Chapter 8

"She's kind of being selfish if you think about it. I mean, I had school going on but I took the semester off to be home and help." Annie had gotten past the sad phase of Elena leaving and was now more annoyed and slightly angry. Unfortunately for Nick that meant he got to listen to her rant as she cleaned his scrapes from the fight.

"And because of the psychotic Mutt killers who are stalking you." Nick reminded Annie as she rubbed the cotton ball soaked in isopropyl alcohol across his knuckles for the twentieth time. It was like she couldn't hear him as she continued on.

"And what does she do? Abandon ship because her human life is apparently more important than helping the pack catch Mutts turning cold blooded killers into werewolves. I suppose she doesn't need me anymore either, now that she has human girl friends who have more things in common with her than just being the only other female werewolf in existence like me." After twenty minutes of ranting, Annie was finally getting to the root of her anger. She was taking Elena leaving as being far more personal than it really was. In fact, she was almost taking it as personal as Clay. Although, admittedly Elena leaving was probably partly because of Clay and the memories he kept digging up.

"Annie," Nick murmured, reaching out to still the hand with the cotton ball. "Elena loves you. She may have friends in Toronto, but she doesn't have a sister. You will always have a connection with Elena that no one could ever take away."

"You think?" Annie asked hopefully, her voice cracking at the end of the question as the anger washed away as quickly as it had come, reverting back to tears. Good Lord, girls were emotional time bombs.

"Yes. I also think there's no chance of an infection in my right hand now that it's saturated in alcohol." Annie laughed at that, a welcomed sound, as she grabbed a dry cotton ball and began dabbing up the excess liquid.

"I'm sorry for going crazy on you. Thanks for listening." Rising from her spot next to Nick, Annie went to return the first aid kit to its drawer. With Nick's injuries tended to, it wasn't needed anymore.

"That's what a boyfriend is for, right?" Nick's words were casual, but they had Annie spinning on her heel to look back at him.

"Did you just say boyfriend?" She questioned, sincerely not sure she had just heard that word come out of Nick's mouth.

"Yeah, it didn't sound as cheesy in my head." He joked, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just giving you a definition for our relationship. So, we're dating. Exclusively." Nick reported with a decisive nod of his head. Annie's smile was slow as she took in his words and their meaning. Abandoning the first aid kit on the counter she stepped closer to him.

"Don't we have to go on an actual date before we can call it dating?" She teased, looking him in the eye as she reached up to smooth the collar of his shirt.

"Really?" Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked down at her. This time Annie initiated the kiss, moving her hands from his shirt to his hair, she pulled him down to her and interrupted whatever else he had been going saying. Nick didn't seem to mind being interrupted as he wrapped his arms around Annie's waist and pulled her closer. That's how Jeremy found them when he came into the kitchen.

"Ahem," Jeremy cleared his throat. It effectively separated the two, causing Annie to blush at being caught in that position. "Nick, I need you to head down to DC to visit Joey and Dennis Stillwell. Make it clear that all of our allies need to stay in line." Jeremy got right to the point, choosing to ignore the fact that he just walked in on the girl he thought of as a daughter making out with a fellow pack member whose room now seemed a little too close to hers for Jeremy's comfort. Jeremy had known something was going on between them, but knowing and seeing were two different things.

"I thought dad was in DC," Nick responded, not seeming bothered at all at Jeremy catching him and Annie. They were both consenting adults and they weren't actually related. There was nothing wrong with what they were doing.

"Antonio has been visiting the other North American pack families to discretely see if we're the only ones being targeted. He sent the email address to some friends in DC to analyze. They didn't come up with anything more than we did." Jeremy explained calmly. "So, you will go to DC to call on the Stillwell's." Turning to go Jeremy reached the doorway before adding, "you may take Annie with you." He wasn't sure he wouldn't regret it, but he did know if it seemed as if he was protecting Annie from one more thing she was going to blow up on him. He didn't want her to pull an Elena and kick him out of her life too.

The two of them were silent for a moment after Jeremy left before Nick turned to Annie with a smile, asking if she was up for a road trip. They didn't leave until early the next morning. Annie had an overnight bag packed for each of them, just in case they ran into delays, and was closing the trunk after loading them in when Nick joined her outside.

