The night sky... was at the peak of it's beauty that night. I remember the crisp air sliding under my nose as it rolled through the open window behind the pull-out-couch in the living room, where Angela and I lay. Looking out through the crystal clear glass, I could see the stars, shining like beacons out to worlds unbeknownst. The Darkened moon shifted behind the constantly moving clouds, hiding from my sight. And the deep, dark black that housed it all, became a giant beast, ready to swallow it all.

Angela shifted as I admired how clear of a night it was. Rolling back over onto my chest, slightly scratching her head, and yawning as she did so. 'She's perfect.' I thought, as she once again, became still and silent. Her scent intermingled with the ever moving current flooding through the window. I could practically see it, it was so clear to me now. My senses were spiking in accuracy and depth. And I loved it. I loved the fact that my skin was so sensitive, that I could feel her blood and heartbeat right through it. I loved the fact that I could now hear every move, that everyone made upstairs. And as for my sense, of smell... I guess I'd be beating a dead horse to hop on my love for that subject again.

I ran my fingers up and down her spine, tracing over the soft fabric, and feeling through to the warmth of her skin. Keeping my breathing down so I could listen to her heart beat wasn't hard, but it was hard to determine whether I was listening to mine, or hers.

Something upstairs stirred against the now, loud floor. At feared it was the two in my bed, but this sound wasn't the sound of my bed posts scraping against the floor, which did bring relief. Until I heard it again. A sort of shuffling across the hardwood floor boards in my room. I knew it either had to be Nick or Emily, because no one else was up there.

Checking the time on the VCR/DVD player, (12:00 blinking across it over and over again) I frowned. We never did figure out how to set that damned thing! Just the thought of trying to set it made me almost forget the noises up stairs.

Muffled voices filled the rooms atmosphere, and it worried me. Nick had been so distant ever since he found out the truth, and even though Emily tried to help him get over it, he'd still refused to even talk too me. At first I thought that this would blow over soon enough, he'd be over this within hours... I knew my friend... right?

As the sound of the bedroom door creaking opened disproved my theory, I shifted myself up on the mattress. I watched as Nick came down the stairs, his keys glinting in his hand as he passed. He was just going to leave?

"Hey." I whispered, Angela rolled against me as I sat up to talk to him.

"What?" He asked, his hand perched on the door knob, his head refusing to turn to meet my gaze.

"You're just going to leave?"

"What of it?" He barked under his breath.

"What about Emily? Are you going to leave her too because of what she is?" I said, speaking out of anger. He took it just as I'd expected him too... by turning the knob, and walking out, letting the door swing close on it's own weight.

It wasn't long before I was out on the porch yelling at him to stop. My black pajama pants blew against the skin of my legs and stuck like spandex as soon as I got into the path of the wind. I crossed my chest to protect it as best as I could from the cold breeze.

"It's always about you," he said, turning around, half-way to his truck. "You and that little world that revolves around you!"

"What are you even talking about?"

"You!" He said yelling taking a few steps in my direction. "Ever since I could remember, you've been secretive, and happy to live both of your little lives, and happy to keep them away from each other."

"Well, it's kind of hard to survive unnoticed when the two know about each other!" I yelled back at him, feeling like I'd called him an idiot.

"Survive?" He yelled, half-laughing... not in a good way. "Don't bullshit me! If anyone found out, then you'd just kill them... wouldn't you?"

He was right, but he was also wrong.

"You're alive." I said, not holding back against this argument. "Emily's alive." He was quick too get within striking distance of me.

"Don't ever talk about her like that, again!"

"Why? She's the reason we're in this mess!" It slipped my tongue, and he was quick too punch me square in the face. My nose stung a little, and I'd wish he'd done more damage. Because after what I'd said, I felt like I deserved it.

"We're through."

"Then you're leaving." I stated, rubbing my nose trying to mask the truth. "Without Emily?"

He reared back and was about to swing again when I caught his hand. He swung with the left and I caught it as well. "I know what I said was out of line." He struggled to pull his hands free, kicking me in the stomach and legs.

"But would anyone else go through this just to make amends with his best friend?" I asked, as he stopped struggling, and looked me in the face. He was wearing his contacts that night. I could tell because of his astigmatism didn't cock his left eye out like it did without them. That anger that was once in his face was depleting.

