And I'm back! This chapter is a filler, but needed to flesh out Elisa's character. That's how you know if a character I create is going to stick around. Anyway, I hope you all like this and will give it some love.

Our hero's are now in Portland and the next couple of chapters will focus on the events going on here. For now, it's the morning after all the drama and they are busy getting regrouping and figuring out next steps.

Full Disclosure: I've never been to Portland before and I'm guessing that there would be the bigger chain of hotels in the city. Also please remember that this is AU!

Profanity warning for this chapter, but that's about it. So, feel free to read on and see me at the bottom.

Portland OR

Holiday Inn

Elisa lay in bed listening to her iPod as her thoughts whirled around in her head. Things weren't not as it seemed.

During the night, she'd heard both Mrs. Oliver and Autumn moving around. She'd heard the quiet conversation with her husband but immediately tuned it out as soon as she realized how private the conversation was.

Then she'd heard Autumn cry out for Kyle; though her tone was muted, it was a desperate sound and she left the room right after that.

All this she'd seen from the comfort of her bed. Something was strange about these people; not a bad something, but something that was not normal.

"Good Morning, Elisa!" Kim said as she walked over and sat down on her bed. "Did you sleep ok?"

Elisa gave Kim a smile. It had been so long since she was woken up like this. With a mother figure gently waking her up. Her oldest brother had done so, but it was not the same.

"Yeah, it's just been a while since I slept in a room with other people."

Yeah, I guess it can be a little weird huh, I guess it's a pretty quiet house with just you and your brother isn't it. It can be a little noisy with three other people in the room. Maverick still hasn't learned to be quiet during the night."

"It's okay, it's kind of comforting. Usually I have my CD player with my ambience music on; knowing that I'm not alone in the room helps me sleep."

Kimberly gave her a motherly smile. "Oh sweetie, I wish you would have told me that. It's nothing to get a small CD player if you need it."

"It's ok, I had my iPod with me." She paused and looked down to see her iPod was dead. "Though I think the battery died during the night."

Kimberly smiled at her. "Well, the good thing is that you can charge it while we're at breakfast."

As if in direct response, her stomach growled loudly. Kimberly grinned at her and then pulled over her wheelchair and locked it in place. "Shall we get started?"

Her cheerful demeanor was contagious. Elisa was caught up right along with her as she got up and transferred to her seat. "First stop, the bathroom."

The Lobby

Katsume sat at the round table in the lobby of the hotel digging into his free continental breakfast.

To say things were awkward was an understatement. If he'd been an outsider, he's be totally confused. This morning, when he'd gotten the call that the room was clear and he could come in, he'd wasted no time getting his gear and getting back up to Trent's room to shower.

When he'd left the room, Trent had been on the phone talking to his lawyer and from the tone of his voice, he was out for blood. It still felt kind of weird to have an adult working to avenge him. For a second, he felt sorry for that asshole that was after him and the bitch who had humiliated in…but only for a moment, he was beyond ready to put all that ugliness of his past behind him. He really thought he had, until that bitch brought it up and threw it in his face.

He really hoped his foster father put them down like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth.

Paladin?"

Katsume looked up to see Kyle and Autumn standing at the table.

"Hey guys, are you all good now?"

Kyle grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that, dude. The panic attack came out of nowhere."

Katsume nodded. He'd known it was time to leave the moment he looked up to see Autumn straddling his mate. The soft groan that Kyle let loose was all the encouragement he needed. He left the room the moment that Kyle lifted his mate's shirt over her head.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that too. I didn't mean to let you witness any of that. The Dragon took over."

"Please don't worry about any of…that. I know how the fusion works. As long as you guys are okay and level, I'm happy to never bring this up again."

"Good deal." Kyle answered. "Anyway, how are you this morning? Yesterday massively sucked."

"I'm ok. Elisa and I discussed all of that and we're cool now. Really, I just want to move on from that and focus on what the next steps are. I'm safe and now I just want to focus on the fun."

