The Ties That Bind

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Maxim stopped his inspection for a moment to turn and make a show of bowing to her with a little flourish of his free hand, Amethyst wriggling and huffing in a way that suggested she would have been laughing in her human form as it dipped her almost upside down. "I wouldn't think of being anything less." He said, with a little wink to Amethyst for good measure as he stood back up, and gave her belly a little tickle as he moved to leave the room.

"I'd like to wait until Mercer gets back to me," he said with a shrug as he walked back out to the living room to look around the things stored in the apartment and wondering if it would be best to just move it all to the second bedroom. But for now it was fine for her to use his living room as her own. "At least then we might have a better idea of where is the best place to go. But we can go and look today, if you'd like. No use putting it off."

Any day would be dangerous, and she would be by his side anyway. He would watch out for her.
 
She blinked in surprise at his sudden turn, his over the top bow combined with Amethysts clear amusement, made her laugh softly.

Though it seemed so out of place, or at least unexpected, with his more stoic personality, she enjoyed his sense of humour and this more goofy side of him.

"Very good then Sir, I shall hold you too it." She intoned in a very haughty princess voice, playfully continuing the joke as she followed them out into the living room.

"Whenever you think is best." She shrugged a little, anytime would be dangerous so she was fine deferring to his judgement for now.
 
The playfulness, for the most part, was for the little wolf held in his arms, but Maxim was not immune to joking around in daily life. Having three children around of varying ages meant he also needed to know how to play - and besides, it helped to disarm people to know when it was time to crack a smile.

Amethyst was all too amused by the ruse between them, tail thumping happily against Maxim's chest as he toted her around. Getting the adults to play was the funnest game, after all.

"Shouldn't be much longer now." Maxim said with a shrug, finally moving to leave the room. "Let me drop the pup at daycare and we can make up an actual list of things to get." Amethyst gave a disappointed whine, but didn't try to struggle. While her father was working, it was best to hand her off to Simon and Aether for babysitting.
 
She smiled a little at Amethysts delight in their playing, even her disappointment was a little cute, she really was a sweet kid. "We'll have to play together again sometime."

She said to her brightly, she'd have been happy to babysit, though she didn't expect that to ever happen. Still some of her best memories as a child were taking care of the youngest kids, teaching them things or coming up with stories and games to entertain them.

"Guess we'll need a pen and paper." She seemed a little annoyed not to have her phone, since she could have just used that, but not overly so.
 
Amethyst wagged her tail a little harder at Madeline's tone, giving her an enthused yap even as Maxim carried her away. Simon and Aether were willing enough to take care of her while Oscar was working, so one she was in their care the alpha wolf was free to go back to Madeline and lead her to his own apartment.

"What a travesty," he said dryly, raising an eyebrow slightly at her with some mild amusement as he went to get a notepad and pen that were both stuck to the fridge with magnets. "Some people prefer writing things on paper, you know. Let's start with bathroom necessities - towels, rug, hand soap, whatever body soap, shampoo, conditioner you use. What else? Razors, tweezers, fingernail clippers, whatever you can think of. I'm sure you don't want to have to keep coming here and asking for things."

Once they had a decent list, it would likely be enough time for Mercer to have found out at least something about what the current hazard level was.
 
She followed him into his apartment, she didn't want to seem nosey or rude but she couldn't help glancing around with curious interest.

"Ah yes, i'd forgotten I was speaking to a dinosaur." She teased lightly, as she watched him begin to write everything she needed down.

She listed off everything she could think of that she'd need, the specfics brands and fragrances that she preferred. None of them were very expensive, she was used to living frugally and she didn't treat herself as often as she should.
 
"Spoken like a woman who's never been hacked," Maxim responded wryly, but with a slight smile. Truthfully, he was more worried about entering a note into his phone and then forgetting it was there immediately. It was easier to remember things that were solid, physical items. If that made him a dinosaur, that was all right.

Once they had gone through everything that they needed for the bathroom and a few things for the bedroom as well, Maxim left the notepad to Madeline so she could think of anything else she needed and dialed Mercer to check in, after a moment of quiet conversation simply setting his phone down on the counter where they had been writing.

"You're on speaker." He warned. "Give us the short version."

"Short version is I'd stick to the rich part of town if I were you," the other agent said, with a bit of wry humor in his voice but a note of concern as well. He knew Maxim knew what he was doing. "Bounty's high, and probably getting pushed more with word of mouth than we can anticipate. I'll do what I can to track the source, shut down anything I can, but it's best to keep a low profile."

