Disclaimer: Merry Holidays, there are so many, not least of them being Boxing Day.

Disclaimer Deuce: So I really enjoyed this chapter, I haven't figured out why yet.

Jack "Ironman" Elzam's POV

Repairs and modifications on the Mark I Zealot were taking longer than expected. "Psycho" Nate Schmidt and "Tiny" Tim Briggs were suited up in their Zealots. Schmidt was in his Mark V, the second biggest, but that paled in to the Prototype Mark VI Zealot that had to be over fifteen feet tall. The Mark V was a giant in it's own right, towering over ten feet tall but the size wasn't even comparable.

Truthfully This shouldn't even be a contest. Schmidt has logged well over a hundred hours in testing each of these Zealots besides the Mark VI. The Mark VI Zealot was sent to us as a "finished product" and Briggs took it over from there. It was very easy to notice how smoothly Schmidt handled the Zealots, he knew exactly how they felt, how to make them dance under his control. This sparring match with paint balls should be a slaughter... but something tells me it won't.

Both started. Briggs opened up with a straight forward salvo bursting paint at Schmidt. Schmidt's Mark V rolled away from the large paint and came back up to his feet in one fluid motion that none of the rest of us have mastered. The sheer amount of shields and guns on the Mark VI made it something close to a moving fortress. Schmidt rolled back behind the much more slow Briggs and moved at full speed charging shoulder first in to the back of the knee of Briggs. His leg barely shifted, but it didn't even knock him off balance. Briggs kicks backward with the leg launching Schmidt against the wall. The Mark VI and Mark V start powering down knowing the sparring is over. The both move their Zealots in to position.

"Commander Elzam can I speak with you?" Schmidt calls. I nod and climb out of the observation deck and my way down to him. He moves closer to me so we can't be overheard, not that he doesn't trust the other members of the E.D.U, but more likely that there are listening devices.

"The Mark VI is too large to be useful for any mission besides burning down of multiple vampires, used best in a group of three or more... I'm telling you the Mark VI is exactly what we didn't ask for." he said quietly making his assessment. I nod.

"I know. Hopefully we can keep this to ourselves and stay one step ahead of Mr. Green, or Mr. Black. Whom ever he is going by." I say. He nods putting a hand on my shoulder as he passed. It was a small gesture, but something I definitely noticed. I never meant for them to rally around me, I meant for them to rally around each other as I was the enemy... I guess I'm lucky that Mr. Green gave them a real enemy to rally against.

Mike's POV

What are you doing Mike? I looked at my knuckle... it was just slightly red after all the abuse I gave it a week ago. I was almost completely healed... I hadn't had the nerve to talk to Zuri and she'd done well enough to stay away from me. This week was hell. I never felt so alone surrounded by people. I looked at my knuckle once again. I breathed in deep then out. Maybe I should put this off. The truth was it was driving me slightly mad... I didn't want Zuri... I needed her. No I couldn't do it. I heard someone coming up behind me.

"You having trouble knocking?" Embry said behind me. I blushed a little.

"Yeah... I don't really know what I'm doing." Embry pounded on the door.

"Hey Zuri, Mike wants to talk to you."

"Embry!" I yelled under my breath.

"What you expected to just stand out here all day?" The door opened as I punched him. He laughed off the attack.

"Mike you've been out here for a while?" Zuri asked. I blushed.

"N-n-no..." I said trying to recover.

"Are you lying to me?" she said with a smile creeping in to the corner of her lips.

"...Yes..." I admitted. Her smile spread across her lips and any plans I had thought up immediately disappeared.

"Right... Well... I've gotta talk to Themba so if you two could not be right in the hall that would be swell." I blushed.

"Who says swell?" I asked as he shrugged walking through the door. I put my hands in to my pockets and shrugged my shoulders.

"So..." I said awkwardly.

"So have you stopped hurting yourself?" I asked pointedly. I stared at the ground ashamed.

"Yes... I stopped." I mumbled.

"Let me see your hands." I slipped my arms out of my long sleeves and gave them to her palm up. Her hands wrapped around the back of my hands inspecting them. Electricity ran up my arms to my chest and to my heart and back. Tingling followed. She turned my hands over and ran her thumbs over my middle knuckle. She didn't say anything but her hands slid up my arm to my elbow and felt no bruises. She said nothing but looked me in the eye.

"I did it for you..." I said hoping she'd forgive me. She shook her head.

"No hun... I don't want you to do it for me. I want you to do it for you."

"I promise... I won't do it again." I said looking her in her eyes. She nodded.

"Michael... I love you... You don't seem to understand how much I love you." Words got caught in my throat but only for an instant.

"Zuri... you don't get it either then... because I love you... I didn't know if I really believed in love... after I was hurt I wasn't sure love was real... or truthfully that I'd ever find it. I've always known it existed but I-" Zuri grabbed me by my head and pulled herself to me kissing me passionately. A shiver went up and down my spine. When we finally parted for air I was nearly gasping.

"Ah... wha-what was that?" She smiled at me running her fingers through my hair.

"Don't take this the wrong way hun... but some times you talk too much."

"Hey can you two take it somewhere else?" I heard from the room. I blushed bright red and led Zuri over to my room. I opened the door and let her in.

"Mike... if you really feel so strongly about me why is it you never-" she started saying but I spun her and kissed her on the lips. I regrettably stopped and pulled away.