"I like the sound of that." Kyle replied as his girlfriend leaned against him. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Aunt Kim is taking Elisa and I shopping. It's been a while and I wouldn't mind adding a few things to my wardrobe. Elisa needs a swimsuit and other girly things, so…she trailed off and winked at Katsume who smiled down into his hot chocolate.

"Yeah, I'm trying to be honorable. I could do without those visuals."

Kyle took a sip of his mug and then grinned. "Yeah, that's a moot point, I think. She just walked into the lobby.

Katsume looked up and found that his friend wasn't lying. Elisa was hobbling over to them on her crutches and she looked gorgeous!

Katsume got up from his seat as she approached. "Good morning, Milady."

Elisa grinned up at him. "Morning, Paladin. How are you?"

"Better now that you're here. Need some help getting breakfast?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. I'm really hoping for some waffles and I noticed they have the waffle iron set up…" She trailed off as Katsume grinned and gave a little bow.

"Your wish is my command."

When he walked off with her, Kyle grinned and pressed a kiss to his mate's hair. "Those two are adorable."

"So are you." Tommy said as he sat down in the next open seat. Tommy had his son strapped to his chest again and he was drinking coffee from a mug. "Are you good now?"

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, though I don't know if I can handle sleeping alone anymore. Last night was proof of that."

"I feel the same way, though I think the episode we had last night might have been triggered by more than just the showdown last night."

Kyle snorted. "I heard all that from our seat last night. I have a whole new respect for Aunt Kim. She destroyed that fussy lady."

Tommy huffed a laugh. "By the time we boarded the plane, my mate was way over everything and just ready to be left alone. Her self-control was frayed by the time we got into the van."

"Can she really tell the difference between a knock off and the real thing?" Autumn asked.

Easily." Kimberly said as she sat down next to her husband. "After all these years of being a mallrat, I know my name brands…not to mention that I have the real version in my closet at home, and the stitching on her purse was all wrong."

"You've got to teach me that." Autumn answered. "I want to start upgrading my wardrobe and…" She trailed off looking over her uncle's shoulder. "You've got to be kidding me."

Tommy turned around to see an older teenager stirring up trouble while trying to intimidate Katsume who stood protectively in front of Elisa. While the offender was doing his best to intimidate him, Paladin's body language was bold and unworried.

Like a knight.

When the bully walked away, swearing under his breath, Katsume relaxed and then went back to the waffle iron and pulled out the waffle. He grinned at his girlfriend and then asked her about syrup gesturing to the white non descript jugs.

Kyle relaxed and then smiled. "Yeah, he's good."

"Was there any doubt?" Katsume asked as he walked up with Elisa. He paused as his girlfriend sat down at the table and then put her plate infront of her.

"What was that all about?" Autumn asked.

The Asian teen shrugged. "Guess he was really hungry and we were taking too long for his liking. He tried to push us out of the way…I've never been called Bok Choy before, but I told him that ladies come first and that he had so much padding on him that he could wait another minute to get his food."

Kyle snorted. "You should probably watch your back, just incase."

"I'm not worried, Pyre. After everything that's happened in the last 30 hours, I'm feeling invincible. What can that moron do that hasn't already been done to me?"

"Nothing." Autumn affirmed. "You've got us watching your back."

Tommy grinned at his wife at the show of solidarity. Of all the things they'd passed along to the teens, working as a team was something they were happy to witness.

"Good to know." Trent said as he walked up. He took the last place at the table looking like a man with a plan.

"Nice that you could join us. You've been holed up in that room for some time." Tommy noted.

"Yeah, well someone has to plan our next move while you all were playing around." He said as he sat down with a cup of coffee and a muffin. "Dad and I have been strategizing and booking the next hotel. He was also able to find a wheelchair accessible van for you guys to use today."

"Wow, thanks Trent." Kim replied. "What else did you come up with?"

Trent smiled at her and replied. "While you ladies are out shopping, Katsume and I have a meeting with my father and the lawyer. The both of them are flying in today and we're meeting them for lunch and then he's driving us to our new hotel for the meeting."

