Chapter 28:

"So why the hell did we not see this guy coming?" Seeper asked as he paced at the front of the conference room.

Algut sat to his usual side with a tight grimace on his face. His arms were folded over his chest and over the top of his gut. He wasn't all that happy with the fact that they had missed Edmunds, and more to the fact that he missed him also. He was one of the most decorated detectives of the precinct and he couldn't see the pervert they had been searching for right under his own nose.

Darson and her niece Carrie sat to the other side of the room with a few dozen papers with their findings on their samples. They already made leeway with the samples that they had and made a genetic connection between Edmunds and the thing that had made itself known the night before.

Lastly, Deidra sat toward the middle of the small room and stared intently at the board in front of the team. On one side was some photos from inside the precinct taken by a few dozen cameras watching the main room. They showed various views of the wolf being, even one caught him dead on looking into the camera. He knew that they would use the footage. On the other side of the board was a picture of Edmunds and then a picture of what he looked like as Alfred.

'Bastard,' Deidra thought to herself and leaned forward as if to profile him just from his picture.

"Jenson!" Seeper barked a little harshly, "Why did we not see him?"

"Because he injected himself into the case with years of planning before hand to do so," she stood up and walked to the boards to see what other information they had dug up about the transition that took place from Alfred to Edmunds.

"I thought he would have a remedial job," Seeper pouted, "Isn't that what you said?"

"I also said that he would have a very high intelligence," she said quietly and traced the pathway of leads over the board in front of her, "I think I might have over generalized on a few marks. He does have the medical background though. He knew just enough to throw us off of him and onto his past life. Why didn't we look closer into his file?"

"He came highly recommended from a known and truthful source, I didn't think to argue it," Seeper shrugged in defeat. He didn't mean to place fault on any one of his team, but he did want to blame someone. He just didn't want it to be him either.

"Well that makes sense for some of the officers in this building," Algut sighed.

"So where does this place us?" Carrie asked from her seat, "How are we going to find him? I doubt that he would go back to his home."

"Already checked anyway," Seeper waved his hand in the air as if to wave away the notion, "That place was long emptied of anything of value. No, this guy knows what he is doing."

"Obviously," Deidra cocked her head to the side, "How many uniforms do we have watching the streets?"

"At least a good twenty or so pairs."

"Then we have to wait."

"Until he grabs another girl?" Algut asked.

"He doesn't want just any girl," Deidra frowned and turned from the boards, "He wants me and my roommate."

"How do you know?" Algut asked.

"Because he texted us before he attacked," Deidra opened her phone and showed them the few messages.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Seeper asked and looked through the ones that she still had, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"How could I tell you when we were attacked right after we got the messages?" she growled and picked her phone back out of his hand only to shove it back in his face, "And I am telling you now. I was coming to tell you about it when we were hit by this giant wolf. What do you want me to do? Throw my phone at your face every time it vibrates?"

"Okay, okay, I get your point," he sighed and pushed her phone back toward her, "We've been on enough cases to know each other well enough. I just worry."

"You shouldn't, I know what I'm doing," she pushed her phone back into her pocket.

Seeper took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. He saw the same fire that she always had, but there was something else there. Something that told him that she had a whole different plan than what she was letting on about.

"What are you planning?" he asked and her eyebrow went up, "If you aren't telling me your plan I either suspect that it is really stupid, really dangerous, or REALLY illegal."

"I don't have a real plan, just something that I would love to do to him," she grunted, "Like skin him alive. I bet someone would love his hide as piece in their den."

"All of us want nothing better than a chance at that," Seeper nodded and accepted her answer. He paused for a moment before he looked back at the rest of the team, "I think I want you and your roommate under protection detail."

"What?!"

"Don't argue with me," Seeper put a hand on her shoulder and then turned to the others in the group, "Darson, Quinn, let's see if we can get anymore idea on what exactly this guy is. Algut, you get some more background if you can on this guy. You all have your assignments. Let's see what we can do."

"What the hell am I supposed to do, sit here and look pretty?" Deidra frowned, "I am not going to have a protection detail."

"Yes, you are," he turned from her and began to exit the room.

She followed closely after him, "Seeper!"

"That's an order, agent!"

"Order nothing," she growled and pulled at is collar to push him into one of the filing rooms, "Look, I think a protection detail should be given, but not on me."

"Then who?"

"Analise."

"Your roommate?"

"She's intelligent, but she's a bigger target than I am," Deidra reasoned with him, "And if he gets to her, you know that he will be able to get to me because I won't leave her behind."

"Point taken," he nodded, "And you?"

"I have a different idea."

"I knew you had one."

"I want to be used… as bait."

"No, absolutely not," he shook his head and tried to push past her, but she stopped him.

"Why not, it would be perfect, and you know it," she put her arms out, "If he wants me so bad, he can come and get me."

"And when he catches you?"

"Who says he would?"

Seeper pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes shut in thought, "Humor me."

