Emma found Belle in the sitting room, curled up in a large chair by the fireplace, using her red leather jacket as a blanket. There was an empty glass on the table next to her. Walking quickly over to her, Emma knelt down beside her, but didn't move any closer. She was worried that she had frightened Belle with her aggression towards the man earlier, and did not want to upset her any further if that was the case.

Speaking softly to not startle her, Emma reached out to rest her hand on the edge of the chair. "Are you ok?"

Belle immediately raised her head in surprise, having not heard Emma come in. "Of course. Thank you for stopping him. I didn't want to make a scene when he came over, but I froze when he grabbed my leg." Belle wrapped her arms tightly around Emma's neck before falling back in her seat and grinning lazily up at Emma, pulling the jacket tighter against her.

Emma noted that something seemed off with Belle. Scenting the air, Emma noted that Belle had no fear of her, which she was grateful for. Emma also noted that aside from being doused in Emma's scent, and what seemed to be arousal, it smelt like Belle had been drinking. 'Cider from the smell of it, and strong cider at that.' She could not remember Belle drinking when she had been in the diner, and realized that the empty glass was likely the source.

'Mmm. She knows who we are. That is good. And she smells like us now too. No one will touch what is our again.' Again, Emma shook the strange thought out of her head. She felt like she was going crazy, hearing thoughts that didn't seem like her own in her head. But she knew they kind of made sense if they were coming from the wolf. It seemed to really like both Belle and Ruby, and consider them both her pack. She would ask Ruby about this when got upstairs.

"Granny said for us all to relax in one of the rooms upstairs. Ruby is grabbing a key and meeting us up there." Emma stood and held out her hand to Belle, who untucked her legs from under the jacket, and quickly stood. The rapid movement seemed to make her unsteady, and Bella stumbled into Emma, who caught her easily.

"Oh, sorry about that. Guess that glass of cider was stronger than I thought." Belle gestured with the empty glass on the table. Having her suspicions confirmed, Emma gauged Belle's level of intoxication.

Without letting go of Belle, Emma swiftly moved to her side, and picked her up bridal style. "Let's just get you up to the room and your girlfriend." Emma stated with an easy smile, knowing that Belle was beyond negotiating the stairs in her condition.

Belle giggled and smiled in return, before she snuggled into the crook of Emma's neck, breathing deeply. Making their way up the stairs, Emma saw Ruby waiting by the door to her old room, pacing impatiently.

Watching Emma carry Belle towards her, Ruby was instantly worried that she had been hurt. "Is she alright?" Ruby asked anxiously as they neared. Scenting the air around them, she noted that there did not seem to be any blood, only the mild scent of cider. She could also smell the strong scent of Belle and Emma mixed together with her own scent, and hints of arousal. It was a confusing mix, especially as Emma's scent was so strong. It was earthy, like spring, but sweet as well.

"No, she was just a little wobbly after she had a glass of cider, apparently. Didn't want her to twist her ankle on the stairs, and I knew you would be anxious to see her." Emma answered, not looking the least bit uncomfortable carrying Belle in her arms. "Shall we?"

"Um, sure, of course. Here, I'll get the door." Ruby answered, unlocking the door and opening it wide for Emma to walk through. "You smell good as a wolf, by the way. It's strong, but not overwhelming. It suits you. You just smell really, really good." Ruby walked into the room as Emma laid Belle in the middle of the bed. The scent had gotten stronger as Emma passed, and she couldn't help inhaling deeply.

"Belle said the same thing earlier. I think that's why she is making out with my jacket." Emma laughed as she lowered Belle onto the bed, who immediately rolled to her side on the bed, nuzzling into the jacket again.

Ruby thought she should feel jealous of Belle's behaviour, but she for some reason found that it seemed normal. Stifling a yawn, Ruby headed to the bed herself, and sat up against the headboard next to Belle. Emma mirrored her position on her other side.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Emma said shyly, looking straight across the room, not meeting Ruby's gaze. "I have been having some weird thoughts pop into my head lately. They are usually talking about "us" and are kind of possessive. Is that normal, or am I losing it? Like, is that my wolf that I am hearing or is it just weird thoughts?"

