Chapter 74: Noah

Clay and Joey were in the hotel restaurant, deep in conversation when Savannah, Buffy and Dawn entered. Or, at least, Clay was deep in conversation, explaining something, his hands waving, a slice of toast in one, crumbs flying. The Savannah and the sisters headed for the buffet, but a large table of businesspeople beat them to it. Clay caught Dawn's eye and waved her over. Dawn grabbed Savannah and Buffy and as they approached, he kicked out chairs on either side of him for the sisters, then moved his plate so all he, the sisters and Savannah could eat from it.

"Clayton sharing his food?" Joey said with a strained smile. "Must be love."

"No, he's just trying to make a good impression," Dawn said. "Normally, he'd be stealing mine. And on the rare occasion he feels like teasing Savannah or Buffy, theirs."

"That reminds me," Joey said as he nodded to Savannah. "What are you guys doing with a Slayer anyways?"

"She's my daughter," Buffy said. "From before I was bitten."

"Clay was just telling me about Nick," Joey said. "He said he's doing graphic design for his dad's company. I'm still trying to figure out if he's joking."

"He's not," Buffy said. "Nick seems to like it. He's got a good eye for design."

"Now, that I can see. I remember how long it took the guy to buy a shirt. I bet there are a lot of nice-looking young women working in graphic design, too."

Thinking of Nick reminded Dawn that he'd left a message on her cell while she had been busy talking to Clay the night before. Nothing urgent. Just touching base, looking for an update, and mostly wanting to talk about Reese.

Clay and Joey chatted for a while longer, catching up. It wasn't the most comfortable conversation, but Joey was obviously making an effort, so Clay answered all his questions.

As the line for the buffet vanished, Savannah, Buffy and Dawn went up for a plate. They came back to a silent table, as if the moment Clay finished updates, they'd hit a brick wall, the amiable mood dispersing as they realized how little they now had in common.

"So, you got our message," Buffy said as she and Dawn sat.

Joey nodded and picked at his omelet, moving the mushroom pieces aside. The sisters glanced at Clay. He shrugged and resumed eating.

Finally, Joey said, "Noah isn't my brother. He's my son."

Buffy and Dawn tried not to look surprised. They shouldn't have been. It made more sense for Noah to be Joey's youthful indiscretion than Dennis's middle-aged one. It was hard, though, to imagine Joey ever being youthful enough to be indiscreet.

"Did you know about him?" Dawn said when he didn't go on.

Joey shook his head. "I was with his mother for a few months, but I was very good about using condoms. Or so I thought. His mother… liked to drink. I'd join her sometimes, so I suppose it's not surprising that I might have forgotten a time or two. I ended the relationship because she wouldn't admit she had a problem, nor am I surprised that she kept Noah from me. Dad was the one who found him, in a mall of all places. Noah was going to a movie. He was fifteen and starting to smell like a werewolf coming into his first Change. Dad followed him and we figured out who he was. Noah wasn't with his mom anymore. She'd sobered up and married a born-again Christian who didn't think 'love thy neighbor' extended to 'love thy new wife's son.'"

"So where was Noah living?" Buffy asked.

Joey didn't answer for a moment, then said, "Noah has problems."

"Fetal alcohol syndrome?" Dawn asked.

"More like FAE—fetal alcohol effects." A wan smile. "Yes, I've done my research. With Noah, it's mild symptoms. He's small for his age. He has some learning disabilities, some behavioral issues. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe just his home situation and the whole—" A glance around at surrounding tables. "The werewolf instincts kicking in and his confusion over that. When we found him, he was in a juvenile detention center. He'd been living in foster care and got mixed up with the wrong crowd, robbing gas stations. The day Dad saw him at the mall was a field trip. He still had a year left to serve, then another year in a halfway house."

Joey rubbed his hand over his mouth. "That was a tough time. Noah was coming into his powers, hormones going nuts, with no idea what was happening to him. He'd acted out a couple of times in the center. Got into some fights. Given his strength—and the fact that he had no history of violent behavior—they presumed drugs, and he had to go through testing… It was hell."