"Then I have a trusty item called a cell phone that I can use to call in the cavalry," she shrugged, "I will also have a tracking system on me. You guys will know where I'm at the whole time."

Seeper opened his eyes and folded his arms over his chest as he looked at her. His lips folded into a straight line which didn't seem to want to lighten up. He stared at her and knew that she wasn't going to waver. Especially with that look that she was giving him.

"You go out there to entice him… we know where you are the whole time," he conceded.

"The whole time," she nodded in agreement.

"And you have a tail."

"No tail, he will know," she shook her head.

"Agent…"

"Trust me."

He paused again and grunted in frustration. He flung his arms over his head and nodded, "All right. But don't make me explain your death to your roommate and your new boyfriend. Your roommate could be scary enough, I don't need that guy down my throat."

"Don't worry, I'm good at playing victim," she smiled and only freaked Seeper out a little further.

"Knock, knock," Michelangelo called into the lair as he and Analise turned the corner.

Donatello looked over his shoulder at his brother, "Hey Mikey."

"Have you been cooped up here all day?" Michelangelo asked and hopped onto one of the tabletops in Donatello's lab set up opposite from where he was working.

"I've been trying to reverse the whole curse of humanity from us," Donatello paused and looked back at Analise who had collapsed on one of the closer couches, "No offense meant, Ana."

"None taken," she smiled and turned on her stomach to hang over one of the arms of the couch, "Besides, I saw how you looked at Dr. Quinn at the party."

Donatello did not comment back, but she saw the blush even from where she was sitting.

"How's the anti-mutagen coming anyway?" she asked and decided to get up instead of rest like she had planned.

"Thanks to what Leo gathered from the file work, I may be pretty close to getting it solved," Donatello looked into a microscope and then rolled himself over to another computer screen, "It's a pretty complex system. The DNA structure of the subjects, aka us, are controlled by the cellular structure. Said cellular structure is always changing and thus my confusion on how to track down our original structure as the turtles that we were born as."

"Uh, Donnie, I don't want to be put back into a fish bowl, so maybe keep that little extra ooze in the calculations, huh?" Michelangelo patted him on the back.

"And what may I ask have you been doing all day?" Donatello asked his brother.

"I've been trying to be a good citizen and getting a paying occupation," Michelangelo kicked his legs in front of him, "I have an interview lined up tomorrow."

"Really?" Analise asked with a smile, "From where? I haven't heard the phone ring all day."

"Nah, I asked this one face to face," he smiled brightly, "It's going to rock."

"I wish I can be there, but I may be doing some extra duty over the next few days. Henry told me to obtain some extra patience when it comes to this week. Maybe some of the other area managers want to shadow my tour groups. That will be fun."

"You'll be fine," Michelangelo opened his arms and she fell into them and nearly threw him off balance.

She was tired, there were five more groups than what she was use to. A lot of weird guys in dark sunglasses and some in suits. She felt like she was in the Matrix and Morpheus was going to come around the corner and offer her a choice between the red and blue pill.

"Yeah, it may be tough, but you got me to come home to, right?" he asked from above her head.

"Thank God for little mercies, dude," she sighed and wrapped him in a hug.

"Why don't you two give Donnie some mercy and get out of his lab with that mushy stuff?"

Analise looked around Michelangelo's arm and saw Raphael climb down into the lair without Deidra behind him. She looked from him, back up to entry he had just come through and then to him again.

"Where's my roommate?" she asked casually.

"Giving the new uniforms some more information on Edmunds," Raphael growled and punched his fist into his hand, "Would I love to get my hands on that guy."

"Wouldn't we all?" Analise asked. She looked at a piece of paper that Raphael had in his hand, now crumpled, "What's that?"

"Oh," Raphael tried to straighten out the paper, "I got a job."

"No fair! How?" Michelangelo frowned and grabbed the paper from his older brother, "A bartender? You aren't the best people person…"

"I also double as a bouncer," Raphael explained.

"Well, that makes sense," Analise nodded.

"Hello all," Deidra yawned as she entered the lair, "How are we doing?"

"Raph has a job!" Michelangelo pointed to Raphael as if he had done something unforgivable, "As a bartender!"

"Way to go," Deidra smiled and hugged Raphael and gave him a quick kiss, "Working nights?"

"Yeah, it's a down side that I hope to rectify soon," he shrugged.

"Not many bars are opened during the day, hon," she smiled, "But you don't have to worry about it. I will be working nights helping out with the task force from the office. We will get home around the same time."

"How'd you manage that?" he smirked.

"Seeper can't argue against my reasoning."

"None of us really can," Analise smiled and noticed another yawn from Deidra, "Are you okay?"

"It's just taking it out of me," she shrugged, "The stress and the hours aren't all that great."

"I guess so," Ana nodded.

"I'm going to lay down for a bit, maybe a movie before some training?" Deidra offered.

Michelangelo raced up to the group with a smile, "Movie?! My pick!"

As fast as he was at the group, he was even quicker to move to the movie system.

