Don't you hate it when you're writing and writing and you just can't stop? XD So yeah. I just finished my english exam about an hour ago and my other exams are on tuesday so...this happened :P Again it's pretty long. Hope you guys enjoy.
"Blood. There's blood."
"The boy!"
"Why's this happening? What did I do wrong?"
"Stay back! It's still alive!"
"This isn't fair."
BANG!
A gun cracked in the night once more and no matter how many time he'd heard it tonight Ted was still shaken from his thoughts at the sound.
There was silence but Teddy could still hear his father's ragged breathing.
So if that last gunshot wasn't the final blow. What was it?
He wormed himself out from under the werewolf's limp body and turned his head.
The crowd parted just a bit, all staring at the new intruder as another man stood with a gun in the air, smoke still rising from the barrel.
This man was lankier than all the other men Ted had seen. In the dark streets he looked like a shadow with hunched shoulders as he lowered his gun and took a few steps towards the werewolf.
No one stood in his way.
He was dressed in a suit as well only instead of a blazer he had a trench coat which swayed ominously in the breeze. A fedora covered black hair and a good half portion of his face.
Not being able to see his face made Ted feel oddly chilled.
This man, although smaller than the previous ones, had an air around him that did not like being messed with.
He didn't say a word as he reached for Ted and Ted was much too stunned to even utter a retort as a black gloved hand wrapped around his wrist.
He found himself being pulled out from underneath the bleeding werewolf and pushed aside.
Still, no one said a word.
The man then took off his trench coat and a quick, violent jerk at his tie undid that as well.
"What's he doing?" Ted though but the atmosphere was much too tense to voice such opinions out loud.
The man bent over and wrapped the coat around the bleeding werewolf, using the tie to keep it in place.
Everyone watched him work but no one said a word.
Eventually, the man straightened, slinging the werewolf over his shoulder with some difficulty and staggering slightly at the sudden weight.
Still, this man was stronger than he looked.
"Who is he? What does he want?"
Ted started to protest but the man turned and tipped his hat a bit. Ted had a feeling the man was looking at him; waiting.
This was too weird.
On impulse, Ted fell in step next to the man.
The man gave a single nod before turning and walking away.
The crowd parted, some giving hushed whispers, others eyeing the gun poking out from underneath the man's belt warily.
"Hold it. Where do you think you're going?" someone growled and Ted and the man found their route blocked by the man with the shotgun from earlier.
He really had two options. Go with the mystery man in the fedora who had bandaged his father or with the scary looking man with the shotgun who had shot his father.
Quickly he backed up behind the man in the fedora.
The seconds counted down as the two men stared at each other. No one said a word and even the whispers died.
Ted blinked.
And before he knew it the man carrying the werewolf had drawn his gun and pointed it straight at his opponent.
"Move."
One word. Ted detected steel in that voice and the gun was pointed true and firm at the other man's forehead.
Ted noticed the victim tense his arm as if he was itching to use his weapon.
"There's no way he can cock it and shoot before us," Ted thought to himself and the other man seemed to have realized that he was fighting a losing battle.
"Get out. And take that thing with you," the man snarled instead before turning on his heels and leaving.
The man stuffed his gun back into its holster and re-adjusted his burden.
Then, with a brief tilt of the head to Ted they were off again.
It was a slow walk and Teddy was quite aware of the multitude of eyes staring at him.
He focused his gaze on his shoes instead and tried to not let his confusion and fear consume him.
Before they knew it they'd reached a car and the man opened the back seat.
Ted faltered. He knew he shouldn't go in but what could he do? This man had his dad and where else could he go? Surely it was better to stick together and pray his mother found them in time right?
So with a nervous gulp Ted climbed into the backseat of the car.
It wasn't a large car but it wasn't too small either. Nevertheless it took a lot of awkward positioning before the man managed to squeeze the large werewolf into the back seat as well.