"Were you able to speak to him?" Buffy asked. She wondered if that had been Savannah what she would have done.

"Eventually. His mom admitted I was his father—I think by that point she was happy to dump him onto someone else. We eased him into the truth, which, as it turned out, wasn't necessary. He jumped at the explanation. He was thrilled, even. Not a split second of disbelief."

"At that age, I suppose hearing 'you're a werewolf' is much cooler than 'you're having a mental breakdown,'" Dawn said.

Joey nodded. "That was exactly it and I… I didn't understand, which is where the problem began." He paused while the server refilled our coffees. "As I've said, my dad and I had increasingly different views on the best way to handle our condition. It wasn't always like that. Yes, for years we'd been on opposite sides of the center, and not by much. As I got older, though, I started chafing more against the restrictions. I lead a normal life—career, friends, girlfriends. Having to worry about Changing while on business trips or hiding my strength from my buddies in racquetball or being gentle with my lovers so I don't bite…" His gaze slid toward the Savannah and the sisters and he colored, as if he'd just jammed his foot in his mouth.

"If you're trying to live as human, there are a lot more disadvantages than advantages to being a werewolf," Buffy said. "Dawn and I have tried it ourselves. After Dawn was bitten, but before I was."

"Then you both know what I mean. My father always embraced that side of himself more. He's not as involved with the world as I am. Self-employed, poker buddies rather than friends, short-term girlfriends only… As he got older, he started getting into the wolf part even more. He bought the cabin, took up hiking, joined a couple of wilderness appreciation groups, got interested in our origins and mythology. My dad is … was, I guess, I should say…"

Joey's eyes unfocused, grief etching furrows around his mouth. Then he cleared his throat and straightened. "We were different. But it wasn't a big issue until Noah came along."

"Which to teach him," Dawn said. "Overcoming it versus embracing it."

"As his father, I thought it seemed natural to teach him my way. Dad wasn't happy with that, but he couldn't argue with my logic. If Noah was going to straighten out—finish high school, maybe go to college—then 'normal' was obviously the way to go. Only Noah…" He trailed off, his gaze going distant again.

"He'd just found out he was something special," Buffy said as she glanced at Savannah, "and he wasn't interested in being normal."

Joey glanced toward Savannah and nodded in understanding. "You understand kids a lot better than I do."

"No, but Dawn and I both understand the point of view." Buffy said as Dawn hooked a thumb at Clay.

Joey attempted a smile. "I guess so. And if I'd been Clay, I'm sure I would have understood Noah's perspective better. I only wanted to make things easier for him. Instead I drove him to my father, which didn't help matters." He sipped his coffee, gaze down. "I took it personally. My son was picking my father, and my father was happy to have him around. I felt left out. Silly for a man my age, but that's how it was. Everyone wants to belong, and that goes for Noah more than most. He wanted a place to belong. Dad gave him that. I should have backed off. Instead, I sulked like a teenager. In the last few months, I've hardly seen either of them."

"Was Noah living with Dennis?" Buffy asked.

Joey shook his head. "He was going to, after he got his full release. There was no way his parole officer was turning a troubled seventeen-year-old kid over to a grandfather who'd just stepped into the picture. For the last six months, Noah has been spending weekends with Dad. He'd just had his first Change, and Dad was trying to help him through it." He glanced at Clay. "He used all those lessons Jeremy did with Nick and me when we were that age. The rest of the time, Noah was in a group home. On Monday, Noah's parole officer phoned me and said he hadn't shown up Sunday night. I tried calling Dad. He didn't answer, which I figured meant he was still at the cabin. When Monday night came, I tried to drive up there but my car wouldn't make it. I wasn't worried yet. Just angry. I figured Dad had taken Noah into the backcountry and hadn't bothered coming out on time."

"Did he do that?" Dawn asked.

Joey shook his head, frown lines deepening. "Dad was never irresponsible. I was just… In the mindset I was in, I wanted him to be irresponsible—proof I should be taking care of Noah. When Tuesday came, I started worrying. Then I got the call. From Tesler. They had Noah and started making demands."

"What did they say about your dad?" Clay asked.