"I was thinking we could stop in at the diner for breakfast." Nick suggested, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Don't the Deputy and Sheriff always get their morning coffee there?" Annie asked with her eyes squinted in suspicion.

"Oh, do they? I didn't know that." Nick's nonchalance wasn't as convincing that time as a flicker of amusement in his eyes gave him away. It made Annie ask if that was the only reason he wanted to eat there. He made a show of being affronted at her assumption. "I was just thinking we could have a go at this whole date thing." Annie was momentarily surprised, until Nick added in exaggerated indifference, "and if the Deputy happens to be there to witness said date, well that would just be a bonus." Annie shook her head, but couldn't hide her smile when she playfully punched Nick in the shoulder. He wanted to take her out on a date.

It wasn't the fanciest date, but it was nice. Nick even pulled her chair out for her. That's where the normality of the date ended as their conversations were theories and summarizations about the recent events. Of course they had to keep their voices down so as not to be overheard. The locals were known to eavesdrop and they were sure to listen in on their conversation given the attention that had been surrounding Stonehaven. The Deputy and Sheriff didn't happen to come in until the end of the date, when Nick was paying the check. They took a seat at the counter, but Annie had seen the glance the Deputy shot her and Nick. When the hunter Nick had picked a fight with came in with a couple other hunters Annie knew they needed to leave soon unless they wanted their date to end badly.

"We should go," Annie murmured as she rose from her seat. They had been waiting for the change, but Annie wanted him to just leave it.

"That was a hundred. The waitress wasn't worth that much." Nick resisted until he saw what had caught Annie's attention and made her want to leave. "On second thought, she could probably use a big tip anyways." With his hand on Annie's back Nick led them to the door, trying hard not to make eye contact with anyone.

For a moment Annie feared the hunter would start another confrontation, but thankfully one of his friends pulled him back down to his seat as they passed. She could hear the friend mutter that it wasn't worth it with the Sheriff there. Annie relaxed after that, enough to smile when Nick held the door for her. As she was clicking her seatbelt into place, Nick leaned in and gave her a sweet, short kiss.

"Not that I need a reason, but I was under the impression dates ended with a kiss," Nick defended when Annie asked what the kiss was for.

Rolling down her window and turning the radio on as they were leaving town, Annie let her hair blow wildly in the wind. Her heart was happy despite all the deaths that had been raining down on them as she intertwined her fingers with Nick's. For the next six hours it would just be them, no Mutts, no deaths, just the freedom to be together. Their conversations remained light until Nick breeched the topic of Philip.

"Does she love him?" He asked as they were passing into Virginia. It seemed such an odd conversation to be having with Nick. Annie was used to keeping Elena's secrets from everyone as if they were her own. Now that Nick knew, Annie wasn't sure what parts of Elena's life were off limits and which were free for her to share with Nick.

"I think she's convinced herself she loves him." Annie answered carefully. "He's good to her, but I can't help but feel he's just her anchor to the human world. An excuse to stay away." Annie had never voiced the truth of her opinions before, for obvious reasons. Those being Elena would probably shun her if Annie ever told her how she really felt about Philip. She had to admit, It felt good to be honest.

"So it might not be too late for Clay?" Annie thought over her answer for that, digging for the truth that she kept buried behind words of enthusiasm which she felt required to share with Elena.

"No. The only reason she needs an excuse to stay away is because of Clay. She still loves him. She just needs to get over the fact he bit her." Annie didn't know how long that would take, but she hoped for the pack's sake it was sooner rather than later.

They stopped for gas in Virginia. Annie bought food in the small store as Nick filled the car up. His car was a newer Italian model and looked out of place at the country quick stop. Most cars that stopped there were old trucks and Jeeps. Stopping to stand beside him as he waited for the pump to stop, Annie handed Nick one of the six soda's she had bought.

"There wasn't much variety, but I grabbed enough food to make it to DC." Annie raised the plastic bag full of junk food to illustrate.