And almost as an afterthought the man reached over and did up Ted's seatbelt along the way.
Now Ted sat in the backseat with his father's werewolf head pooled in his lap.
"It'll be OK Dad. Just hang in there," Ted whispered but he instantly went back to silence as the man re-entered the car, breathing rather heavily from his deeds.
The car roared to life and they sped away at what Ted didn't suspect was a safe speed but he didn't complain.
He tried looking at the man once more but all he saw was shadow. The fedora hid too much and the night shadows only intensified the mystery.
His hands curled around his father's soft fur and for a time all that could be heard was the roar of an engine and Remus' ragged breathing.
It was only when Ted couldn't stand the silence anymore that he spoke.
"Where are you taking us?" he asked, eyes slightly narrowed.
The man stayed silent. His expression, or at least what could be seen of it, remained neutral and Ted sighed in frustration.
"Can you at least tell me who you are?" Ted asked.
The man was silent for a beat and Ted thought he wasn't going to answer until he finally spoke.
"That. Is the question," he muttered as he turned into a cluster of tress.
Teddy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the vague answer but he was more distracted with the route the man was taking.
This wasn't a main road. It was much too narrow and tree branches occasionally wacked at the windshield when they got too close.
His suspicions skyrocketed when they passed a sign that said in clear black letters, "No trespassing."
Teddy frowned deeply; clutching his father a bit tighter.
"Relax Ted. Maybe he's here to help," Teddy thought to himself.
After a few minutes of nervous fidgeting and just watching his father breathe Ted's head snapped up when he noticed light down the road. Not pale moonlight but bright vibrant light that could only belong to lamps or torches.
He straightened a bit in his seat trying to see where such light was coming from.
A few seconds later the narrow road parted, the trees gave way and the car drove smoothly over fresh asphalt.
Teddy was shocked. Before him was a house. It wasn't a mansion but it was much larger than Ted's. The light from earlier were from the porch lights and other lights littered throughout the compound.
It vaguely reminded of those rich people houses that Ted had seen in magazines.
The man stopped the car by the house and quickly got out, leaving the door ajar as Ted watched him walk swiftly up the stairs and take out a key, opening the door with only a brief pause.
Then the man disappeared from Ted's view and he realized all he could do now was wait.
He didn't have to wait long for the man appeared once more. This time with two other people. One was a white haired man with glasses and a beard to complete the look. The other is larger. Much larger. Tall and buff he reminds Ted of the man with the shotgun from before only this man has a beard and his hair is bright red.
Two women were also seen poking their heads out from the doorway with curious glances before the man in the fedora ushered them back inside.
"He's huge!" the white haired man exclaimed as soon as he opened the backseat door.
Teddy instinctively clutched his father tighter only for the door by his end of the car to open.
Ted turned to the red head who smiled down at him.
"Hey kid. Your wolf friend here's gonna be just fine but you have to get out of the car first OK?" he asked and Ted stared at the man for a few more seconds. His voice was soft and his eyes were gentle. If one were to go based on appearances this person looked trustworthy enough.
"We're not going to hurt him," the man continued when he noticed Ted's hesitation, "We're doctors. We can help."
The word "doctor" had Ted's brain go into overdrive. These men didn't look like doctors. And surely that man in the fedora was no doctor if he carried a gun around with him. Nevertheless, that one simple word seemed to give Ted a small feeling of hope.
Besides, what choice did he have?
So, eyes still locked with the red haired man before him, Ted undid his seatbelt and slowly got out of the car.
"Can you handle him Richard?"
"Please. If he can do it you honestly think I can't?" Richard exclaimed, jerking a thumb at the man in the fedora leaning by the front door.
The older man nodded before coming round to the other end of the car and offering Ted a reassuring smile.
"Come on. Let's get you inside. What's your name son?"
Ted turned away from the sight of Richard picking up the massive wolf from inside the car. Instead he climbed the stairs with the elderly man, walked past the man in the fedora and entered the house.