"They said they had him, too. They only let me talk to Noah but … I believed them about Dad. I wanted to believe them. Then you showed up, made it to the cabin and found him."

There was more to this story, but Joey was clearly exhausted. They could wait for the rest. There was one possibility, though, that had to be raised. A difficult one. Buffy and Dawn both floundered around, trying to figure out how to word it.

Then Clay jumped in and asked it for them. "Any chance Noah hooked up with these mutts himself?"

"What?" Joey's eyes went as round as his lenses.

Buffy hurried to interject. "Not that he'd hurt Dennis himself or had any idea they were going to, but you said Noah was desperate to belong, and mutts like this will prey on the pack instinct."

"And if he's already a crim—" Clay began.

Dawn stomped Clay's toes. "If he's already been lured into trouble with the law, then the upheaval of the Change could lower his defenses against returning to that life, however much he may want to get out of it."

Joey's jaw worked.

Dawn continued. "Buffy and I are not saying that's what happened or that it's even likely. But if it was another teenager in his situation, that's the first thing we'd bring up."

"You're right," he said after a moment. "But the answer is no. If Noah was still with me, and Dad wasn't in the picture, then yes, I could see it. He would have been looking for that connection, that reaffirmation, and if those mutts showed up, they might have found a very willing recruit. But Noah is crazy about my dad. More important, he was happy with him. As angry as he is, what he really wants is family, security." He looked down at his hands. "It's so easy to see now, but at the time… I screwed up. If I'd supported his choices, I might have been there last weekend."

"And you would have been killed like your dad," Clay said. "These guys are ruthless. The only way to fight them is with someone who's just as ruthless."

"You."

"Us," Buffy said. "Ruthless might not be the first word anyone uses to describe Savannah, Dawn or I, but we have the experience and we can fight. So, can we help you now?"

He paused. A long pause, gaze on his folded hands. "I'm still not convinced this is the right way to go about it, but I don't see that I have much choice. Yes, I need your help."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

They spent the rest of the morning in their suite, where they could talk more openly with Joey and piece together their stories. He'd already taken them up to the point of getting the call from Tesler, who claimed to have both Noah and Dennis. That was the only time Joey had spoken to his son since his capture, and it had been a brief exchange, one Joey could recite verbatim.

Joey: Are you okay?

Noah: Yeah.

Joey: Did they hurt you? Are you—?

Noah: I'm okay, all right?

Joey: I'm going to get you out of there.

Noah: Think so?

Joey: I will. I promise. How's Dennis? Is he okay?

Joey wasn't sure whether Noah tried to say something or just made a noise, but before he could ask again, Tesler took the phone back.

Then Tesler laid out his demands. He didn't want much—just everything Joey had. He'd start by accepting fifty thousand dollars as a gesture of goodwill. Then Joey would use his local reputation and contacts to fix some unspecified "problems." Once that was cleared up, Joey would take his father and son and leave Alaska … after signing over his car, his condo and his dad's cabin to the Teslers.

Joey had scraped together a down payment on the fifty grand. The rest he'd get from liquidating his retirement funds. He was supposed to meet Tesler yesterday morning. That's when Clay, Buffy and Dawn had intercepted him at work. His meeting with the Teslers hadn't been until lunch, but Joey feared they were watching, so he'd brushed Clay off. His instinct had been right and the gang had then followed Savannah, Clay, Dawn and Buffy's trail back to the hotel and had their fun there while the they were out.

After Savannah's, the sisters and Clay's encounter with the Teslers, and Dan's presumed death, Eddie had called Joey back with a new demand. Get rid of them or all negotiations were off.

Buffy, Clay and Dawn got everyone they could from Joey. It took a while, and by the end of it, he was exhausted by the constant questions. He took a rest while Clay headed outside to scout for any sign of the mutts, and the sisters went to a quiet place downstairs and made phone calls.

Buffy started with Jeremy, updating him and getting his opinion. Then Buffy, Dawn and Savannah spoke to the kids. Their patience with Savannah and their gallivanting parents was again growing thin. They wanted them all home. And, talking to them, Savannah and the sisters wanted to be home. So they kept it short with promises that they would call again before bed and talk to them more.