"Noted. Thanks for the update."

"No ones mentioned you yet, agent," Mercer pressed on before he could hang up. "Next time you get jumped, you should put them in the hospital."

Maxim gave a soft huff of annoyance, both because it was a distasteful idea and because he knew it was a decent strategy for deterring further attempts anyway. "I'll take that under advisement. Keep me informed."
 
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She shrugged a little, her amused smile still lingering. It's not that she was against writing things down, on the contrary, she found it very useful and often preferable.

Still she wouldn't miss the chance to playfully joke with him, she guessed she was just missing the convenience of her phone in general.

She glanced over the list to check for any missing items, but she was really just listening to Maxims conversation. She didn't consider it eavesdropping, he had stayed in earshot after all, and she was curious what he had found out.

Though she'd known the bounty would be high, hearing it confirmed was different, it made it feel more real. "Well, I knew it was going to be high, but still, not good."
 
Maxim shook his head as he ended the call, a small frown on his face but not very surprised. "He's trying to make an example of you." He said, sending Mercer a quick text and pocketing his phone. "It's not good, but I can't say it's unexpected. We'll just adjust plans accordingly."

Like Mercer had said, they would stick to richer parts of town where those who were likely to be drawn in by the bounty would be few and far between, and they would keep an eye out. She could come with him on smaller, out of town cases, or they could have extra backup or leave her at home if he needed to be somewhere that was risky. A change in strategy was all the news was.

"Let's not waste time then." He said after a pause, ripping off the shopping list and folding it neatly to put in his pocket. "Might as well go before word spreads further. I'm sure you'd like to pick out most of this yourself." He could send someone else to buy things, if they needed anything later, but he was relatively certain she didn't want anyone picking out her underwear for her.
 
She nodded a little in agreement, "he is but it's more than that." "He hates losing control, so being betrayed by someone he considers like property, completely under his thumb, is probably pissing him off."

Despite the danger involved, she was glad he was pissed. It was satisfying to know how angry he must be that she'd eluded him, even for such a short time.

She was surprised he wanted to go so soon, but she had no objection. She was a little hesitant to leave her stuff behind, but she'd shut both doors and surely it was safer here.

She didn't think anyone here would steal anything, it's just that her things were precious to her so she was a little paranoid about losing them. "Alright, well I'm ready when you are then."
 
"It doesn't surprise me that he's a narcissistic control freak." Maxim said with a shake of his head, having assumed as much. Men with as much power over people as Farkas liked to exert didn't give it up very easily. "But hopefully the angrier he gets, the more likely he'll be to slip up."

Eventually, he thought, it probably wouldn't matter even if he did. If they were pushed far enough into a corner, the HED would give up on normal justice and form a black ops mission instead. If Farkas couldn't be arrested, he would be assassinated.

"Let's get going," he confirmed with a nod, walking to the door of his apartment without so much as closing it behind them. "In daylight, in the more upper class parts of town, we'll be less likely to encounter trouble. We can grab lunch on the way home."
 
"Hopefully." She agreed, "though he can be pretty dangerous when he's pissed." She didn't sound afraid or even worried though, in fact she sounded almost glad.

As she followed him outside, she noticed the way he left his door open. Granted it was also Simons place, but still he was clearly very confident about leaving his things, she envied that a little.

"Sounds good to me." Though she was still feeling uncomfortable about being indebted to him, even more than she already was, she was looking forward to getting some more clothes.
 
Farkas was dangerous whether he was furious or not, Maxim thought, but let the matter drop. It wasn't something either of them needed reminders of, he was sure.

As they walked out of the building, he locked the main entry door behind them and led the way back to the car, his concern for the safety of his pack but not for his possessions. Whatever he had to share was obvious to them, and if they took anything that he didn't want them to have they would discuss it later on. As she wasn't truly part of their small community and the way they shared, Madeline's things would be safe from the other residents.

"If we've missed anything, don't be afraid to add to the list," he instructed as he started the car. "Anything you might use on a regular basis. The kitchen isn't exactly functional right now, but you can walk across and use mine whenever you need to."
 
She followed him out to the car, keeping her eyes peeled as she settled into the car. She thought she was pretty safe here, but it would be foolish to let her guard down.

She laughed a little, "sounds like I should just move in with you guys." She joked, referring to just how much he'd offered to let her use at his place.

"Seriously though, thanks." She said softly, her expression growing serious. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me." She seemed to be feeling a bit awkward, but it was clear she was sincere.
 
