Transformation

[Acorn]

Leon held her in the darkness of his old room, only a sliver of light coming from beneath the closed door. As his eyes slowly adjusted, he could make out the shelves on the far wall and for a disorienting moment he saw his room as it'd been before he'd moved out — before his grandmother had converted it into a place for all the crafts she used as a means to keep her hands and mind busy.

His high school baseball trophies had been lined up on the uppermost shelf (he'd wanted to play football like his friends, but his grandmother had flatly refused, citing potential brain injury as her main concern, and she hadn't been swayed when he'd pointed out that he could take a baseball to the face, too). The next shelf had contained all the hardback books they'd read together before bed when he'd been little; all adventures, usually with a pirate or some other quick-witted and sharp-tongued figure as the protagonist. And beneath that, on the final shelf, he'd kept his notebooks that he'd doodled and sketched in, along with an assortment of framed pictures of him and his grandmother, and the one photo he had of his mother during her quinceañara.

He hadn't had any inkling what the future held for him, and he wondered what the teenage version of himself would've thought of him now, returning home after his own adventure that'd started the full moon he'd gone camping with his friends. He probably would've thought the whole werewolf thing was kickass, that Rita was hot, and that he was doing a shitty job at making her feel better. Though crude and lacking the sophistication and nuance he'd gained in adulthood, teenage him wouldn't be wrong — especially when it came to how well he was doing at consoling her. Leon was silent after she explained her nightmares and why she hadn't been sleeping, feeling the weight of her every word and the pain and guilt contained within but unsure what to say.

As he thought, the only sound in the room were her sniffles and the rustling his hand made as he rubbed a circle against the fabric of her borrowed shirt, just between her shoulder blades.

She'd been forced to see Chase's death, and though he was there, holding and doing his best to support her, she'd been made to see him suffer, too, so he could understand why her brain had made the leap it had. He understood now that she was afraid of losing him the way she'd lost Chase, and it sent cold tendrils of unease into his chest. He couldn't reassure her that things would end any differently for him without lying. He couldn't tell her he'd be safe always, that he'd be guaranteed to survive the life they led; it was unreasonable to think they'd seen the last of Jenny and Lorelei, and he didn't imagine anything but violence would come of their next encounter. And he understood why she saw both of them in her nightmares, and why she spoke of it with guilt thick in her voice.

"I don't know," he said, finally breaking his silence, "but I know it's okay you see both of us. I know you don't have to stop caring for him to care for me, too."

 

[Meraki]

"I don't know either," Rita breathed out and that killed her.

It was his next few words that really held in her head. It's okay you see both of us.

You don't have to stop caring for him to care for me, too.

She looked up at him with wide green eyes, tears still stained her cheeks but she just took a moment to look at him. Really look at him. Even in the darkness there was a gentle curve to his features, a strong jaw and kind eyes. More than anything, it felt right. She couldn't explain it, but when Leon was there it was like the rest of the world just faded away into obscurity. She didn't care about Lorelei or Jenny, the facility or the city. She just wanted him – she wanted him to be okay, to live a long and healthy life, to be able to love and be loved – he deserved that more than anything.

He didn't have to care for her – it would be easier not to, but he chose her.

After everything, he chose her.

The concept of love terrified her because she was scared to lose it again. It was an ever-present fear that burned in her heart, making it impossible to breathe some days. She could love Leon, maybe she did love Leon, because that meant she could not imagine her life without him. It felt like cheating to love him when she still loved Chase, but she couldn't say for certain she would ever forget Chase. It would get easier, so hoped, but the fact that Leon was willing to give her all of him despite her ties to Chase meant everything. She didn't have to push it all down and let it fester until nightmares began to destroy her life. She had to be honest with Leon, open, but it was difficult when she didn't want to put her own sufferings on him.

But he had come up here and gathered her in his arms, and he wanted to be a part of it. He never ran from her, never abandoned her when she needed him most. It was time she started trusting him and stopped carrying the weight of the world alone. It was funny how Lorelei thought trauma and torture would tear them a part at the seams, but it only made them stronger.

"I'm just scared," she admitted, "All I want is to be the woman I was before Chase died. I want to be sure and strong like I was, because that's what you deserve, Leon. But he keeps coming back when I close my eyes and every time I forget a little more of his face or I can't remember the sound of his voice and I panic, because I should remember. What kind of person does that make me?"

 

[Acorn]

"Who're you to say what I deserve? I happen to really like who you are now," he said, an eyebrow raised and a touch of a smile pulling at his mouth. "Maybe you're not who you were, but it's alright to be different than you used to be. You can't expect to go through what you did and not come out different."

The way he saw it, there were two major stopping points on her timeline now: Chase, and everything before Chase, then him, and all that had happened after. Everything Rita had experienced prior to Chase had shaped her into the woman she was then, and everything after that — after Chase had died and she'd joined the Enforcers to make some sense of the world without him in it, had shaped the woman he'd come to know and love.

