this range, he knew he'd hear the footfalls before the other man made it to the doorway, which would work as his advantage. He also hoped Kitty'd found a good place to hide. He knew full-well that Adler may have intentionally led him to believe that he wasn't in position when he'd called earlier. Hunters didn't usually drop a case for no reason, which is basically what he'd done, from their stand-point at least.
The soft footfalls were coming closer to the doorway now, and Cormac tensed slightly, his finger slipping around the trigger, ready to shoot. The steps paused just inside the door, and he heard the soft click of the safety being switched off on Adler's gun. Adler's instincts were good; he sensed a danger nearby. With a little luck, he'd assume the danger was coming from the werewolf and not another hunter.
At this point, Cormac could see Adler's shadow -albeit vaguely- on the hardwood floor. He kept his gaze locked at where Adler's head would be, but he was also paying attention just in case the man stuck his gun around the corner first. It wouldn't be that hard, after all.
It seemed like it took forever for Adler to move once more towards the doorway. The gun appeared first, but it was quickly followed by Adler himself, who obviously was unaware that Cormac was standing there. It took only a brief second for Adler to register what was going on. His eyes went wide and he swung his gun towards Cormac, but not before Cormac had leveled his on Adler's head.
"Drop the gun, Adler."
"You son of a bitch, what the hell's your problem?"
"Drop it."
"You'll have to shoot me. Which I'd appreciate it if you could do after I finish what I came here to do."
"You won't be finishing anything. And I will shoot you."
"Why? What the hell's your problem? You're defending a fucking werewolf, for Christ's sake!" When Cormac didn't respond to Adler's statement, he shifted slightly in an attempt to position his gun on Cormac. Cormac pressed the edge of his revolver against Adler's forehead.
"I'll say this one last time. Drop. The. Gun." Adler hesitated, undoubtedly weighing his options, and finally released the gun, letting it clatter against the hardwood floor. Cormac walked slowly around Adler, his gun never leaving the other man's flesh, until he was standing behind him like some sort of thug. "Start walking, slowly."
They walked slowly down the hall, into the living room, where Cormac instructed Adler to have a seat. He knew Adler had more guns on him, but he also knew that if he gave Adler the opportunity to reach for them, a firefight would ensue. Currently, he was trying to avoid that. Adler was packing silver bullets, after all.
Kitty watched them quietly from her hiding spot behind the island in the kitchen, wondering slightly why the guy was being so submissive. Sure, he's got a gun to his head, but he can't possibly be unarmed. If he's supposed to be almost as good as Cormac, then why's he taking this? Then again, if he does try anything he'll almost certainly aim for Cormac, which would be bad. And it would seriously piss me off.
She watched as Adler sat down heavily on the couch, hands resting on his knees where they could be seen. Cormac still had the gun pointed at him, and his eyes never left his face.
"You're better than this, Adler. What's the catch?"
"Why would you think there's a catch?"
"Don't play dumb with me, asshole. Answer the question." Again, Adler hesitated.
"If you shoot me, you won't know the answer to that question. But if I tell you, you'll have no reason not to shoot me. So why would I want to tell you?"
Damn. Kitty thought. He's got a point. I hate it when the bad guy makes a good point. Wait a sec-. The wind had shifted. Which, in itself, was wrong. The wind was outside. Usually. Adler left the door open, but why? He's after a werewolf, and we have excellent senses, so why make such a huge mistake? Her question answered itself when she realized what scent had caught her attention. Another hunter, another gun, another threat. Adler had brought company, that's why he'd left the door open. He probably was expecting some form of resistance, possibly including Cormac. This other person slowly slid the door shut, and Kitty barely heard the click of it sliding into place. This hunter was a woman, and her scent was similar to Adler's. They were related; probably brother and sister.
Kitty shifted so she could focus on the woman, knowing that it'd be stupid -possibly even suicidal- to shout a warning to Cormac. She watched as a woman about 5'8, with shoulder-length ebony hair and blue eyes stepped cautiously into the hallway. The woman scanned the room quickly, her small hand gun clutched defensively in her feminine hands. The woman's eyes landed on Cormac and Adler, both of whom were staring intently at one another. Kitty had no doubt that Adler was expecting her, but Cormac probably wasn't. Or at least he showed no signs of it.