Maxim gave a soft chuckle at her joke, shaking his head at the idea. "I don't think Simon would give up his bed, sorry," he shot back. If there hadn't been another room to occupy Simon would honestly likely have given up his own bedroom and slept in Aether's spare room, but that was neither here nor there.

As her tone grew more serious he only gave her a small smile, softer at the edges. "You deserve a second chance," he said gently, thinking of just how many people he had told the same thing. It was how most of his pack had come to be his. He tried not to let himself think that it might be how she became part of it too. "I know a lot has happened at once and none of it is ideal, but I promise you you're not alone."

She wasn't perfect, but no one was. She wasn't even the first to come to him as a criminal. For now, if she would let him, it was all right to just breathe and let him watch over her for a while.
 
She hadn't actually been serious about it, even if she had she never would have displaced Simon from his own space. Though it did make her curious as to why Simon shared with him in the first place.

With how close they seemed to be, she assumed he would live with Aether instead, but she supposed there were a lot of reasons and it didn't matter anyway, it wasn't her business.

She returned his smile with a small one of her own, it was a little hesitant but genuine. "That's a bit scary if I'm being honest." She said it in a light, sort of joking way, but it was clear she meant it.
 
"To not be alone?" Maxim asked carefully, glancing over at her when he could manage a moment to look away from his mirrors or the road, keeping an eye out behind and in front of them as they went while also listening to her. "I suppose I could make a few guesses as to why. Unless you feel like telling me."

It was a gentle offer, and one that could be refused, but he had already told her none of his pack would harm her. Her fear of others had less to do with who they were, he was sure, and more to do with how she had lived until this moment. If she had been as solitary as he thought she had, with no family or pack equivalent to rely on, it was more likely she was afraid of being abandoned, but he had no intention of leaving her on her own. He'd gotten her swept into a more tangled web even than the one she had been in before. His own sense of honor and decency wouldn't let him stop until he'd also gotten her out of it.
 
She crossed her arms, shrugging a little as she turned her head to look out the window. "I'm sure you could probably guess, I mean your whole job is reading people and getting information."

"It's hard to explain, before I was caught up with Farkas, I was alone for a long time." Her soft voice never changed, no emotion coloured her tone.

"People left, through betrayal or worse." "And it was easier, safer to just be alone, to keep everyone at arms length you know?" She smiled a little, "Doc was my undoing really, he was stubborn, wormed his way in."

Her smile faded as she sighed a little, "so I was an easy target for Alex, and look where that got me."
 
"I could guess," Maxim said with a small shrug, glancing briefly at her before letting her have her solitude, "but it's good to say it out loud."

It was better hearing the reasons he was already assuming confirmed aloud, and it was better for her to be able to tell herself she'd said it. It was much like he had expected, though the idea that Jackson had softened her resolve to stay alone and made her vulnerable to Farkas' crew also lent some insight into the old alpha. Perhaps he felt guilty for how she'd ended up, if he knew at all how she felt.

"It was Alex, then?" He prodded gently, not a detective questing for criminal details but just a person, trying to find the truth to someone else's pain. "If he was the reason you got tangled with Farkas' crew, I can't say I understand how you think of him fondly." She'd wanted to protect the man, after all. If he was the reason she'd become part of something so dangerous, it made more sense to let him sink or swim on his own.

"I can understand how you feel in some ways," he pressed on, allowing her the freedom not to answer if she didn't feel like it. "And I know my word won't hold much weight, but I'll say it anyway. As far as it depends upon me, I'll do everything I can to help you." He couldn't promise some day the HED would cancel the investigation instead of continuing, and he would have less means to protect her, but in that moment and as far as he could see into the future, he would keep her safe like she was one of his own pack.
 
She could understand his confusion, it didn't make much sense, not even to her. "I don't know eiether, I mean I do and I don't." "I thought of him as a friend before I found everything out, so I guess I still think of him that way a little."

"He really was my friend at first, it was only after he told Farkas about me that things changed." She sighed softly, "he didn't want to bring me into it, but he wouldn't go against Farkas."

"Even after it all came out, and i found out what he'd done, he still tried to help me when he could." It didn't justify anything, but it did explain why she still felt some confused form of loyalty towards him.

"I guess I feel sorry for him." She admitted quietly, "he's been messed up and bound by family." "I know what that's like." Her expression darkening a little, her gaze still firmly fixed outside.

She glanced at him for a moment, "I really do wish I could say I believe you, but I can't." "Not yet anyway, but still, thank you for saying so."
 
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