Jeebus, what's this? An update? Whaaat? Haha wow! I didn't know people did that anymore! Enjoy. Please R&R ;3

Summary: JD, after disappearing for weeks, is found with the strangest new appearence. He can't 'fix' it and no one but Dr. Cox can know about it, So, can JD hide his big secret or will it leak out? And if it does, will it end up doing more damage than he ever imagined possible?

Rating: I'll stick with the T rating just so I have room to stretch my imagination. No rated M moments, though I might put those parts in a serperate fic so I can keep this one available to the the majority of the fanfic readers.

Regular text.

"Speaking."

Thinking.

(Author's notes within story.)

Chapter Five: My Reunion

JD landed facedown on the couch with a stressed moan. "That was the worst two hours of my life."

Perry gave him a sympathetic look, knowing he couldn't see it from where he lay, and replied briskly, "Well, it's not over yet. You gotta get back to work. We've been fighting Kelso to not write you out of the hospital staff list. Geez, I hope you give ol' Bobbo a heart attack when you get back."

Sitting up slowly, JD gave his mentor a half-hearted glare. He wanted to be done with the commotion so bad! All the noises, the people pushing and prodding, it was driving him nuts. And he still had to get to the hospital for a checkup or whatever!

The ride there was oddly comforting for JD. He spent that majority of the time with his arms against the door, gazing out the window. Perry kept reminding him to keep his ears under control so nobody saw them through the window but it was only once they'd pulled up to the hospital front that he really started to worry. JD climbed out of the car by himself with a nervous gulp. How long has it been? he wondered just as a familiar face came into view. Suddenly, his sight began to blur as tears surfaced.

"JD!" a voice screeched to the fullest of its ability, which was surprisingly high for this man in particular. Warmth flooded JD and all worry and stress flowed out. His gray eyes picked over the features, features he'd known for years and years.

It was Turk that vaulted over the ramp rail and bushes and grabbed JD in a running hug. JD managed to choke out Turk's name as the air was crushed from his body. At the entrance, Carla was standing, eyes wide, hands over her mouth. Elliot was bouncing with nervous energy as tears sprang instantly to her eyes. In an instant, the pair dashed down the steps and joined together in a group hug with JD at the heart of it.

After a moment, JD felt Turk pull away and drag an arm over his eyes, but his were still bright with fresh tears. His mouth opened and shut several times as if he had a million questions but none could reach his lips, so he settled for a simple statement.

"JD," Turk said, his voice breaking as he pulled back, hands gripping JD's shoulders, "We thought- I thought that you might've, you could've... "

Suddenly Carla's hands were touching his product-free hair, his sunken cheeks, his jaw line, as if to reassure herself that this was no imposter and that this real Bambi wasn't injured anywhere. In the background somewhere, JD heard Elliot's voice hit an ear-piercingly high pitch at which she immediately began to pour out her heart, saying how they had looked and looked and that there'd been so many dead end leads and- was that Dr. Cox's pants he was wearing?

For several moments, JD basked in the ecstatic, concerned glow of his friends until Elliot's words returned to a regular frequency and Carla's look-over was complete. Turk sniffled and wiped his eyes once more before asking the question they were dying to know:

"So, what happened to you?"

JD's breath caught in his throat. Should he tell the truth and reveal the secret that could ruin his life forever? He knew that each of his friends wouldn't ever deliberately give it away but there was always that small chance. Filled with indecision, JD glanced back at Perry, who'd restrained himself coolly from the tear-fest. JD saw his nearly imperceptible head shake and decided to go with Perry's idea. He would tell the story but leave out the dog part.

So JD dropped his head, almost wishing he could reveal his dog ears and fold them back to emphasize his fear as he replied shakily, "I think we should talk about that later, somewhere with less of a chance of someone overhearing."

A chill stole over his friends' skin and their smiles faltered noticeably. JD's eyes flickered upwards, seeking support from who-knows-what.

------

After a short but nonetheless nerve-wracking interrogation from Kelso, JD received the okay to return to work that afternoon. The daunting old man just waved his hand, signaling JD better leave his office now or suffer the consequences. Once in the safety of the hallway, he released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding and looked up for Perry, and found him waiting just down the hall.

The older man's eyes narrowed and JD leaned away apprehensively. "You, follow me."

JD found no quarrel with being ordered to follow. In fact, he found it much easier with the stern direction and the watchful eye Perry provided. JD found long buried memories of his medical training returning, as well as how to work with all the quirks of the hospital.