Kitty felt the Wolf growl inside her as the woman raised the gun, pointing it at Cormac silently. She intended to shoot Cormac. To kill him. Wolf didn't seem to like that any more than Kitty herself. Still, if she jumped at her, she could get shot in the process, thereby defeating the purpose of having Cormac there with her. But if I don't, she'll kill him. She'll kill Cormac, and it'll be my fault, just like it was with T.J.. I can't let that happen. I can't lose the only friend I've got. So, she did what she knew she had to do. She called on the extra speed Wolf gave her, and the extra strength, and lunged at the woman whose finger was slowly tightening on the trigger.
Cormac was still holding his gun at Adler's head when he felt another pair of eyes land on him from behind. Logic would dictate that it was Kitty, but he knew better. She'd have been watching the whole time, and something told him this wasn't her. Though Adler held his stare, he knew that Adler knew what was going on. And then Cormac realized who the new-comer must be. John Adler's sister, Alice. They were twins, and they almost always worked together on cases.
He was still wondering exactly how to handle the situation when a sudden commotion grabbed his, and Adler's, attention. The instant he saw Kitty pounce on Alice, and heard the shot, which went into the roof, he knew he'd lost his advantage. He dropped to the ground just as another shot soared by where his head had been, and he fired back. So much for no firefight.
Kitty lunged at the woman, whose name she didn't know, and tackled her right as the woman's finger closed on the trigger. She knew instantly that it missed, and refocused her attention on disarming the stranger. The woman struggled, but her strength was nothing compared to that of a werewolf, and they both knew it.
Alice Adler, known as "AA" to her associates, kicked for all she was worth. Her arms were pinned uselessly, as she'd been using both to better her aim when Kitty'd attacked. Other shots were fired from the living room, and both women had time to worry about the men for barely a second before Alice was shoved into the wall, her gun sent flying with a swift kick to her wrists.
When Kitty had her pinned against her wall, she growled out "Who are you?"
The woman spat in her face before delivering two sharp kicks to Kitty's midsection. "That's none of your business, freak. All that matters is that I'm gonna kill you."
"I hate to break it to you, but I've heard that before." Kitty growled, grabbing the woman by the throat and holding her up so that her toes barely touched the floor. The woman floundered for a moment, then her hands grabbed something and Kitty had a brief moment to think: Oops. Then something hard and small and sharp was thrust into her stomach, and she dropped the woman and stumbled backwards, once again behind the island.
Looking down, she found a small dagger protruding from her stomach. Not overly life threatening unless left inside, where the silver of the blade could spread like a poison. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the silver handle and yanked, pulling the blade out of her stomach and tossing it across the floor, underneath the fridge.
Alice dropped to the ground and rolled towards her discarded hand-gun, grabbing it quickly and rolling to her feet. Glancing around, she saw the two men in the living room shooting at each other and then turned her attention on finding the werewolf. She'd seen the creature duck behind the island, which was where she'd come from originally. Not too original, really. She thought as she stepped towards the island carefully. She knew the dagger wouldn't have killed the beast, but she also knew it was wounded. Making sure the safety was still off, she raised the gun and stepped up beside the island.
Once she was in position, she brought the gun down and on the other side, aimed at the only spot the werewolf could be hiding. "Good-bye, bitch." She mumbled a split-second before pulling the trigger. She fired three times, figuring that that way she was more assured to have hit her target.
The shots from Alice's gun had an almost movie-like affect on the small firefight going on in Kitty's living room. Cormac had one bullet left in his current gun of choice, and Adler had ducked away to reload, so the firing wasn't deafening, and they'd both paused when Alice had fired. Both hunters looked over to the kitchen, one hoping Alice had been successful and one praying she hadn't been.