Next Buffy called Nick; she gave him an update.

"Sounds like you guys might need some help, Buffy," he said when Buffy finished.

"We're considering it," Buffy said. "Jaime is staying longer at Stonehaven, in case Jeremy needs to take off, and Jeremy's told Karl to be ready to fly, of course against my objections to the contrary."

"Buffy," Nick cut in. "You need to put this deal with Karl behind you. Yes, he bit the guy that bit you. But there is no way he could control who the mutt bit. He wasn't even in town at the time, right?"

Buffy sighed. "I'll think about it. Anyways for now, though, just keep your schedule clear. We don't want to spook these guys by having the whole Pack descend on Anchorage."

"Or they might decide to cut their losses with their hostage," Nick said.

Buffy nodded. "Exactly."

"So, you think he's still alive? Joey's boy?"

"Joey hasn't heard from him in two days," Buffy said. "I can only hope they want the ransom too badly to risk killing him."

"I'm still finding it hard to believe Joey has a teenage son. He's old enough—it's just hard to picture Joey as a middle-aged guy. I picture the kid who left our place twenty-five years ago. It sounds like he's changed, though—and not just his age."

"Now, how's Reese settling in?" Buffy asked.

"Good so far. You and Dawn were right about giving him chores. I didn't want to—with his hand and all—but Antonio figured you two had a point, and gave him some work to do on the grounds. That really helped. Reese has stopped eyeing the door, ready to make a break for it."

"Paying his dues," Buffy said. "He'll be happier with that. So how is it going otherwise? You seemed nervous about having him there."

"We're being careful. We're not about to give a stranger full run of the house, not when he could obviously use a few bucks. I've been working from home, so someone's always with him, but he hasn't given us any reason to worry. I even thought I'd take him out tonight. Got a party. He might like that. Get his mind off things."

"Is he depressed about his hand?" Buffy asked.

"He's not thrilled about it, but there's more. Have you got a dossier on him?"

"A very thin one," Buffy said. "He only hit our radar after the problems with Liam and Ramon. All I know is that he's from Australia. Or New Zealand. I never did quite pin it down. Why?"

"I'm trying to figure the kid out. He's been asking me and Antonio about the rules for mutts—where they can live, whether they can get a job, how long they can stay in one city. If we mention the possibility of him going home, he shuts down."

"Something happened," Buffy said. "Dawn and I know that, but we have no idea what. It could be that he killed someone or came close. It seems more personal, though."

"No, I agree. He does mention his family, parents."

"His father, you mean?" Buffy asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure both parents are in the picture."

"You think it has something to do with his family, then?" Buffy asked.

"I have a hunch it does. I'll keep fishing."

Buffy nodded. "Be careful. He's skittish enough. Push and—"

"He'll bolt. I know. I'll take it slow, but I think it's important. The kid wants to open up. I'll work on it, at least until you need me there."

After Joey woke up, they spent the afternoon with maps spread over the table in the sitting area, marking the locations of Dennis's cabin and the kill sites, trying to narrow down where they might find the Teslers.

That was their best hope: corner them in their lair. They could let the mutts come to them, and the sisters were sure they would, but for now they seemed to have gone to ground, maybe waiting to see whether Joey would get rid of Buffy, Clay and Dawn. If he didn't, they'd hurt Noah, to prove they would.

Joey seemed ambivalent about joining the sisters, but when they gave him the option of staying behind, he said he needed to come, though he might not be much help in a fight.

"An extra pair of eyes and ears," Clay said. "Still useful."

Joey picked up dinner knowing how Clay felt about being around strangers. He brought back Malaysian. It was one ethnic food the sisters weren't familiar with, and it wasn't quite to their tastes.

"So, Karl Marsten is a Pack member now?" Joey said. "How hard up are you guys for new blood

Clay rolled his eyes, and stuffed a curry-sauce-drenched boiled egg into his mouth.

"A tentative member," Buffy said. "Against my objections."