"Zuri... you know sometimes you talk too much... the truth is I want you... I need you... but I'm restraining myself." She smiled mischievously at me.
"So don't." she smiled at me and kissed me on the lips. My body naturally reacted to it. I groaned and pulled her closer.

"Is there... something you want?" I forced my hands to stop on her. I wanted to do so much more but I stopped myself short.

"I... I... I want to it all but..." She nodded and pulled away. I growled and pulled her back to me dropped my hips to I had leverage and lifted her and put her up against the wall and kissed her. I finally pulled back out of breath.

"No... no... don't think for a second this isn't want I want... but... ahh... I... don't know." What's stopping you? Sex before marriage? You're a vampire, you've lost every tie to that... besides she feels so good. I bit my lip.

"Can you wait for me?" I asked hoping she said yes. She smiled.

"Of course Michael... I would wait forever for you."

Embry's POV

I listened for Mike and Zuri walking away then turned my attention back to Themba. I wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. I could see it in her eyes she felt the same. We both just sat there and looked at each other as seconds passed awkwardly. I coughed in to my hand.

"Umm... So..." I said hoping to get the ball rolling. Her eyes moved up to mine.

"So..." But she didn't say anything more.

"I don't know what you're thinking Themba, you need to tell me." I pleaded.

"And I don't know what you're thinking Embry." I bit my lip for a second and just started tapping my foot nervously.

"What am I supposed to say?" I ask honestly.

"I don't know but something." Where do I even go with that? Do I say it was a mistake. Was it a mistake? I don't know... I really enjoyed it. Is there more to it than that? What if she regrets it? What if she doesn't? I can't win.

"What are you thinking about?" I finally ask. Her eyes look away, then back at me.

"It didn't feel normal..." She said fading off looking at something in the corner of the room.

"I.. don't know? I felt more attracted to you than I did before... I don't know it felt like I couldn't resist you." I said as honestly as I could. She giggled a little.

"Well I knew I was attractive but..." I shook my head.

"No it's not like that... well I mean it is like that... Yes you're very attractive but... well I don't mean but... but... umm..." I stopped myself before I rambled anymore. I breathed out slowly and looked up at Themba. She looked amused.

"Continue." she said trying not to snicker.

"well... I don't really know how to put this in to words but... It felt like my body was taking over, the animal part of me..."

"The need to reproduce is kind of natural to the human race." I shook my head.

"Not like that... like the wolf side of me..."

"Has anything changed recently that would make you lose control?" Yes. I gained a pack. Now I control a three werewolf pack separate from the wolves. But having more wolves just made me feel stronger in the past. Is that what's happening? No it's different. I am turning in to a werewolf. I'm stronger than anything I've ever been, I'm faster than I've ever been. Is this the gift Lycan gave me? With each new wolf I become more like a werewolf? Each new member of the pack I grow stronger, but more like a werewolf?

There was one more thing to kick around in my head... something I hadn't put words to but ignored. I had more control in Half shift than I ever have. Having werewolves in my pack helped me control it.

"Embry?" Themba said interrupting my thoughts.

"Huh?" I asked a bit dazed.

"Has anything changed?" I thought about it for a moment.

"Nope. Nothing." This won't control me again. I won't be controlled by the werewolf in me.

"Oh... Well... so was it a mistake?" Themba asked. The question I wanted to ask but she put me in the position. I tried to answer as honestly as I could.

"I don't know... I don't know what got in to me... I'm sorry." She nodded.

"uh, yeah... umm..." she said awkwardly.

"I'll talk to you later." I said making for the door as quickly as I could.

"Yeah... bye." she said as I left.

Lincoln Krane's POV

Something has been bugging me about this material I'd been working on for Davis. It didn't all add up. Every test seemed to give me a different conclusion. This material wasn't a ferrous metal, but I didn't believe it was a metal of any kind. There was something chilling and familiar about it though. Like I'd seen it before I just couldn't quite place it yet. I looked at the many pieces laid out in front of me and sighed heavily. Something caught my eye though. I traced my fingers along one piece and then a second piece. Something about them... No... I thought as I slid the two pieces together. Then a third, and a forth. A femur. I stopped for a moment and looked it over looking for a better explanation. He's sending me human bones. No... not human... something else. Something stronger than human. The idea made me a little sick to my stomach. Am I weaponizing human bones? The only consolation I could come up with was the fact that these bones were stronger than any human that had ever existed... so it couldn't be human bones. I dug out my burner cell phone and dialed Davis.

"Yes."

"I know what you gave me." I said.

"I see." he said calmly. As unflappable as always. It was one of his best qualities but it always pissed me off. I waited he expected me to fly off the handle but I'd learned to control my anger for my son's sake. After the divorce I promised myself and him that I would be a better father... so I waited.

"I will be coming to you soon, we'll meet and discuss terms." He said vaguely. We kept everything vague over the phone, neither of us trusted it.

"Good."

"I'll be bringing my girlfriend." he said trying to sound as casual as possible. I smirked. So Williams is coming along.

"Okay. See you soon."

So... here we are again. Much sooner than the last post. (that earns me at least some brownie points) But I'm starting school two jobs and what not so I don't know how fast I'll be able to post, and as usual the more reviews I get the faster I'll post. I know my story is being read though. Thanks for my reviewers, thanks a lot. If you have some questions I'll try to answer them evasively and entertainingly as possible. Thanks for reading, remember high fives, rolls of twenties, knucks, comments, questions, reviews. Catch you on the flipside.