"Well, given that you were bit less than 24 hours ago, you shouldn't be experiencing any of what you have been, but it's kind of normal for a wolf that hasn't been fully accepted by their human. Before your first change, and until you and the wolf become one, you kind of feel like you have a second person in your head, especially during Wolf's time. Or at least I did." Ruby seemed lost in her thoughts as she spoke.

"I didn't accept my wolf for a long time, so for me it was like that for years. After I gained control, and we, I dunno, merged I guess? Well, after that it's more like it my own thoughts with strong impulses to act a certain way. The "we" and "us" thing stopped for me then." Ruby paused, and looked over at the blonde, who had begun tracing patterns absently up and down Belle's arm. Noting the proximity Emma had maintained to Belle, her reaction to the guy earlier, and Belle's reaction to Emma's new wolf scent, she started to worry what might be happening between her best friend and her girlfriend, even if it didn't feel strange.

"When you say possessive thoughts, what do you mean exactly?" Ruby narrowed her eyes towards the blonde who, realizing what she was doing, immediately put her hands in her lap. A deep blush crept from her face, down to her chest.

"Well, um. Ok, please let me finish, because I think it will get confusing, but just hear me out." Emma stood and started pacing the room, wringing her hands nervously. "So all my senses have been going kind of crazy today, especially my sense of smell. I can smell everything, and I'm starting to get used to it now, and I'm just doing it automatically now, like it's completely normal, but when we were talking and waiting for everything to slow down so you could talk to us, I started to be able to pick apart the scents more. I could smell you on her, and her, and I thought 'She has marked her as hers.' And then that she would join the pack soon." Emma had started to babble, trying to get everything out quickly. She had stopped her pacing and was facing Ruby as she continued.

"We were talking about how she had wanted to be bitten and become a wolf too, because she knows how we age differently, and she wants to stay with you for your whole lives together. And we age differently? And wow, that was easy to fall into the 'we' thing, is that normal too? And then I had another though about how you smell good together." Taking a deep breath, Emma resumed pacing, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. "She said something about how I smelled like you now, only more something, oh and that my eyes flashed yellow when I was smelling her and staring. And I'm sorry for staring, I didn't mean to." Emma's blush deepened. "I don't know why, but when I went to go to the washroom, I took my jacket off and put it around her. She just kept sniffing it and that made me smile."

Ruby had remained perfectly still as Emma had explained everything so far. It was confusing her, as some of the things she heard should have made her upset, but she just waited for Emma to continue before she was going to speak. She needed the time to think everything through.

"When I came back, that guy was sitting beside her, in my seat. Like seriously, I was just sitting there, it was obvious I was going to be right back, why would he take what was clearly mine?!" Emma had stopped pacing and was growling softly as she continued her story. "And I could smell that she was scared. I didn't even think about it, I just started sniffing the air. He was so close to her, and I could see that she didn't want him near her and I could smell that she was scared. But then I caught another scent. I don't know how I knew what it was, but he was getting off on scaring her. It made me so angry. I thought 'She's ours, not his.' Meaning yours and mine. Is that like a pack thing too? Anyway, when he put his hand on her leg, I snapped." Emma stopped in the middle of the room again, this time locking her eyes with Ruby. To her credit, Ruby didn't look away, but it was hard.

"He had his hand on her leg, and she was scared. I just reacted. I wanted to rip him to shreds. I didn't hear any thoughts that time, but I felt this urge to protect her, because she's ours. I just felt it. And you saw what happened." Emma was tense, head held high, her body vibrating with anger. Ruby saw her eyes were almost glowing again, the dull yellow ring forming around her iris, and Ruby could no longer hold Emma's gaze. She whimpered at the look on Emma's face.

Blinking rapidly, Emma shook her head, immediately moving over to Ruby, kneeling down beside her, and began nuzzling her jaw, the same way Ruby had done to her the previous night. Relaxing immediately, Ruby snuggled into the crook of Emma's neck, pulling her into a hug. Both pulled back after a moment and smiled sheepishly.

"So what does all that mean? Am I losing my mind or is this normal?" Emma asked.

A throat cleared behind them, startling the girls. Emma whipped around quickly, bearing her teeth and letting out a deep growl at the intruder.