"I promise after we talk to the Stillwell's I'll take you somewhere we can get real food." Nick smiled as he took the bag from her to see what she had grabbed.

"Nothing too fancy, I didn't pack for any five star restaurant," Annie commented as she slipped into the passenger seat. She knew if she didn't say anything that's exactly what Nick would do: take them to an upscale restaurant in downtown DC. Hell, he still might. There were clothing stores in DC and Nick wasn't shy when it came to spending money. He wasn't really shy when it came to much of anything.

It wasn't that far from the gas station to the Stillwell's house. At least not the way Nick drove. The Stillwell's lived in a small suburb just outside the city. It was a nice area, but Annie still wouldn't want to live so close to the city. Especially not the capital. Beltway traffic was a bitch as Nick and Annie found out. It hadn't even been rush hour when they hit the Beltway. As they parked in the driveway Nick reminded Annie to let him do the talking. He was used to dealing with Allies that had broken from the pack.

As it turned out, Annie saying something to offend the Stillwell's was the last thing Nick had to worry about. When he opened the front door after knocking and receiving no answer, the smell of death greeted him. It made him hesitate for a moment before entering. Annie was right behind him, her senses hyperaware in case there was a threat. It was doubtful as it smelled as if whoever was dead had been so for a couple days at least. Still, if the pack learned just one thing from Pete's death, it was to never be too careful.

They found the body in the living room. It was Denis Stillwell. His blood was spattered across the couch and the walls as his body lay behind the couch. Inching closer Annie's stomach turned when she saw his eyes had been gouged out. The Mutts had killed him, but not before torturing him for information. Nick seemed to take Denis' death worse than Annie. He had known Joey and Denis since he was a kid. Nick and his father had been close to the Stillwell family.

"We need to call Jeremy," Annie whispered, grabbing Nick's hand in support. "He needs to know."

Nick nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket as he made his way back to the other side of the room. As he dialed the number Annie went to explore the other rooms to see if she could find any sign of Joey. Nick didn't waste any time, as soon as Jeremy answered he broke the news. They asked about Joey, to which Nick looked to Annie as she reentered the room. She shook her head, Joey wasn't in the house. Jeremy asked how Annie was to which Annie responded directly, leaning close to the phone. She was fine. As fine as anyone could be after finding a dead body who had obviously been tortured.

Jeremy needed them to clean it up. It would take a while, but between Nick and Annie they could wipe it down clean. Clay wanted to come help, he didn't want Annie forced into doing a job both Jeremy and him had spent a long time protecting her from. Nick declined. Even if he did it alone he would be done by the time Clay got there. After hanging up Nick and Annie had a…disagreement over who would go get the cleaning supplies. Nick didn't want to leave Annie alone with the body and vice versa.

"Look, to me it's a dead body, but to you it's the dead body of your friend's father. I'm not leaving you alone here. I can handle this. Anyways, you know what supplies we would need better than I would." Annie's argument was persuasive. Persuasive enough that Nick finally agreed to go pick up what they needed. He insisted Annie call him if anything went wrong. What could go wrong, Annie didn't know. It wasn't as if Denis Stillwell would suddenly raise from the dead. And the Mutt's were long gone by now. This was set up as a diversion and a message to the pack. It wasn't a trap.

While Nick was gone Annie started righting the furniture that was knocked down. The coffee table's leg was broken, so she went in search of tools. There was a toolbox in the garage where Annie grabbed a hammer and nails. By the time Nick returned Annie had reattached the table's leg, much to Nick's surprise. It took them several hours to finish the wipe down. Bleach, water and soap were mixed in a bucket and wash clothes dipped in the concoction were used to wipe down the walls. It worked surprisingly well.

The curtains had to be trashed, but Nick had purchased replacements and Annie hung them as Nick finished scrubbing the couch clean. Using a tarp that Nick had brought back the two of them moved Denis' body on it before transferring it to the backseat of the car where more tarps were set down to avoid getting blood on the seats. They had moved the car around back to avoid anyone seeing them. The last thing they cleaned was the hardwood floors. It took a lot of elbow grease, but finally they got the room sanitized and free of any sign of death. Wiping everything they touched before Nick had brought rubber gloves in order to get the prints off removed any indication that they were ever there.