"Hey Mikey, my suggestion, my pick!" Deidra moved after him in a much slower pace.

Analise chuckled at the two of them and watched from a distance.

"Hey Ana," Raphael asked and she turned to see him rubbing the back of his head.

"What's up?"

"With all this happening and all, I was wonderin'…" he paused and looked at Deidra, "I still haven't taken her on our first date. I wanted to do somethin' special."

"Okay," Analise smiled at the flustered Raphael.

"What does she like in a date?"

"Unpredictable," Analise nodded and looked at the two who were fighting back and forth between a zombie horror and a vampire horror. She sighed and pointed at the two of them, "They're going to be going at it for a while. You want some ideas?"

"Desperately."

"Something I never thought that I would hear from you," she smiled.

"Don't push it," he pointed at her.

A few days later and Analise could barely keep her eyes open. Between her early shift hours, a few commissions and giving Raphael all the help she could she was worn out. The only thing she wanted to do was get the last two hours of her shift done, head home to Michelangelo and just relax. The two of them would have the apartment to themselves since Raphael was taking Deidra out on their date tonight. It looked like they both needed some time to get out.

On top of that there was a security detail at their apartment building. It was one officer in plain clothes outside their door. He was usually sleeping when they are on their way out or back in. What help he was going to be Analise didn't know, but the guy was careful not to fall asleep when Raphael was around. The last time Raphael caught him snoozing he almost threw the guy through the wall. Analise was also pretty sure that the guys that looked like agents were also a tail to keep her safe, but they were doing a horrible job of hiding their identities.

She was on the last leg of the day. The last of her guide group dispersed and went in different directions in the museum. Analise trudged to the back office to find Henry in his office talking some points over to what she could only guess was a newbie to the museum. She didn't think that they were hiring again.

She knocked on the door and heard Henry tell her to come on in.

"So what's this special project you have for me?" she asked as she entered and looked up at the person on the other side of the desk from Henry, "Mikey?"

"Hey honey," he waved and shuffled some uniform clothing in his arms.

"What's going on?" she asked and looked at Henry.

"Mike here is going to be another tour guide. Help you out with the number of people coming through here," Henry smiled and patted Michelangelo on the back.

"You do know that he is my boyfriend, right?" she asked and waved a pointed finger from man to man.

"I know perfectly well, he explained it to me," Henry pushed Michelangelo forward, "I expect you to train him well and show him the ropes, just don't have me finding you two in a broom closet somewhere in a lover's embrace."

"I will make sure you won't," Michelangelo winked and shared a laugh with the older man. He shooed Analise out of the office and closed the door behind them.

"This was the interview you went on?"

"Surprise!" he smiled.

She sighed and shook her head with a smile. She should have known.

"Okay, trainee," she smirked and put her hands on her hips, "Let's see how that uniform fits."

"You going to help me try it on?" he asked and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Don't start, you," she pushed him toward the employee restrooms.

"What in Hell is he waiting for?" Deidra asked and took another lap around Central Park before the sun began to drop.

It was her fifth day using herself as bait and the guy still hadn't shown head nor hide of himself. She made sure she was alone, in alleyways, in parks, behind buildings. She knew he was watching her, she could feel it. But for some reason, he didn't come after her. Her colleagues thought that he had moved from the area.

She knew better.

"Come on you bastard…" she grumbled and slowed to a trot at the front of the park near her car. She let out a frustrated breath and shook her head.

"Give it up for the night, Agent," Seeper talked through her earpiece that she kept hidden in her ear.

"I can do one more lap," she insisted.

"He's not buying it," Seeper chuckled a little smug in the knowledge that her bait ploy wasn't working, "Your man's waiting for you at home, remember? He has something planned. Go get a shower; I can smell you from here at the station."

"So gentlemanly, you are," she sighed and nodded to herself, "Okay, I'm heading in. Have a good night, Seeper."

"You too, Jenson."

Deidra booked it home, kicked the guard at the front door awake again and ran up to the shower. She heard the front door open and grabbed for the knife that she hid in the bathroom.

"It's me," Raphael shouted from the front room and she heard the click of the lock.

She relaxed and kept going on her shower.

The light knock on the bathroom door surprised her a little, but she opened the dark curtain just enough to look out to the door as it closed again. On the back of the door was a beautiful floor length gown. She quickly stopped the shower and climbed out with a large towel draped around her. The dress was a forest green silk with silver accents. A square silver accent held a wrap around piece for the skirt of the dress on what would be her lower hips. A larger rectangle piece brought together the two pieces that wrapped around her chest and up to her neck for a halter top. She checked the size of the dress and saw that it was her size.

"Ana…" she smiled and shook her head, "No wonder you two have been hanging out so much."

She also found a note attached to the right sweep of the halter.

"Put me on," she smirked, "No duh, Raph."

She dried her hair and styled it to match the elaborate dress and came out of the bathroom into the bedroom where the lights were off.

"Raph?" she asked softly.