"My name's Ted. My friends call me Teddy," he explained a bit nervously and the old doctor nodded as he led the boy to the living room.
"Helena? Myra? Did you two set up the table yet?" the man asked to the two women in the room.
"Working on it!" one of them mumbled, "But someone better give us a good explanation when we're done!"
"I'm sure we can work something out," the old man replied, leading Teddy to a sofa and coaxing him to sit down.
"The name's Aristotle Rodor but just call me Tot," the man said before beckoning the two women over to him. It looked like they had finished setting up the table in the corner of the large room.
"And these two lovely ladies are my daughters, Myra and Helena," he continued with a smile.
"Well technically I'm his daughter in law," Helena said, offering Teddy a smile. She was rather attractive with long black hair and a slim frame. Myra was similar only her red hair was tied up in a ponytail and her ripped and faded jeans reminded Ted of his mother's choice of casual wear. Both women looked around Ginny's age; maybe slightly younger in Myra's case.
There was a thump and everyone turned towards the entrance of the living room.
"And that's my eldest: Richard," Tot said with a nod at the man carrying the werewolf to the table.
Ted starred at the blood trail the duo was leaving for only the briefest of moments before turning away to look at Rodor.
"So you're all doctors?" he asked hesitantly.
"Well Richard and I are yes," Rodor said thoughtfully, "Myra here's just started her apprenticeship. She'll be graduating in a few more years."
"What about him?" Ted asked, pointing to the man standing by the living room door.
"Him? He's my middle child. He's a pylon," Rodor muttered with a frown as the man turned on his heel and left the room all together.
"Pylon?" Ted asked and Rodor shrugged, "Someone who just takes up space and has no use," he muttered.
"So he doesn't have a job?" Ted asked and the doctor gave him a wry smile, "Now. That is the question isn't it?" he replied before patting Ted on the head and getting up to observe his new patient.
Ted watched him get up with a small frown. That was the second time today that he'd been given that answer.
"This is quite some animal you have here," Tot said after a while.
Ted looked up to find that they had placed his father on his side and Richard had already removed the trench coat that was slowly soaking up more and more blood as time wore on.
"Bullet went right through. Probably clipped his lung," Richard said with a small frown.
"What species is he?"
Ted gulped. He had a feeling this answer was coming sooner or later. There was a long silence as four pairs of eyes stared at him and he fidgeted uncomfortably.
It was better if he told them. What if his father bit someone by accident? He'd been told that no one deserved the curse of a werewolf. Especially people trying to help. Besides, his parents could probably obliviate them later if things went bad.
"He's a werewolf," Teddy finally said, looking at the old doctor straight on to prove that he wasn't lying.
Surprisingly enough, no one laughed at him, no one raised any eyebrows or even started asking weird questions.
Instead, Dr. Rodor did the weirdest thing of all.
He rolled his eyes and sighed.
"With a pylon for a son why am I not surprised?" Rodor asked to himself as he excused himself and left the room. Richard gave his father a wry grin.
"It's true!" Ted said leaping to his feet, fearing the doctors did not believe him.
"He'll change back once the moon's down. You have to believe me," Ted said only to be cut off when Richard held put up a hand.
"Whether or not we believe you is irrelevant," he started, "We don't know how to treat him. We don't know the anatomy of a werewolf. We don't know what drugs work on him and if he changes back to a human then the stitches won't hold."
Richard took in Ted's confused yet panicked face and frowned, "Why don't you tell us everything boy? It'll be beneficial for all of us I'm sure.
And Teddy, with a few more seconds of uncomfortable fidgeting finally spoke.
"What do you want to know?" he mumbled and Helena took his hand and made him sit down.
"Well. Let's start with him. And then we can go on to you," she said and Ted frowned. "Well. I don't know much about him."
"Is he your pet?"
"He's my dad," Ted said a bit more forcefully than he'd intended.