They buried the body in a forest clearing in Virginia. Nick said a few words before just standing in silence over the freshly dug grave. Annie let him have some time to himself, going to wait in the car. Nick didn't say anything when he returned, climbing into the driver's seat. They continued rode in silence until they went through a fast food drive thru. Nick apologized that they hadn't been able to eat out in DC. Annie simply shook her head, murmuring that this was perfectly fine before taking his hand and squeezing it.

Annie fell asleep as they were driving through Northern Pennsylvania. She was still holding Nick's hand. Turning the radio down so as not to wake her Nick could only marvel at her. Today, Annie had done unspeakable things, things no 21 year old girl should ever have to do, and she had done them with a calmness and poise that Nick hadn't expected. In a way it made him sad that Annie was being forced to get used to death and violence, but then he reminded himself that was the life of a wolf. A life Annie was born into. Neither he nor the pack could have expected to protect her forever.

When Nick pulled up to Stonehaven the sun was just starting to rise. Annie was still asleep, she didn't even wake up when he killed the engine and got out. Not wanting to wake her just yet, Nick carefully lifted her from the passenger side and carried her to the house. Trying hard to be quiet both for Annie's sake as well as the packs Nick made sure not to let the door slam. When he turned away from the door it was to find Antonio waiting for him on the stairs.

"You're still up," Nick whispered, adjusting Annie's weight in his arms.

"I was waiting," Antonio murmured, standing from his seat on the stairs. Motioning to Nick to follow him, Antonio led the way into the den.

"I should have been with you," Antonio insisted while Nick gently laid Annie down on the couch. Nick brushed the hair out of her eyes before returning to where his father stood by Jeremy's desk.

"We couldn't have known. And I had Annie." Looking back at Annie's sleeping form a small smile formed on Nick's face. "She did good dad. She was strong, and brave. She made it a little easier."

Antonio studied Nick for a moment before pulling him into a hug. He was relieved that Annie had been with Nick, and that he didn't have to go through burying Denis alone. As a father he wanted to protect Nick from the violent truths of life as a wolf, and that need to protect had never waned even as Nick got older and was required to stick his hands into the messier aspects of pack life. When he looked at Nick, Antonio sometimes saw the little boy he raised instead of the man Nick had grown to be. That was one of those moments.

As Nick pulled away from the hug, he tried to form into words all the worries and thoughts that had been on his mind during the drive home. He brought up the story of Antonio and him going hunting with Joey and Denis up at his grandfather's property. How they had taught Joey and Nick how to flood out a deer. He kept thinking how Joey's father was dead now, and that turned to thoughts of what if it had been Antonio. Antonio insisted that won't be him, but Nick shook his head. He knew Antonio couldn't promise something like that, not now.

"No, that's right, that's right. But you're my son, and I want to protect you from the truth. And the truth is, no one is safe. All we have is right now. And right now, what you and Annie did today, when you put Denis' body to rest, I am so very proud of you Nicholas. Of both of you." After a silent moment between them Antonio moved to go and wake the others. They had a lot to do.

Nick went back to Annie, knowing he had to wake her up as wel,l even though he would prefer if he could just let her sleep. It had been a rough night for the both of them. Cupping his hand against her cheek Nick leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Annie's forehead before waking her up.

…BNB…

"We weren't able to find Joey, but if he's alive and safe he'll join us once he finds out they killed his father." Nick started the meeting in the basement by summarizing what Annie and he and found out. Annie stood silent beside him holding the cup of coffee Nick had made her.

"Whose death we will avenge. Right now." Antonio added when Nick had finished. He was tired of waiting around until the next body showed up. They needed to take the offensive.

"Marsten likes to play in the shadows." Jeremy summarized, speaking up for the first time since Nick had started summarizing yesterday's events. "He gets other people to do his dirty work for him. We have to find a way to draw him out." Annie began suggesting a plan but Jeremy quickly silenced her, seeing where she was going. "If the next words out of your mouth are you can be bait you will be locked in the cage until we find a better way to lure Marsten out." Jeremy didn't know what Annie and Elena's deal was, always willing to be the bait, but after saying no to both of them previously he would have thought they would get that they were never going to be bait. Jeremy wasn't willing to risk it. Neither was any other pack member.

