Summery: on his search for Elena, Jeremy meets someone unexpected in Toronto. All written in Jeremy's point of view.

Pairings: Jeremy/Jamie, brief mentions of Clay/Elena, Jeremy/other characters, parental relationships between Jeremy/Clay, Jeremy/Elena.

I kept my head down as I sniffed for her scent. It was difficult to find it with it being a city so busy with strangers' running back and forth. But she was rare enough for me to catch a whiff here and there. The smell of nature and wolf mixed with woman and city.

Elena.

I needed to find her and soon. It was my duty to protect her as penance for Clay's sins. Because it was my fault that Clay bit her, I pushed him to it when I was trying to spare her from the horrors of our secret life. I didn't keep an eye on him when I should have allowing him to fall in love in the first place. And now she has run away back to her home only unhinged and broken from her transformation. She has no control and I want to stop her before she makes one of the worst mistakes in her life.

Before she kills someone.

Suddenly I was pushed down to the floor by some strong force. My senses were filled with something invading my personal space. I could smell a strong scent of perfume, alcohol, sweat and something spiritual. Something divine that I couldn't place my finger on. I could feel something soft and heavy, all over me and I could see red, thick red hair covering my eyes and apologies filled my ears.

"I'm so sorry, I really am, I didn't see you, god I'm so sorry are you ok?" the woman said quickly as she sat up. She was beautiful, clear skin, sharp features, red locks and a curvy womanly body. She had a classic air around her, like she was from the 1930s as an actress or maybe a mafia's girl. A new scent reached me, blood. I looked up and saw a few droplets of blood trailing down her forehead. "Here let me help you up" she said taking my hands as she stood up, staggering under my weight on her very high heels. For someone who looked so weak she was quite strong. For someone so drunk she was very well balanced. "Again, I am so sorry. I really wasn't looking where I was going"

"Its fine" I said smiling politely as possible. I really needed to go and find Elena before something dreadful happened. This woman was only delaying my search. "You should go and find some medical help, you're forehead is bleeding"

Her hand went up to head and touched it tenderly; she frowned at the drops of blood on her fingers. "I'll be fine" she said, "I've had worse before. Besides I just had a really bad show and in need of a very good stiff drink"

I frowned. "It's not safe to drink after having a head injury. You might not wake up in the morning"

She flashed me a radiant smile. "I'll be fine" she assured me. "If you want, I'll buy you a drink. As an apology for running you down"

"I should really take you to the hospital" I said firmly.

"No need, are you coming? There's a good bar round the corner" she was already walking away from me, her hips were swaying and she looked full of confidence despite her constant apologies from before.

I really hate non-pack people. They have no need to obey me and some of them can be really stubborn and defiant like this one. Sighing, I followed her. As much as I wanted to find Elena I couldn't let this woman die of a head injury because of me.

"I'm Jamie" she said cheerfully as I caught up with her. "Jamie O'Casey"

"That's Irish, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah, just don't tell Mum that. She's a racist bitch when she wants to be"

I felt a little bit of kinship with her. Despite her casual tone and outward appearance of being cheerful, there was a little pain in her eyes when she mentioned her mother. I can very well guess that she had a mother similar to my father.

"Jeremy Danvers" I said quietly. Giving the first female human who wouldn't be working for me my real name.

She smiled a soft small smile that lit her face in a more beautiful light that her flashy radiant one. "Nice to meet you Jeremy. Now what do you prefer to drink?"

KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKA

I watched her cautiously as she took a long sip of her drink. Despite my warning she went ahead and ordered an alcoholic drink, when I had refused to choose one for myself she had ordered the same for me. Apart from a brief touch to my lips, I had not drunk a single drop of the drink.

"You're being rude" she told me, "I'm trying to make amends and you won't accept it. I have I really upset you that much?"

"No I just think you should go to the hospital" I said.

"I'm fine" she insisted. "Come on Jeremy, you don't have to worry about me. We're strangers"

True but I felt it was my duty to get her some medical assistance. When I told her that though she snorted and took another sip of her drink. We sat in silence for a while before I spoke up again. "You work in the theatre then?" I asked remembering her saying something about a bad show.

