They were well into the second hour of their stake-out when Teddy noticed something off. It was just a faint scent on a chance breeze, but it rang a bell in the back of his head. The trouble was, he couldn't place why it would be familiar and the breeze was gone when he tried to catch it again.

Teddy and his Auror partner, Hasan, were hoping to catch some smugglers who were supposedly meeting up here with one of their contacts. Teddy didn't think he had met any of the players in tonight's drama so he wasn't sure why he would be picking up familiar scents. Still, he scanned the supposed drop point, searching for any sign the smugglers had arrived.

It was easy enough to check the meeting spot itself, just a small clearing behind a cramped row of old houses. The tricky bit was checking the shrubbery along those houses and the thick line of trees where he and his partner hid. Both places had too many shadows where a wary smuggler could be hiding.

He glanced towards his partner, Hasan. Hasan straighted a little when Teddy looked at him, but merely had a questioning look, as if wondering what Teddy had noticed. Teddy shook his head and Hasan hunched back into the shadows of the old gardening shed.

Teddy couldn't bring up the scent he had noticed without telling Hasan he was a werewolf. It wasn't that he didn't trust Hasan, Teddy trusted Hasan with his life and that trust had been repaid several times over. However, being a werewolf was still social suicide, no matter how much progress the Wizarding World claimed. Teddy's werewolfism had to remain a secret if he wanted to remain an Auror. Teddy didn't want to put Hasan in the the unhappy position of worrying about risking his own job if he didn't tell and Teddy's job if he did tell. Teddy also wanted to believe that nothing would change between them if he shared his secret, but he had believed that before. He didn't want to ruin another relationship by exposing that he was a monster. He had too few friendships to risk it these days.

Luckily, this situation didn't require explaining any monster instincts. Teddy just signaled that he was going to check the perimeter. Hasan lazily signaled his acknowledgement, used to Teddy's antsiness on long stake-outs. It was still early evening and neither of them expected much yet.

Leaving their shelter of the gardening shed, Teddy crept along the trees lining the clearing. There was barely a rustle in the little wooded area, even from a nocturnal bird or rodent. Nothing seemed to be out of place. He would have been warned by the nocturnal creatures if someone had breached their haven. There were some upsides to being a werewolf, even in human form.

Still, that sense of unease hadn't gone away. The shrubbery closest to the houses was the most likely spot for someone to be hiding without Teddy noticing. In order to have gotten close enough for Teddy to smell them, the intruder would have had to come from the street and then used the tall shrubs as cover.

The only way for Teddy to get to that side is if he wanted to chance being spotted himself as he crossed the clearing. That was, if he wished to play it safe. Hasan always got on him about silenced apparitions in the field, but they had thoroughly scoped out this place yesterday and today. He remembered a nice little gap in the shrubs that would be perfect to apparate to. Besides, what Hasan didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Teddy looked again for that patch of bushes. The street lights filtered in through the alley enough that it would have made it clear if someone had been standing there . It was fairly safe to assume it was still empty. With a quick silencing charm cast at both his current and desired locations, Teddy apparated. His entrance barely rustled the brush around him and he didn't land on any unsuspecting smuggler. A good jump.

He was congratulating himself on this when he caught the smell again. Much stronger this time and setting off all sorts of scent memories that reminded him of home, or rather one of his homes. It was from someone he brushed shoulders with on a regular basis in the werewolf pack, he was pretty sure. It was so out of context that he was having a hard time narrowing it down beyond that in those few seconds he could smell it. He couldn't think who would match that description and also be one of the smugglers he was chasing.

He scanned the area around him. There was too much light filtering through from the alley and it killed his night vision. He squinted, trying to make out anything. There was a rustle to his right. He stilled, trying to locate the source. It came again. Barely there. It seemed to be coming from the house across they alley from him. There was no way he could cross to the smuggler without being lit up by the street lights.

He could either try to take out the smuggler himself or herd them towards Hasan. Hasan should hopefully be doubly alert for any trouble now that Teddy was away from his post. Then again, they really hadn't planned for anyone coming this early.

There was another rustle, this time accompanied with the slight wave of shrubbery near the alleyway. It was now or never. He just had to hope Hasan was paying attention and could reach them in time for whatever went down.

As Teddy carefully moved forward, the wind brushed against his cheek and then rustled the bushes in front of him with the gust. There was a very quiet curse from somewhere ahead of him. The brushes shifted much more noticably as the smuggler moved. It took him a surprised moment before he registered that they were moving towards him. Or, more accurately, towards the small alleyway between them to escape.

He prepared a shielding charm, casting it right at the edge of the alley. As he moved closer, he felt the impact as the smuggler bumped right into his shield. He glanced up and the alley's light was bright enough that he could make out a middle aged woman with dark hair. She tested his barrier quickly, muttered an oath and sprinted away from the alley and towards the clearing.

Looked like he was herding her towards Hasan, ready or not. Teddy cursed and pushed aside heavy boughs. After several wicked scratches, he was in the middle of the alley. Panting slightly, he scanned for the smuggler.

She was still in the clearing, but sprinting towards him. Hasan was behind her, gracefully palming his wand from it's holster as he ran. The smuggler was very close now, her face lit up with the streetlight coming through the alleyway. The weird familiar scent finally made sense.

It was Kamya.

For a moment he just stared at her in disbelief. He sort of knew her since she was in his werewolf pack and was the godmother to his ex-girlfriend. However, Kamya becoming a smuggler made no sense. As far as he knew, she had a respectable job as a potion-maker. Why was she caught up in any of this?

Beyond that, how could he bring her in without having both of his worlds collide in one of the worst ways imaginable ? If he tried to bring her in, Kamya might expose Teddy as a werewolf in retaliation. Anything he wanted to accomplish as an Auror would be gone just like that.

She drew nearer and he hesitated. He still hadn't made his mind by the time she was within reaching distance. He made a half-hearted grab. She easily avoided it and shoved past him. As she passed, the briefcase she held banged against his leg.

The briefcase. He'd grab the briefcase. Then they'd have the goods and he wouldn't have to worry about Kamya or the implications of arresting her. Teddy took off after her with Hasan right behind him.

"Stop, police!" Hasan yelled; it was a Muggle area and that was the easiest way to avoid mind-wiping anyone.

Not that it mattered, Kamya ignored them and continued to sprint down the alley.

"Get down," Hasan growled at Teddy. It was a warning that Hasan was going to throw a spell.

Teddy ducked to one side of the alley, giving Hasan enough room to cast. Then, just as Hasan said the spell, Teddy tripped forward.

Feeling like it was fate, he exaggerated the stumble to weave in front of Kamya once again. There was a flash of light.