"Marsten's not the one you should be worried about," Elena surprised everyone as she entered the room. Last Annie remembered Elena had left with no intentions of ever coming back. Now, here she was, back with the pack. "Daniel Santos found me in Toronto. He had a lot to say. And he left this for you." Holding out a small package that had been unwrapped, Elena stopped Jeremy before he opened it. "You're not going to like what's inside." She warned him.

Those words had everyone moving forward to get a better look. Annie and Nick, who had been beside Jeremy, moved so that they could see the box. Inside, under a sheet of sheer fabric, were a pair of blue human eyes. Annie's stomach turned as her hands formed fists at her side. She had a sinking feeling she knew exactly whose eyes they were. Nick, who was thinking along the same lines as Annie, murmured Denis' name.

"Are we positive that these came from Denis Stillwell?" Antonio asked as they all gathered around the table where the box sat.

"I saw his body, his eyes were gauged out. Those are his." Nick insisted. Annie backed him up by nodding her head in affirmation. There was no question in her mind that the eyes belonged to the man she helped bury. She wouldn't soon forget the image of his empty eye sockets.

"Were his," Clay grumbled, correcting Nick's use of the present tense.

"Santos is going to pay dearly for this." Jeremy grunted in frustration, his knuckles turning white from his tight grip on the table. He was trying to control his anger and frustration at the situation.

Speak of the Devil, Elena's phone started ringing: it was Santos. After a few words with Santos, Elena switched the phone to speaker and set it on the table.

"How did you like my gift?" Santos' smug voice rang clear around the room.

"Why did you kill Denis Stillwell?" Jeremy got to the point, ignoring Santos' own question. Santos replied with semantics, claiming it technically wasn't him.

"Just like Hitler technically didn't murder millions of Jews," Annie spat out, unable to hold the snarky comment back. Santos only laughed, thanking Annie for the complement.

"Being compared to a sadistic Bastard who hid behind those he ordered to do his dirty work and ended up committing suicide isn't a compliment." Annie snapped back. Before she could say anymore Jeremy held up his hand, signaling that was enough.

"You have my attention," Jeremy spoke once he was sure Annie wouldn't interrupt again.

"Good, because I want to be heard and taken seriously." Santos demanded. At his remark it was Clay instead of Annie who interrupted.

"Well it will be hard to talk after I rip your throat out," Clay growled threateningly. Santos didn't take his comment as lightly as he had Annie's.

"You see, now that is what we need to be talking about. The violent ways with which you uphold the pack laws. Now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end. All me and my associates want is to get out from underneath the pack's oppressive rule." Santos was crazy if he expected the pack to change centuries old rules. And yet, he expected just that, threatening more funerals if Jeremy didn't agree to a meet with him. So Jeremy agreed, though Santos refused to meet at Stonehaven. They ended up agreeing on an abandoned pavilion off route 35; tomorrow at noon.

Nick was the first to demand they couldn't trust Santos once Jeremy had hung up. Jeremy agreed, but declared they needed to turn this to the offensive before they got picked off one by one. As a start, he sent Elena and Clay to go find stake out positions for tomorrow's meeting. As they all dispersed Annie went to take a shower. She needed to rinse off the sweat and dirt from the previous day's work. While Nick waited for his turn to shower he found himself in the den, catching the end of his father's phone call where he booked a cruise for Denis.

"Closing out someone's life with a couple of calls. What a thankless job," Nick murmured as he leaned against Jeremy's desk. Antonio agreed, but claimed that it was necessary. They didn't want the other families alarmed about all the deaths. "I never envied your job as pack fixer." Nick added, shaking his head just thinking about everything his father had to do.

"It's not so bad. Once you take out the emotion and focus on the necessity of it." Antonio insisted, pausing for a moment before adding: "you know I always figured you'd take over."