Richard gave a dry laugh. "Well then I won't ask you how long you've known him then," he muttered.
"OK. So anything we need to know about him?" Helena prodded and Teddy nodded. You can't let him bite you. Or else you'll turn into a werewolf yourself.
"And what happens when you're a werewolf?"
"You turn into a werewolf every month at full moon but you're 100% human after that," Ted said with a frown, "It hurts a lot. Changing every month. My dad's usually really tired after it…."
Ted trailed off, staring awkwardly at his hands in his lap.
"Is he tame?" Richard asked and Ted nodded, "He took Wolfsbane which lets him keep his mind after transforming."
"So he'll turn back after the moon's set huh?" Tot said, reappearing in the door with a large first aid kit and a box.
"Pylon!" Tot suddenly roared, "Get your ass down here!"
"Dad!" Richard hissed as Ted jumped in his seat and the werewolf unconsciously winced.
"You know him Richard. If you don't yell nothing gets through that thick skull of his. I don't know why you agreed to marry him Helena," Tot mumbled and Helena gave a wicked grin as if she knew something he didn't.
"How come we've never seen one of these around before?" Tot asked and Ted shrugged. "The Ministry's good at keeping things under wraps. My dad says that Muggles have seen us. That's where the legends about dragons and werewolves and vampires started."
"Muggles?"
"People without magic."
"Are you a Muggle?"
"I'm a wizard," Ted said a bit proudly.
"Hmm," Tot said as he took out a series of machines out of the box. For a bunch of Muggles Ted thought this family was taking everything rather well.
"I can prove it," Ted insisted and all eyes turned to him with a questioning look, "I can't do magic outside school but I can do this."
And, screwing up his eyes a bit Ted changed his hair color from bright blue to shocking orange.
There was a stunned silence for the briefest of seconds before Richard burst out laughing.
"I was wondering what was up with that hair!" he said heartedly as he slapped Teddy on the back.
"Most intriguing," Tot mumbled as he loaded up a syringe.
"What're you doing?" Ted asked nervously. He never liked the looks of needles.
"Morphine," It'll help the pain. Tot replied as he injected it into the werewolf's bloodstream. Ted looked away.
"We need to operate but the stitches won't hold if he's going to revert back. Is a werewolf's anatomy similar to a humans?"
Ted shrugged helplessly.
"PYLON!" Tot shouted over his shoulder, impatient and annoyed that his son had not managed to come downstairs yet.
"Hrmmm?" Ted turned to find the man formerly in the fedora standing once more by the door clutching a few sheets of paper. This time he no longer had his fedora. His eyes were green and they shone out amongst the black hair. Did he dye it? No one else in the family had black hair.
Other than that his facial structure was almost identical to Richards if not a bit narrower. Teddy guessed that he could be no older than Harry.
"Make yourself useful and get these things from the hospital," Tot said, handing his son a piece of paper which he took.
He then held out his own handful of paper.
"Might want this," he muttered and Tot took it with a raised eyebrow.
There was a brief pause as the old doctor flipped through the pages before handing them over to Ted with an odd look on his face.
"Do these look about right?" he asked and Ted stared at the sheets in his hands, shocked. There were pages and pages of werewolf anatomy diagrams. One stood out the most amongst the others. It was a werewolf drawn in similar fashion to Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. It looked almost exactly like a picture he'd seen in one of the Third Years Defense text books.
"Yeah. It looks like it was straight out of one of our textbooks," Teddy exclaimed before passing the pages back.
"Where did you get all this?" Tot asked, rounding on his son.
"Hrmm. Good question," his son replied vaguely before stuffing the list his father had given him in his pants pocket and walking out of the room.
He paused a bit at the doorway, looking over his shoulder to Ted.
"I'm coming too," Helena said, getting up from her position on the couch. "Come on Ted."
Teddy found himself pulled out of the living room. He started to protest but a quick glance over his shoulder told him it would be for the best. He was squeamish around blood and no doubt his presence would only distract the doctors.