"I can believe that," Joey said. "When we left the Pack, he had a reputation, and he wasn't more than a couple of years older than me. A thief, wasn't he? And a ruthless SOB, if I remember right. Killed mutts who came on his territory, ignoring the fact that non-Pack werewolves can't hold territory."

"Which, ultimately, became an issue," Buffy said. "He wanted territory and had to join the Pack to get it."

"And you let him in?"

"Again, against my objections," Buffy said.

"Ruthless is good if it's on your side," Dawn cut in. "He's not the most committed Pack member, but he'll be here if Jeremy calls. And if he doesn't jump fast enough, his girlfriend will give him a shove. She thinks the Pack is good for him, and he gives us a hundred percent to please her."

"His girlfriend knows he's a werewolf?"

"She's a half-demon."

"Half… Shit." He shook his head. "Dad said the Pack had gotten involved with other supernaturals but…" Another shake of his head. "Dad wanted to know all about it. Fascinated. I'd rather just leave my world at werewolves. That was another issue we didn't agree on." He went quiet for a minute, then shook it off. "So, Karl Marsten, huh? Didn't Malcolm kill his father?"

Savannah, Buffy and Dawn glanced at Clay.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Clay said. "But I never heard that."

"I did, back when we were with the Pack. You and Nick had gone someplace, and I had to hang out with the Santos boys. Malcolm was there with their dad and uncle, and they were talking about it, how Malcolm had killed Josef Marsten. Raymond was razzing Malcolm because the boy got away on him."

"Karl?" Dawn asked.

"I presume so. So, you've got two kids, right?" Joey said looking at Dawn. "Twins?" He looked at Buffy. "And you have another on top of Savannah?"

Dawn nodded. "A boy and a girl. Three and a half."

"Yes," Buffy said. "Anne is three. A few weeks younger than her cousins."

"I've been wondering," Joey said. "You said Savannah is your daughter. Yet she looks to be in her mid-teens. You said earlier you had only been bitten five years ago. And you look like you're in your twenties. Even I know that's impossible unless you had her when you were like fourteen."

"Uhm," Buffy said.

"Buffy and I are immortal," Dawn said. "We have been alive for over two hundred years."

"Oh," Joey said as he looked at Clay.

"Dawn's telling the truth," Clay said. "They both drank from the legendary Fountain of Youth before it was destroyed by Spanish soldiers."

"So, are you two planning to have more?"

"Right now, two is enough," Buffy said. "Right, Dawn?"

Dawn nodded in agreement. "Right."

Savannah and Clay each tore a bite off a giant prawn. "Got too much else going on. Two is good. We can give them all the at-att-enshun…" Clay stumbled over the word, slurring it.

Dawn looked over sharply. He blinked hard, as if struggling to keep his eyes open. Next to Buffy, Savannah was in much the same struggling to keep her own eyes open.

"I guess I'm not the only one who should have had a nap this afternoon," Joey said.

Clay kept blinking, as if he hadn't heard Joey. He frowned, annoyed, and rubbed his hand over his face. Savannah rubber her eyes as if she was trying to rub away sleep that threatened to come.

Dawn looked over at Clay and touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

"Honey?" Buffy asked as she looked concerned at Savannah.

"They both look ready to crash," Joey said with a laugh. "Too little sleep and too much food. Guess I should have grabbed espresso instead of Cokes. Why don't you both go lie—?"

"You, you bas—" The word fell away in a slurred jumble. Clay gripped the table, pushing himself up.

"Clay?" Dawn said. "What—?"

"You son…" Clay slurred the rest. His head wobbled, eyes trying to find Joey. "If you hurt them, I swear, I'll hunt you down and—"

Clay collapsed into Dawn's arms as Savannah collapsed into Buffy's arms. They lowered the two of them to the floor, frantically checking for a pulse, finding it strong, and then spinning on Joey.

"What did you—?" Buffy growled.

Joey wasn't in his chair. As the sisters turned, they felt a prick on the back of their arms.

They wheeled, fists flying up, hitting Joey's outstretched hand. Two syringes fell to the floor. The sisters stared at them, their brains swimming, their knees buckling.

"I'm sorry," Joey said.

Buffy and Dawn crashed to the floor.