"That was fast." Katsume commented.

Trent nodded. "I'm ending this mess so that we can all get on with our lives. I'll be your adoptive dad soon and part of that job is to keep you safe. You've been through enough and I'd really like to end this before it turns into the end of every dramatic movie where the victim sacrifices themselves just to keep the others safe."

Saying this he leveled his gaze at Katsume. "You're not allowed to do that. Right now, your job is to be a teenager, hang out with your crew, stuff your face on junk food and leave the dirty work to the adults."

"And if he comes after me?" Katsume asked biting his lip.

"Why do you think we brought you all the way out here?" Trent asked his son. "This is a safe place to be right now and I expect you guys to be having fun and not worrying about what that donut muncher is up to. We've got loads of backup that he doesn't know about. He tries anything, he'll be a bug flying into my web."

Katsume nodded and then got back to eating.

Elisa looked between them as she ate. The day before, Trent had been the caring responsible adult and was making every accommodation she needed and he checked on her more than once after boarding the plane, but now there was untold power radiating from him. It wasn't scaring her, and she felt even safer with him around. There was something extra about all of them really, but she wasn't sure what it was. Her boyfriend was the only one that didn't seem to have something extra special about him. Well, aside from being gorgeous and sweet and completely into her; it was something she'd never thought she'd find…

"So, did your dad mention where the new hotel was?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, sorry." Trent said "It's the Monaco suites. Dad's made arrangements already and there will be no questions asked beyond whether we need more towels and blankets. There are a few art museums nearby along with good restaurants and a shopping mall. We've already called ahead, and they'll have an accessible room ready by the time we get there. It's close to everything, including the Oregon zoo. You guys will never run out of things to do."

Tommy nodded. "Were you able to secure a wheelchair van?"

Trent nodded. "Yep, I got that along with an SUV for myself. Both should be here in time for our checkout."

~M~

Elisa sat in the shower washing her hair. Kim was nearby should she need assistance. She'd never used an accessible shower it was liberating. It had a built-in seat and grab bars and everything she hoped for. Her brothers had done everything to make their house accessible for her, but that was nothing compared to what this hotel had to offer!

"Hey, you're pretty quiet in there!" Miss Kim called. "You okay?"

Elisa was snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah, just enjoying the shower. This is the fanciest bathroom I've ever been in!"

"Oh, well what kind of bathroom do you have at home?" Kim answered as she stood next to the sink.

After our parents died, my brothers gave me the master bedroom and bathroom so that all my equipment would fit. I have a regular bathtub and shower with a shower chair and Hayden installed grab bars before he left for boot camp. But I've grown a lot since then and they need to be adjusted; sadly, Bradley isn't much of a handy man. This shower is awesome, and I wish I had something this fancy back home. Not having to step in and out of the tub every time would save me some falls."

"How often have you fallen?"

"Not all the bruises I have are from Jezebel and her minions."

"Well, I think your chances of getting hurt just went down a bit. You won't have to worry about bullies with us around.

That brought back her former chain of thought. Standing just outside the curtain was Kimberly, also referred to as the Pink Death Warrior. She'd caught the look of warning that the adult gave to Miranda at the name. There was a just something different about her guardian.

"Not that you need our protection, Paladin's already doing a good job of that."

She couldn't have stopped the grin if she'd tried.

When the shower was done, she used the grab bars to stand up and grabbed the towel that was hanging just outside the shower curtain and began to dry herself off.

Kim had already left the bathroom when she pulled the curtain back and the young lady smiled seeing that her wheelchair was already there within easy distance along with her basic underthings. Once decent, Elisa rolled herself into the room and found Kimberly was sitting on her bed looking through the newspaper.

She didn't say much as Elisa pulled on her day clothes, but when she reached for her hairbrush Kim put the inserts down.

"So, what are we shopping for at the mall today? Is there anything you need besides a swimsuit?"

"I'd like to get some kind of coverup, to go over my suit."

Kimberly nodded. "So, are we going with a one piece or a two piece?"