He watched as the anonymous man picked up his fedora from a nearby rack and walk out the door.
"Where're we going?" Ted asked as he quickly put on his shoes.
"To get supplies. We'll need more than just the stuff we can find around the house," Helena replied as she led Ted back to the car.
The pylon opened the door to the backseat and all three stared at the mess of blood that covered the upholstery.
"The truck," the man muttered, slamming the door shut as Helena took Ted's hand and dragged him away from the sight.
They all piled into an old beat up pickup truck with Ted squished between the two adults.
As the engine roared to life Helena turned to the boy, "So. What school do you go to?"
"uhh. Hogwarts School or Witchcraft and Wizardry," Ted mumbled, once again fidgeting nervously.
"Hmm. Can't say I've heard of that one," Helena said with a grin and Teddy smiled back.
"What do you do?" Ted asked, changing the focus of the conversation.
"I'm a teacher."
Teddy perked up, "My dad's a teacher too."
Helena looked surprised, "Really? Well then we'd better swap notes one day."
Ted nodded feeling strangely pleased with himself.
"You like your dad?" Helena continued and Teddy nodded.
"Of course. He's my dad!" he exclaimed only for Helena to snicker quietly in her hand.
"Well. That makes one of us," she muttered and Teddy looked at her in confusion, "You don't like your dad?"
"My dad died a long time ago Ted," she replied with a faint smile and Ted immediately sobered.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Helena went on, waving a dismissive hand.
"What about you?" Ted asked, directing the question to the silent man at the wheel beside him.
Teddy was close enough to see the man give him a sidelong glance from underneath the fedora before focusing his attention back to the road.
"Wanted me to be a doctor," the man said simply and Ted could feel the annoyance conveyed through the simple message.
"Don't mind him. Q's a bit….anti-social," Helena said and Ted looked at Helena, "So that's what I'm supposed to call him?" he asked and Helena burst out laughing.
"Yeah. You can call him Q. He goes by other names too…..Pylon is one of them," she added as an afterthought.
Ted looked at Q just in time to catch him roll his eyes at his wife.
"So you two are married?"
"Yup. Been married for what? Four years now?"
Q nodded his head in the affirmative and Helena reached over to give her husband a peck on the cheek.
Ted frowned thoughtfully. What on earth did Helena see in Q? What kind of name was 'Q'? It was probably short for something 'Quentin'? 'Quincy'? There weren't that many English names that started with Q really…..
"So…." Ted jumped, really not expecting Q to be the one starting the next conversation.
"Care to explain how you managed to be found with a bleeding werewolf on the side of the road?"
Teddy blushed, "Well. Umm. It's a long story," he replied but he figured he had a while and he launched into a summary of what had happened starting from Harry's party to when Ted's house had been invaded by strangers.
The Rodors listened quietly, not interrupting until Ted mentioned the part about the intruder's necklace.
"-And it was this weird looking tooth with a cross on the side. I tried to bend down to pick it up but-"
"Wait," Q suddenly said and Ted jumped again.
"The cross. Was there any words written on the cross?"
Ted raised an eyebrow before pausing to think back.
"I can't remember. Maybe….Yeah. I think there was something but I didn't get a really good look it. Why?" Ted asked, confused but the man in the fedora said nothing as they drove on.
Teddy continued his story regardless and had just reached the end of it when the beat up pickup truck finally rolled up into a Muggle hospital and parked right in front of it.
"Sounds like you've had quite the night," Helena exclaimed as they got out.
Q led the way through the large doors of the hospital and Ted looked around amazed at the stark white walls.
It wasn't a very large hospital and it paled when compared to Ted's favourite movies but out here in the country it would do.
"Ever been to a hospital before?" Helena asked and Ted shook his head a bit in wonder, "Not a Muggle one," he whispered.
Q led the way up a flight of stairs and through a maze of corridors that all looked the same in Ted's opinion.