"Sort of" she shrugged. "It's gonna sound corny but I'm a Spiritualist. I contact spirits on the behalf of my audience. A load of bull really, I rarely make true contact" my eyebrows were raised at that. I remember the spiritual smell around her and I knew that she wasn't human. There was something different about her. "I saw something" she confessed looking a little nervous. She obviously never told anyone this or she's worried I'll think her as a psychotic person. Probably both. "It unnerved me and I messed up. I covered up a little and spun a brilliant story...but I really needed a drink"

"I can tell but still-"

"You're not around here either" she interrupted before I warned her about her medical health again. "You're here on business too?"

"Yes" I lied. "I'm starting a deal with a gallery to present my artwork there"

"You're an artist? I would have never guesses, you seem very controlled and collected" she said gulping down the rest of her drink. "But what do I know? I've never been good a drawing myself"

"I'm sure you have other talents"

"Not really, I failed in high school, never been good in sports and I'm a terrible cook"

"So am I, my son purposely took cooking lessons so he could feed us" I confessed.

"You look rather young to have a son" she commented.

"Adoptive. I was twenty one, he's a cousin actually but the papers says he's my son and I raised him since he was eight"

She smiled. "You're a good guy. I wished I had the guts to do something like that" she flagged a waitress and ordered another drink. "I had an abortion back when I was sixteen. Not my choice, my mother forced and tricked me...but I still could have left and raised the baby myself"

"I had a...forceful parent too" I said surprising myself with all this honesty I was giving this woman. "My mother died at childbirth and my father was an angry drunk. Angry sober too. My grandfather raised me for most of the time and a family friend too...my father died, a while back. Murdered by another drunk"

"Ouch...sorry" she mumbled a little uncomfortable. "My Dad is dead too. He killed himself when I was really young, he saw too much and it scared him. My mother is still alive but she only wants me around to pay her bills"

"So did my father" I said quietly.

How alike we are. Both having such terrible parents, one absent and one abusive in some sort of way. She could see things too, probably psychic. We were so different and yet so similar, I enjoyed her company but I couldn't stay. I dare not to start up an acquaintance with her either; I should concentrate on helping Elena once I find her. It would be a lot like raising Clay only with a teenage girl. In all honesty I'm not sure if I was ready for that.

"Finish your drink" Jamie encouraged softly. "If you want, I'll buy you dinner too and we can talk about terrible parents and brilliant grandparents" I looked at her confused. "I was sort of raised by my grandmother" she admitted. "She died a while back, so really it's just me"

She was so alone in the world. I had my pack, my friends and brothers, my son and maybe, possibly, a daughter. She was just her. There was no one else here to take care of her and something inside me admired her so much for putting such a brave face on.

I brushed her hair out of her face and checked her forehead. She had cleaned off the blood in the bathroom and there was a slight scrape there. I couldn't smell anything infected and I was certain that apart from a headache she would be fine. But I wanted to make sure.

"I'll buy you dinner" I said. "I have a large appetite and would eat you out of a pay check"

She grinned at him. "I know a good buffet place, a couple streets away. Been here for a week already and know my way around this part. It's my last night before I hit the next Canadian city; I rather spend it with someone than alone"

I smiled softly at her. She was almost childlike here, desperate to keep me by her and yet desperate to not seem desperate. So hopeful. I couldn't dash that hope. "Finish your drink and we'll get going"

"Finish yours as well" she said looking pointedly at my full glass.

KAKAKAKAKAKAKA

I woke up slightly disorientated the next day. I have rarely ever indulged in drink to the point of complete drunkenness and I rarely spend a night with a woman. I have always been too busy trying to make ends meet for Clay and my father. Both very time consuming men. I should also have been spending the night looking for a time consuming girl that my son had fallen for. And yet I lay here in bed with someone I barely know.

I turn to look at Jamie who was fast asleep. She was peaceful and quiet for the first time I've met her. She remained beautiful as the moment I have met her and I regret leaving her but I shouldn't have stayed as long as I already had.

I shouldn't have responded to her kiss in the first place but for the hours before she had been so understanding and so full of life at the same time. And I had drudged up so many old memories that I wanted someone to help me lose them. Concentrating on fornicating with Jamie had helped me forget most of the bad things. But I felt the guilt of delaying my search for Elena, for using Jamie like this, for not thinking about Werewolf security.

I slowly showered and dressed. Jamie was still fast asleep when I crept back into the room. I leaned over and brushed her hair out of her face again; she looked well and probably would have a headache when she woke up.

I kissed her softly on the lips one last time. "Goodbye" I whispered.

I walked out of that door never looking back. My thoughts were focused solely on finding Elena. I had thought that I would never see Jamie again. How little did I know?