"If you think I'm selfish, then that's fine. But don't forsake the girl who loves you, just because you're mad." I let go of his hands, "This is my fault, hate me."

I went to walk inside, the cold knob slid through my fingers as I went to turn it, "Wait."

I turned back around.

"Now that I know what you people have been doing here... Care if I hear a few stories?" He said, a small smile making amends for every sore bruise that had been inflicted on me.

"Sure. We have a couple of hours before work." I said smiling.

******************************************************************************

Our feet were kicked up on the porch railing and we both leaned back in the wicker chairs that kept their balance, even on two legs. He was on his third cigarette when I'd asked if I could try one. I'd tried to pick up smoking before (What couldn't kill you...), just so the smell wouldn't bother me anymore when we crossed paths. But it never stuck. I'd never bought pack before, which I thought automatically made a person a smoker.

He'd obliged my curiosity. Pulling out a soft pack of Camels and handing me a cigarette and his Zippo lighter. The name Harley-Davidson was emblazoned along the side of it, making it look like a collectable, rather than a lighter.

That first inhale of it was horrible. I am not even going to lie. The second, a little less than the first. Really, I loved the taste, just not the aftertaste. At two in the morning, it didn't matter how long it'd been since you'd last eaten, that morning bad breath was imminent.

"You're supposed to inhale it." He said laughing at what a fool I'd looked like. My face scrunched up at the aftertaste.

"I am!"

I forgot what we were talking about, almost as soon as I'd asked for the damn thing. And as lights entered the driveway, I'd forgot the conversation.

A car pulled up, white with tented windows. I'd never seen it before, and when I asked Nick, he'd said the same. It wasn't modest on parking either, pulling right up to the left of the steps. I hadn't remembered anyone calling in to use a room, and if they did, my dad would have been out there with us... waiting.

The car stopped suddenly against the soft, wet grass, sliding across it, tearing it up. The two passengers didn't even wait for the engine to cut off before stepping out and making a B-line for the front door.

I stepped in front of the two as the larger man grabbed for the handle. He was really tall, and really big, I'd have to guess he looked fourty, but in werewolf years, I'd say he was eighty something. The way he dressed was like he was stuck in the twenties, when mobs were still around. And because of his slicked back hair and the force of which he held in his presence, I'd have to say he looked very mobbish. He had brown hair, greasy like the undercairage of Nick's truck, and brown eyes that just screamed goon.

The other man was much smaller, about half this man's height. I wasn't surprised to hear he had a squeaky, little, rat voice, either. "It's not polite to hop in someone's way like that, kid."

"I apologize, but there are people inside who are asleep right now." I said, faking a modest smile. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to know what your business is here... at two in the morning."

The big man looked back at the smaller, he reminded me of lurch from the Adams Family. But then again, lurch wasn't ever in the mob.

"Look, kid. We're just here to find out why there's a couple grand missing from our employer's bank account." He said. My mind shot straight to the incident earlier in the day. I asked myself whether my father was a thief, stealing from bad men. But outside, my stance didn't change. And so, I was honest.

"That would be my fault. We had a little damage to the house and we are waiting for the contractors to come and fix it. My father had paid in advance. But, I didn't know he was borrowing money from the mob." I said a little blatantly.

They both laughed. "You hear that Tony?" The little man said, pointing at me with those little, rat, fingers of his. "He's the Saints son."

The other man stopped laughing. There was something about knowing that I was the son of Dane, that didn't sit well with him, and so... he swung at me.

I'd been waiting for him to strike, and it wasn't hard to figure out who'd strike first anyway.

So when he struck, I ducked and pushed him off the porch, watching how the smaller man reacted. I saw he drew his hand back to grab something in the back of his pants, I attacked him. I easily slipped my arms in between his, roping them behind him, and posting him forward like a shield.

Tony had regained his stature and began walking forward, and I had to think fast. And so I did what my instincts told me too, I changed. I barely twitched as it happened, though, the expansion of my forearms did pull one of my hostages arms out of it's socket.

It wasn't hard too tell that neither of them had seen an upright before, because Tony didn't move a muscle, and the guy who acted as my hostage began calling me a freak and screaming to get away. I covered his mouth with my hands. The dripping blue plague seeped through my claws. This soon became more than words.

Tony withdrew a small black pistol, and made the biggest mistake of his life... when he pointed it at Nick.