Eventually they reached a room and Q took out a key and unlocked it.
"Are we allowed to do that?" Teddy asked a bit hesitantly, watching as doctors and nurses bustled about and gave the trio awkward glances.
"Of course," Q muttered, opening the door, "We own the place."
Ted starred in shock at the man's retreating back before Helena placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and led him inside.
"Need help?" Helena asked but her husband shook his head.
"Just need help carrying it all," he replied before opening a safe and taking out clear bags of various liquids.
"It's blood," Ted realized. There was other stuff too, antibiotics he assumed but he looked away regardless.
Helena on the other hand raised an eyebrow.
"How do you know he's AB blood?"
"Doesn't matter. All blood in a werewolf gets infected with the disease regardless of blood type," Q muttered.
Ted looked on, confused. How on earth did the man know that?
"Here," Q said, handing Ted a large box.
Ted held on to it as Q then loaded up Helena's arms before doing a quick sweep of the list his father had given him.
"Good let's go," Q said, stuffing the list in his pocket before bending to lift another large stack of boxes.
Teddy followed the rather awkward procession down the stairs ignoring the glances by doctors and patients as they went.
Eventually they had loaded up the truck with the supplies and re-entered the vehicle.
"Are you a witch?" Ted asked suddenly as soon as the engine was roaring. He wasn't sure what made him blurt out such a question. It was probably the fact that the family had been so accepting of the werewolf and the wizard and the magical world or it might have been Q's knowledge of some magical elements that not even Ted knew about.
At the question Helena burst out laughing.
"I can assure you Ted I don't have a magical bone in my body," she said with a grin and Ted looked away embarrassed.
"Then. How did you get those pictures from earlier? And how come you know what happens to werewolf blood and what not?" Ted asked, pointing an accusing finger at the man driving.
The man in question turned his head slightly to look at Ted.
The car was silent for a long moment and for a second Teddy didn't think the man was going to reply.
When it finally did Ted should have known not to expect much.
"It's the 21st century. You'd be surprised what Muggles know," Q said before turning his attention back to the road.
Ted growled a bit in frustration.
There were still too many questions. Who were the men who had knocked on his door? What did they want with him? Who was this man he was sitting beside and how did he know so much about werewolves? Were they all Muggles? Wizards? Something else entirely? It made Ted's head spin.
"So. Tell me more about your world," Helena pressed as a last ditch effort to change the topic.
Ted looked at her.
"What do you want to know?"
"Well. How was your summer?" Helena asked and Ted grinned.
"Is that what you always say when your students come back from holidays?" he joked and Helena smiled at him.
By the time Ted was done telling Helena almost everything he knew about the magical world they were already backing up into the Rodor's garage.
"Ted why don't you go inside? We'll be with your in a minute," Helena said as the adults made to leave the car.
Ted stayed behind for a moment, watching as they unloaded the truck.
Q's words suddenly resonated through his head.
"You'd be surprised what Muggles know."
Ted frowned. He didn't remember telling Q about Muggles. He'd only explained them in the living room when the man had been upstairs.
"Too many questions," Teddy muttered as he undid his seatbelt and stepped out of the truck.
Entering the house and Ted found the living room doors closed. He tried the handle but it was locked and Myra's voice rang out from inside.
"Don't come in yet Ted." she shouted.
The door opened and Q walked back out of the room shutting the door firmly behind him before Ted could even peek past his legs.
He gave Ted the briefest of glances before slowly making his trek up the stairs and out of sight.
Teddy sighed, leaning against the nearby wall. He could wait.
Unfortunately his wait wasn't very long for Tot's voice soon drifted out from behind the locked door, "Go upstairs with the pylon," he instructed and Ted, not feeling in the mood to argue, straightened up and went upstairs.
Q's room wasn't very hard to find. It was the only one open and Ted could hear Helena's voice drifting out of it.