"I wouldn't be any good at that. Too much responsibility." Nick had never been good at separating himself from his emotions, and he had never been particularly good at taking on responsibility. He only recently began doing things that were not necessarily in his best interest, just because they were in Annie's best interest. He'd have to have more practice with it before he ever considered taking on his father's job. Antonio disagreed, claiming Nick could handle it, and that he'd grown a lot in the past few years. "I'm not like you dad. When you were my age you already had a teenage kid. I don't know how you did it."

"You just adapt to the circumstances and make the best of it. You'll see. Someday you'll have a son of your own." Antonio smiled at his son. He knew that Nick would be an amazing father. Several years ago and Nick would have refuted, declaring he would never have children. But now that he had Annie, he could kind of see it, years down the road of course, but he could still see it.

"Someday," Nick agreed, a small smile on his face just thinking about it. Annie chose that moment to enter the den, fresh from her shower. Nick immediately straightened, sending Antonio a warning look not to say anything more about kids, as he left to take his own shower.

Antonio followed his son's silent orders, discussing school with Annie instead of any future plans for children. Annie mentioned how she had done a semester training on being a RN 1st assistant in trauma, figuring it'd be the most useful to the pack. Antonio seemed interested in the training, and they were still discussing it when Nick returned and joined in the conversation. It was as Annie was explaining one of the skills she acquired from the sessions that Jeremy received the call from Elena. There had been a box dropped off at the campsite with the same wrappings as Denis Stillwell's eyes.

"Elena, don't touch it," Jeremy ordered firmly. "Antonio and I are on our way." As Jeremy hung up Nick mentioned how it could be Joey's body parts. Antonio seemed to think it was more likely to be a booby trap and Jeremy couldn't help but agree with him. Ordering Nick and Annie to stay and watch the house Jeremy and Antonio left to meet up with Clay and Elena.

"I don't like just sitting and waiting for information," Nick grumbled as he paced the den's floor. Jeremy and Antonio had been gone for thirty minutes already and no one had contacted home to let Annie and Nick know what was going on.

"Now you know how I normally feel," Annie joked as she stepped in front of Nick, blocking his path. "I'm sure everything's fine." She added as she rested her hands on his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Nick nodded his head in agreement. Everything was fine. That was until Elena returned alone, claiming Antonio and Jeremy had been ambushed on their way to the campground. Something about a fake car accident. Nick went absolutely mental with anger when he heard that, and it took both Elena and Annie to hold him back.

"Clay went to help. By the time you get there they'll have everything taken care of." Elena assured him, not releasing her hold on his arm until he stopped struggling. As soon as he was released the sound of a car squealing to a stop sounded from out front and all three of them were out the door.

"What the Hell happened?" Nick demanded as he approached Clay, who was the first one to exit the car.

"Your dad's in bad shape. We need to get him inside." At Clay's words Nick visibly paled, running to the back seat of the car and pulling it open.

Annie remained frozen to the spot as she watched Nick carry Antonio up the stairs. He had several cuts on his body, the deepest one along the left side of his stomach which was saturating his shirt with blood. It was bad. It was really bad. Nick calling her name snapped her out of her daze. She followed the others inside and helped lay a cloth down on the kitchen table before Nick set Antonio down on it.

"What do we do?" It took Annie a moment to realize Nick was talking to her.

"I'm a nurse, not a doctor, I haven't even graduated yet." Annie exclaimed, glancing nervously between Antonio's wound and Nick's pleading eyes.

"Please Annie," Nick whispered desperately. That's all it took. Rolling up her sleeves she asked Elena for gloves before ordering the others to collect the materials they would need: gauze, isopropyl alcohol, and clotting powder. They needed to stop the bleeding, fast. Annie didn't know if she could save Antonio, but she would try with everything she had.

A/N This chapter feels a bit choppy to me. Probably because I wrote most of it in chunks. I apologize if it isn't up to par and promise to do better on the next one. Please let me know what you think. Feedback is the fuel to writing. Plus I'm always interested in whether you all are enjoying it, or wish me to try something different with the story or my writing. Thanks to all that review/favorite/and follow. I just want to say a huge thank you to you all!

jk: I agree about Santos, he was a slime ball and it was very satisfying to watch the end of that episode. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well

Rach

xoxo