Alice moved to look over the island, where her victim should have been, when something behind her caught her eye. Movement. The werewolf wasn't dead; she wasn't even shot. The wound in her stomach was still there, but the bleeding was slow and she had no evidence of a bullet wound.
Kitty used her advantage to propel herself over the island and on top of Alice, once more knocking away her gun. The two women flew into the living room and landed hard. Alice was barely conscious and Kitty was furious. Over to her left, a man stood and aimed a gun in their direction, shouting what sounded like "Hold her still, Alice!"
Kitty looked up, into the face of Adler, just in time to hear two shots ring out. Instinctively, she rolled away, towards Cormac's side of the living room, hoping to avoid the shots. That's when she realized that she hadn't been shot. The scent of blood reached her sensitive nose a second before the sound of a gun clattering on the ground reached her ears. Looking up, she saw Adler's surprised face as he looked down at his chest, watching the blood pour from two separate bullet holes. It reminded Kitty of a cheesy movie scene.
The moment Adler dropped, lifeless, to the ground, Alice screamed. The sound was loud and Kitty flinched away from it instinctively, her ears ringing. She glanced up at Cormac, who was holding a gun in each hand. One was dropped, facing the ground, the other was still aimed at where Adler'd been standing. That was the gun that had killed her enemy. Alice's voice brought her back to her senses even as Cormac turned his attention to the remaining threat.
"You bastard! You killed my brother! You killed a human, defending a werewolf, what the hell's wrong with you!" She yelled hysterically, picking up her gun once again and turning on them. "I'm going to kill you and the bitch, do you hear me?"
"Forget it, Alice. You've lost." Cormac said, his gun never faltering and his face serious. Adler's sister glared and pulled the trigger defiantly.
Kitty moved quickly, mentally apologizing as she tackled Cormac to the ground and felt a bullet graze her back. The pain ripped through her and she rolled off of him quickly, until she was lying on her stomach beside him. The bullet had only grazed her back, but the silver had pierced her flesh and it hurt like hell. She bit back a curse, trying to overcome it, knowing that she wasn't out of danger just yet.
Cormac allowed Kitty to tackle him, knowing that if she hadn't moved he'd be dead already. He heard her sharp intake of pain and knew she'd been hit with the bullet meant for him. He also knew that it had been a silver bullet, not an ordinary bullet. She rolled quickly off of him, landing on her stomach and trying not to cringe from the pain. Something inside of him snapped at the sight of her bleeding back. He could tell that the bullet hadn't lodged inside of her, but she was hurt.
Clutching his gun, he dropped the now-useless one and jumped up, shooting wide. He heard Alice grunt, obviously hit, and she rolled away, out of sight to regain her bearings. He paused, searching for where she might be. He stayed low, not wanting to make too much of a target. This was the problem with shoot-outs in residences. Too many unknown places for the opponent to hide.
Behind him, Kitty was sitting up, the pain in her back slowly fading away. She could smell the grief, the anger, that was radiating off of Alice Adler. She knew where the woman was. And Wolf was more than ready to end this fight. She was half-standing, half-crouching, when Alice moved, and the sound of another gun being cocked was heard.
Without actually looking over at Cormac, she stood and ran towards Alice's location, drawing the woman's attention completely. Bullets were fired and Kitty was forced to rely on Wolf's instincts to avoid as many of them as possible. She dodged behind a chair and jumped out on the other side, rolling and jumping back to her feet, never breaking stride. She only hoped her strategy didn't get her killed in the process.
Cormac was half tempted to strangle Kitty for putting herself in the line of fire like that. But he wasn't fool enough to be unsure of what she was doing. She was distracting Alice so he could end it. And Alice, thankfully, was falling for it hook-line-and-sinker. The problem with Kitty's plan was that she was risking her life, literally.
He stayed as still as he could, minimizing any chance of her noticing him. When Kitty had moved far enough away, he stood quickly and leveled his gun on Alice's location, which he'd easily figured out once she'd started shooting. With barely a twinge of guilt, he pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession.