Not wanting to disturb he settled himself against the wall beside the doorframe and listened.
"I think you should tell them," Helena was saying and Q mumbled a response that was much too quiet for Ted to hear.
"I bet you he already knows. How long do you think you can keep this up?"
"I can keep it up as long as I want Helena. Why's this bothering you now?"
"Because he thinks you're useless and he's going around advertising the fact to random people he's barely even met!" Helena hissed.
"So what?"
"Well if you'd just tell him the truth maybe he'd start thinking higher of you."
"But he's right. I am useless."
"You've got one of the most important jobs in all of Britain!" Helena exclaimed and Ted's curiosity meter shot up tenfold.
"I'd hardly call it the most important," Q mumbled.
"Well I do. You work days and nights. You never sleep. If you're working on a case you forget everything and your father keeps calling you a pylon! I'm sick of it! When are you going to start arguing for your self worth?"
"Not any time soon. Especially not with you arguing for me," Q replied casually.
There was the sound of a sigh followed by fabric shifting.
"I wish you'd give yourself some credit for once," Helena mumbled and Ted heard Q sigh through what sounded like his nose.
"It won't make a difference. I won't be a doctor. I won't make a name for myself or the family and that's all he cares about."
"But what do you care about?"
"You."
"Good answer," Ted thought to himself before he hurried down the stairs once more.
"He reminds me of Dad."
When he'd reached the middle of the steps he stomped noisily back up.
"Helena?" He called before he had even reached the room.
Helena appeared in almost the blink of an eye. "What's up Ted?"
"Dr. Rodor wants me to stay upstairs with you guys," Teddy replied and Helena smiled.
"Well then come on in."
Ted entered the small bedroom. A desk was pushed up against the opposite wall by the window. A small closet was pushed in the corner and one of its doors looked broken. The rest of the room was taken up by a large king sized bed on which Q sat crossed legged typing furiously on a laptop.
"Think you should call your mom?" Helena asked, patting the bed inviting Teddy to take a seat.
"We don't have a phone," Ted mumbled and Helena frowned.
"Email? You said your friends had it right?"
Ted nodded and Helena snatched the laptop out of Q's hands and gave it to Ted.
"Need help?"
Ted shook his head.
Quickly logging in to his email he then proceeded to painstakingly type out a massive story of everything that had happened since his last message. He ended it with the Rodors' address and a request that someone tell his mom where they were.
"She's probably back from Harry's and worried sick by now," Ted thought to himself.
He shut the laptop with a click and turned to find Helena asleep on the bed, curled up next to her husband who was staring blankly up at the spotted ceiling.
Upon noticing Ted's gaze Q looked over.
"Done?" he asked and Ted nodded passing the laptop back.
"Should sleep," the man informed but Ted shook his head stubbornly.
"I want to see my dad first."
The man stayed silent and Ted absently swung his legs on the bed.
"Does your brother have a family?" he asked awkwardly but he turned to find Q's gaze fixed on the ceiling.
With a sigh Ted fiddled with a loose thread on his shirt. This guy was more anti-social than Roy for crying out loud.
"Wife. Daughter. In America….Vacation," Q finally muttered and Ted turned back around to the man.
"Are you on vacation too?"
"Hrmmm."
Ted couldn't really tell if that was a reply in the positive or negative. Helena must be on vacation if she was a school teacher. Maybe they lived in the city and had come over to escape the noise for a few months? Or maybe they still lived here and that was why Dr. Rodor said his son was useless….
Too many questions. Ted gave up.
"Want to see your father?" Q suddenly asked and Ted nodded.
With a grunt the man got off the bed, gave his sleeping wife a peck on the cheek and left the room.
A few seconds later Ted followed him.
They marched downstairs and Q fiddled with the door a bit before wrenching it open.
Ted looked past the man just in time to see the occupants in the room jump at the sudden entrance.
"Jeez. Can't you knock?" Richard asked his brother but Q pushed Ted inside without a word.