As they entered the room of a middle-aged man that Perry was already looming over, JD suddenly stopped, eyes locked on the tray next to the bed. Perry looked up just seconds before the man did at the sight of a , barely in time to grab JD and shove him to the ground. Huddled past the footboard of the bed, passed the patient's line of vision, JD froze tensely.

"Dropped my pen! JD, get it for me." Perry had an alarming note of urgency in his voice that sent a quiver of adrenaline through JD. He continued to crouch just out of sight, pointed ears folded back to protect them lest a fight break out.

Wait, ears? JD reached up and bit back a yelp of surprise. Sure enough, there protruding so naturally from his head were two pointed, wolf ears. Gritting his teeth and screwing his eyes shut, JD took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down and focused on his human self. A split-second later, another, more subdued flash blinked momentarily into being and JD bounced to his feet.

With strained cheerfulness, JD replied, "Sorry Dr. Cox, I don't see a pen."

"Then let's go get another," Perry growled, already dragging JD across the room and out the door. "We'll be back in just a moment, Mr. Taylor." After they got into the hall and shut the door, Perry whirled on his protégé, about to unleash his rage, and stopped dead.

JD was quivering and sheet-white, eyes wide, struggling to control the urge to run away. Perry became concerned, prodding the young man with a simple question.

"Newbie? Ya in there?"

"Sorry," JD said, blinking hard to rid himself of dark memories encroaching upon his mind's eye. He pressed his head into his hands. "It's just... That's the first time I've seen a n-needle since w-what happened." JD shuddered, unconsciously rubbing the inside of his forearm where tiny, red pinpricks were still visible.

Perry, deflated and knowing he could not storm down the path he wanted to take, settled for a half-hearted growl and reentered the room. The feeling left in his wake, though, spelled out his hunger to know every detail of what had happened. JD realized he might not ever be able to tell anyone though. Everything that had happened to him in that lab.

It was about lunch when they parted ways, Perry almost reluctantly leaving JD in Carla's hands. She fought an amused grin. If JD still had his tail, he would have flicked it in irritation.

"What?" he said indignantly. Carla just waved him off but was inwardly pleased to see how bright JD's eyes were and how easily he stood. She'd been secretly fretting that he'd be so hurt or scarred that he'd never recover but seeing him now, most of that anxiety subsided.

"Oh, nothing," Carla said teasingly, "It's just cute how much Dr. Cox cares about you." JD looked astonished and even a little hopeful, which stirred Carla's curiosity. She prodded further. "You think he would have taken care of you if he didn't care? What's worrying you, anyway?"

Now that she noticed, JD did have an odd tension about him that wasn't really fear or anxiety, but more like a continuous anticipation. He'd been surprisingly quick all throughout the day, even when he drifted off to JD land- like catching something before it hit the ground or greeting someone almost before they rounded the corner of a hallway. That wasn't how isolation and torture victims acted, but JD had the scars to prove those things did happen to him. So what else had happened? What sort of thing gave a person cat-like reflexes and the ability to seemingly see into the future?

JD sensed Carla's razor-sharp mind working him over, noticing little details, and suddenly got the strangest notion. Perry was the leader. That's just how it worked. But with Carla here, it was as if her and Perry were butting heads. JD's human mind smoothed out the rough edges of the pack design, and somehow was okay with two leaders. Snapping back to reality in a heartbeat, though, JD zeroed in on the clock. It was his first day back so he was only staying until two, with Turk to guide him back to his apartment.

"Oh well, I'm just hungry," JD said, flashing oddly sharp teeth in a little smile. "Let's get something to eat." Carla let him blatantly avoid her question and agreed with her motherly yet cunning smile. She walked with him through the lunch line and over to the table Elliot and Turk were sharing. Turk greeted him with a bright grin, as if he couldn't get over the fact he was back, and Elliot tried to say hi and swallow at the same time.

"Hey guys," JD said as he settled down, gripping a hamburger in his thin hands, "I don't know about you, but I feel like I haven't eaten all day!" With a healthy appetite to say the least, he dug in, which only seemed to encourage his dear friends. Only Carla, though, seemed to realize that something was a little strange.

His teeth. They were so… pointy. And his eyes, so bright and alert. His movements, his mannerisms, his stance- it was all slightly different. Feral. Carla remembered to eat just in time to avoid suspicion but now she was sure.

JD had changed, and she wanted to know just how much he had.

haha TLDR right? well, a review, just any review, will prompt an update. Really, I just wanna know SOMEONE's reading this mess. Thanks for your time, readers!