"I'm not ready for a bikini yet. The last time I wore one, things didn't turn out well."

Kimberly put down her newspaper, "Oh, care to tell me about it?"

Elisa went quiet, unsure of how much to tell.

"Did someone hurt you?" Kimberly prodded.

The teenager had no idea how it happened. Maybe it was the motherly tone of voice or the way Kimberly seemed to care about her. But the story just flowed out of her and into the security of the room.

"You weren't there for it, but the day Katsume got in trouble…it was because of me."

Sometime later…

When Autumn walked into the room, she saw Kimberly hugging Elisa. She stepped back by the door and let the moment play out.

"I know you're there, Wyvern." Kimberly's soft voice called out to her.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Kim. The guys are getting restless…especially, Uncle Tommy. He asked me to come in here and check on you guys."

Elisa pulled back and used the tissue to dab at her eyes. "Thanks, Kim. I feel better now. Though I still don't think I'm ready for a two piece."

Kimberly smiled at her. "That's okay. It's your choice, though if you want to get one of each, that's okay too. I just checked the inserts, and there are end of season sales going on all over the mall for swimsuits. We can hit them all up if you want."

"I'd like that." Elisa said with a small smile.

"Then it's settled." Kim said with a voice of she looked up at Autumn, she added, "And you can let my sweet husband know that I'm fine. We'll be out in a few minutes."

Autumn smirked and muttered, 'Mates' under her breath and Kimberly winked at her.

Ok, now she was sure of it. She looked between Kimberly and Autumn. There was something different with these people.

"Elisa?" Kimberly asked in a softer voice. "You okay?"

Elisa bit her lip and then decided to go for it. "I know there's something secret about you guys. I won't pry into your secret lives or ask for private details, but I think you shouldn't have to keep up the act around me."

Kim sighed. "We'll have to talk more about this later, but for now, we need to keep up the act."

"Are you going to mind wipe me or something?" Elisa asked looking worried.

Kim sighed and shook her head. "I'd be more worried if the oath I took was still intact. Our power is our own, but still, for now, we need you to keep this secret.

"You won't mind wipe me, will you?" she asked again.

Autumn shook her head. "No, we don't have that technology yet, but we're all better off if no one knows what we are or the fact that Kyle and I are mated either. It would be disrupting our lives and there is way too much drama going on right now."

Elisa put up her hands. "I swear I won't blab, I just hate it when people feel the need to pretend for my benefit. I feel safer knowing that you guys are superheroes."

"Well, we're going to have to pretend anyway, at least as far as the outsiders go. Your brothers can't even know."

My lips are sealed. "We never talked about any of this."

Kim nodded. "Thank you, Elisa. Now let's finish getting you ready. It's almost time to check out of here."

The lobby

Checkout time

When Katsume came down, he'd changed from his usual hoodie and distressed jeans to a white button-down shirt, dark jeans, along with his dog tag and his hair looked so soft that she immediately wanted to reach out and touch it.

"Wow, you look awesome." She commented softly.

"Isn't that my line?" Katsume joked.

Elisa chuckled. "Sorry about that."

"You look even better; I'm going to be thinking of you all day."

When Katsume pressed a kiss to Elisa's forehead, Trent had to fight against the urge to roll his eyes at the open display of affection. When it was over, he took a deep breath and then made his presence known.

"Hey, we better get out of here. My father should be at the restaurant soon and he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Katsume pressed a kiss to Elisa's hand. "'Till tonight, Milady."

"I miss you already."

When they were gone, Tommy shook his head. He didn't miss much, and he tell just how uncomfortable his former student was at all the love being displayed. If he would just let go of what happened, he might find someone even better!

But alas, it wasn't his place. So, he turned to the crew and pressed his hands together. "So, shall we get going?"

Yeah, we all know that Elisa would eventually figure out what was going on. She's a very observant young lady.

Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying this fic as much as I am! What do you guys think will happen next? I'd love to hear your theories!

Please leave reviews and I'll see you guys next chapter!