"Is my dad OK?" he asked fearfully.
Tot came away from the table revealing a giant werewolf lying on its side.
Ted noticed that the wolf's stomach had been shaved and he would have laughed at the sight of the naked belly had it not been for the bandages wrapped around its torso.
A muzzle had been placed on the werewolf's mouth, probably to prevent it from biting and Ted for once let it go. Instead he focused on the various tubes and wires all along his father's body.
A large tube had been shoved in Remus' mouth, attached to a clear bag which was in turn attached to an oxygen tank.
Wires poked out of bandages along Remus' arms and legs and Ted watch clear and red liquid alike fall from IV racks down tubes and disappearing into his father's bloodstream.
"He's stable for now," Myra said with a kind hand on Ted's shoulder.
"What about when he changes back?" Ted asked and the doctors frowned.
"We can't really say. We've never exactly done this before," Richard said, "And I think a part of me is still in denial that all this can happen."
Ted sighed. There wasn't really much he could do. He lay a hand on his father's head for a few seconds, ruffling the fur and watching him just breathe before turning.
"Can I stay here for tonight?" he asked and Tot nodded.
"Sure Ted. I'll be back down in a few hours when the moon goes down alright?"
Ted nodded in return before letting him fall onto the couch across the room.
As the adults filled out one by one he watched his father's chest rise up and down as blood, drugs and antibiotics dripped slowly from the racks above. He was hooked up to a machine. One of those heart things that beeped now and then and had lines running through it.
Ted didn't really remember what it was called but he knew that if the line was ever straight that meant the heart was no longer beating.
He stared at the machine for a long time, counting the seconds between the beeps and tracking the fluctuating lines with his eyes.
Someone re-entered the room and Ted looked up.
Q handed him a pillow and a blanket and Ted silently thanked him with a nod.
"Need anything I'll be outside," the man muttered.
"Don't you have to sleep too?" Ted asked as Q rose to leave.
"Insomniac."
"Oh," Ted said, feeling embarrassed, "I'm sorry."
"Don't."
"Wait!" Ted called as Q was just about to walk away.
"I- uhh. Thank you. For you know….saving us and all?" Ted said carefully as Q paused in his attempt to leave.
"You overheard us. When Helena was complaining."
It wasn't a question it was a fact. Q knew and Ted looked down ashamedly at his feet.
"…yeah…" he mumbled.
The man made a noise I the back of his throat before turning.
"Wait. I'm sorry. I was told to come up and your door was open and she was talking and…."
Ted tried to think of a good explanation but the words died when the man shushed him.
"Doesn't matter. Just don't say anything," he said and Ted nodded a bit fearfully.
"But what do you do? For a job I mean. How do you know so much about people like me?"
Ted was rewarded with the faintest of smirks from the otherwise emotionless man.
"Good question," he mumbled as he closed the living room door behind him leaving Ted once again confused and in the dark.
With a sigh Ted got himself comfortable on the couch, throwing the blanket over himself.
He felt a bit tired but vowed to stay awake at least until his Dad woke up.
"Too many questions," Ted muttered angrily to himself.
"Q knows something. He's hiding it from me and the rest of his family. Maybe I should ask Helena in the morning and then I have to find Vic and Roy and hunt down those men who showed up at my house….wonder if I can get Q to help with that. He seems to know a lot…."
Teddy's thoughts drifted off and he gave a yawn. The day's events were starting to have their effect on him and Ted soon fell asleep to the beep of a heart monitor and the breathing of a werewolf.
Confused yet? Some things will be explained next chapter...others like who the men who barged into the Lupin house? Well that's the whole mystery this story is based on so you guys won't be knowing that for a while :P
And a pylon is a name teachers use at my school (mostly in the IT/computer departments) to describe someone who just sits in class and doesn't to anything.
Thanks to all the loyal reviewers so far. New reviews appreciated as always.