Kitty was ducking behind the island once again when the shooting stopped. Blood once again assaulted her senses and she knew the fight was over. Moments afterwards, she heard the thud of a gun colliding with her hardwood floor, which was followed by Alice's limp body.
Slowly, Cormac stood and walked over to Alice's body. When he got there, he instantly knew that she was as dead as her brother. A small part of him felt bad for having killed the Adler siblings. But mostly, he was just glad it was over. They'd tried to kill him and Kitty, and in return he'd killed them. Arguable self-defense, if it ever got that far. Which he was sure it wouldn't.
Then he noticed that Kitty hadn't emerged from her hiding spot, even though she was bound to know that the threat was over. Holstering his gun, he turned quickly and strode over to the kitchen. Rounding the island easily, he found her huddled with her back resting against it, her head hunched towards her knees. She was bleeding again.
Biting back a curse, he knelt beside her and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder to let her know he was there. She flinched, then slowly looked up at him. She looked pained. Extending one hand towards him, she opened it to reveal a blood-stained silver bullet resting on her palm. There was a large hole in her shoulder where she'd obviously dug it out, trying to prevent the silver from poisoning her blood stream to the point of death.
As she was holding out the bullet, her eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped the bullet, her body going limp and sagging sideways towards him. Cormac caught her effortlessly, adjusting her so that he could check her pulse. Relief flowed through him when he found it. The pulse was slow, but steady. She'd be okay.
Picking her up, he crossed the cabin to her room once again, but this time he slid open the door, stepped through, and slid it shut once more. Then he began the walk to his Jeep. It wasn't safe to stay in her cabin, and he didn't even consider the option of leaving her.
Kitty's eyes fluttered open groggily around 1:30 the next morning. She was startled to discover that she didn't recognize her surroundings, and she made to sit up when a familiar male voice stopped her.
"Take it easy, Norville."
"C-cormac?" She stuttered, glancing over at him. He was seated in a desk chair beside her. Suddenly everything that'd happened flooded back into her memory and she shut her eyes, sorting it all out. "Is she dead?"
"Yeah."
She nodded mutely for a moment. Then she asked, "Where are we?"
"My hotel room. I couldn't travel with you unconscious like you were, and I wasn't about to leave you in a small town where someone wants you dead." He paused, readjusted himself, and said, "How are you feeling?"
She hesitated. "I feel…ok, I suppose. I was shot, wasn't I?"
"Yeah."
"How did I survive, then?"
"You dug out the bullet before the poison had a decent chance to spread."
"Oh. I see." It was her turn to pause, then she asked, "Why'd you do it? I mean, I get that you consider me a friend, but, you worked with them, right? You knew them. It couldn't have been easy."
Cormac reached over and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I was never friends with them. The Adlers were associates, nothing more. I chose my side, I made my decision. I don't regret it. Now you stay here, I'm going to grab your dinner. You haven't eaten since before you were shot."
"How long was I out?"
"Just under 24 hours. Bathroom's over there if you need it." He said, indicating a partially closed door. She nodded and slowly stood, making sure to find her balance first. Then she walked over to the bathroom while he went and got food for her. Food sounds great. She thought briefly as she stepped into the small room.
Two hours later Kitty was feeling much more like herself. She'd eaten, showered, and called into her 'office' to let them know that she'd decided to take the show on the road again. Now all she had to do was figure out what she actually planned to do. She was sitting cross-legged on Cormac's bed and he was sitting in a chair a few feet away, watching her.
She looked over at him and smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She didn't want to wander again. Traveling from state to state, city to city, radio station to radio station, was just not entertaining anymore. She even briefly considered abandoning the show, knowing that it would help her find a place to settle down if she didn't have to pick a spot near a station that carried it. But where would she stay, anyway? Inside her, the Wolf growled in her frustration much like Kitty wanted to.
"What's on your mind, Norville?" Cormac asked, dragging her from her thoughts.
"Just wondering what I'm going to do now. I understand that I can't live here anymore, but I'm sick of living from radio station to radio station. That's why I moved here in the first place." She sighed. He stood, crossed the two steps from his chair to the hotel bed, and sat next to her.
"You can travel with me, at least for a while, if you want." He offered, all the while amazed that he'd said it. The thought had occurred to him two nights ago, because he knew she couldn't stay in PitchCreek, and if he was being honest with himself, he didn't want to walk out of her life again just yet. He wasn't overly sure he wanted to, ever. And that disturbed him.
Kitty looked over at the man sitting next to her on the bed, her mind replaying his offer and then trying to find a reason to say no. She couldn't find one, and she was glad, because she figured traveling would be a lot easier with a companion she could trust. Part of her found it frightening that she could so completely trust a man who killed werewolves for a living. But he'd saved her life, more than once if you thought about it, and that was endearing. Even to a werewolf. "I'd like that, actually. Are you sure it's ok with you, though? I mean, wouldn't I, like, impose, or something?"
"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't serious. You won't impose. We'll be leaving town tomorrow afternoon, though, so you'll have to be awake. Think you can manage that?"
"I just slept for 24 hours, I don't think I need to sleep tomorrow. At least not much."
"You'd be surprised, Norville." He said, grinning slightly. She smiled back at him.
"If I do fall asleep, wake me up. Are you capable of that?" Her voice was teasing, and she couldn't suppress a soft laugh when she said it.
Something about her was really getting to him. Again. Last time he'd felt like this, they'd ended up making out and only barely avoided sleeping together. He wasn't naïve enough to think it was a coincidence, or that it would be the last time this would happen. He knew he cared more than he should for her. And he no longer cared.
Instinctively, he reached out and cupped his hand around the back of her neck, bringing her face closer to his. She didn't resist, and he took that as a good sign.
This time he was the one who initiated the kiss, his lips claiming hers passionately. She responded instantly, returning the kiss with equal fervor as her arms wound around his neck to pull him closer. His other hand landed on her hip, and he leaned down, deepening the kiss. His tongue slid from his mouth to trace her lips, which she opened quickly and allowed his tongue to explore her mouth. Hers returned the favor eagerly.
Scooping her up in his arms, he crawled to the center of the bed and laid her down, never breaking the kiss. Then he positioned himself on top of her and his hands drifted down to the hem of her shirt. Her hands found his shirt and tugged it out of his pants and over his head while he removed her shirt. Then his mouth descended on her neck and she rolled her head to the side to allow him better access. Her hands dragged down his chest, feeling the hardness of his abs, and then began fumbling with his buckle. Moments later, she was tugging his jeans off as he did the same to hers.
It was three months later, and Kitty and Cormac were laying on yet another motel bed, having stopped for the night in nowhere Nevada. It was nearly five in the morning, and they were both slowly drifting off to sleep. They'd had dinner at a steakhouse six hours ago, and then driven to the motel.
Kitty was wrapped in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder comfortably while his arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. Despite the reasons for their traveling together, and despite her better judgment, she was happier than she'd been in years. Possibly before she'd been attacked by Zan. She loved Cormac, she was just too afraid to tell him.
And she was amazed that he'd been ok with her having to run every full moon. He'd just pull over when they came to a park and let her out, telling her to meet him there in the morning. They'd kiss briefly, and she'd disappear into the forest for the night.
Cormac glanced down at the woman he held tight against his side and decided that now was as good a time as any to tell her the truth. He had no idea how she'd take it, but it got harder not to each day. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.
"Kitty, you still awake?" He already knew the answer, but it was a start. She shifted slightly, looking up at him.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"There's something I need to tell you."
"So say it already."
He took another deep breath, and Kitty got slightly worried. Then he spoke. "Listen, Norville, I…love you."
Kitty's breath caught, and she smiled, slowly at first, and then broadly. She couldn't believe he'd said it. Leaning up, she kissed him lightly and whispered in his ear. "I love you, too, Cormac."
"Good." He said, pulling her on top of him and kissing her fiercely one more time that night. Afterwards, she rested her head on his chest and snuggled into him as she drifted off to blissful sleep. Cormac tightened his grip on her waist and fell asleep as well.
The End