"I've never lost anyone like you have," Leon continued, "but I know that when you're away from someone long enough, you start to forget things."

He was thinking about his grandmother, how he'd gone three years without seeing her. The comparison wasn't a fair one because he'd still been able to talk to her on the phone, so he'd never forgotten her voice, but as time had gone on, he'd started to forget little things: how her crow's feet crinkled when she laughed, the way she'd sit with her hands clasped in front of her, what the house smelled like before the holidays when she went into a tamale making spree. All that had swarmed back to him as soon as he'd been caught up in a hug shortly after they'd arrived, but what happened when you couldn't be reminded anymore?

What happened when they were truly gone?

"I don't think I could ever forget my grandma," he decided. "Maybe I'd forget the little things, but all the big stuff? How much I love her and how much she loves me? I don't think I could ever forget that."

He squeezed Rita and leaned down to kiss her cheek, but ended up bumping his head against hers as he oriented himself with where her face was in the dark. His lips finally brushed her forehead and he sat back up, smiling. "And this. Holding you. I'd never forget that. Stupid as it might sound, I'd think about that time we were on the rooftop when I needed to shift. You know, when the sky was clear so you could see the stars, and it was warm. I'd think about holding you and it made it easier to come back."

 

[Meraki]

In that moment, Rita felt inexplicably whole.

It was a bit foreign, but it washed over her in a wave. After Chase died, she remembered sitting in her apartment alone that first night. She sat in his flannel shirt and felt so empty, like everything had just been drained from her. It was a few nights after – once his family was informed and her family had left – but the sadness of those few days turned into the most painful void. She ached with emptiness and in that moment, she swore it would always feel like that. She swore that she would never be able to live another day with a smile on her face.

But time changed people and she learned to live without. She still hurt, very much so, but it wasn't about being empty. No, she was still alive and she knew that Chase would be so upset if he saw her in that moment. She had the chance to find love and happiness again. That's all Chase ever wanted for her – he moved heaven and earth to make it happen somedays, but she knew he would want it still. As difficult as that was to process, Rita knew Leon was right. It was okay for her to feel for both.

How could she not?

Leon's head against her own coaxed a yawn from her. She was so tired, but she was still listening with every ounce of her being. He was right – he would never forget is grandmother and she would never forget Chase, but that didn't mean they couldn't find their own lives…or build one together. That thought made Rita's skin prickle with goosebumps. "I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there that night," Rita admitted as he expressed how important being with her was to him, "I'm just glad you find a way to always come back to me. I don't ever want to have to live a life without you in it. Not anymore."

He had become so important to her, but she knew that he understood. She didn't have the words but he was always so good at seeing through her. She tilted her head up to capture his lips in a kiss, slow and careful in the darkness. The sheer exhaustion of the last few days weighed on her almost painfully and her eyes began to blink slower and slower until she was nearly nodding off. "If I sleep," she said quietly, her eyes adjusting to find his in the dark, "will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone anymore."

 

[Acorn]

If he'd been standing, he would've staggered under the weight of her words. She didn't want to live a life without him in it. He'd hoped she felt that way, had started to suspect she might with all her talk about not wanting him to die. But as nice as it was to know she wanted him alive, now she was telling him she wanted him alive and with her. He'd told his grandmother in a panic that they were together, and it'd felt like they were together in most ways; they'd lived together, slept together, worked together, survived and fled from the facility together. Still, there was something powerfully reassuring to be told that Rita didn't want to be without him. And she'd used the word ever, hadn't she? She didn't ever want to live a life without him in it.

He was grinning stupidly, still wrapping his head around the concept, when Rita angled to kiss him and he struggled to tame his smile long enough to meet her with lips and not his teeth. He caught the side of her face in his hand, his smile turning soft as he looked at her. "I'm not going anywhere," said Leon. Her eyes were staying closed longer and longer between blinks, and she was leaning against him more heavily now; if she didn't fall back to sleep he'd be shocked — whether she stayed asleep was another story, but after their talk, maybe she'd have an easier time of it.

Leon scooted and eased himself back onto the bed, guiding her with him, and only pulled apart from her long enough to divest himself of his shirt and pants and toss and kick them off onto the floor. The mattress squeaked with every movement and he cursed under his breath at it. When he returned to Rita, he rolled onto his side and curled around her, pulling her into a spooning position.

It was on the tip of his tongue — I love you, and the anticipation of actually saying it to her sent a thrill through him, but she snuggled into him and her breathing slowed, and when he leaned up just enough to see her face, her eyes were closed and her expression peaceful. He chuckled and kissed her shoulder before his head went back to his pillow.

Some other time, then.

~*~​

The next morning, they woke to the smells of breakfast being cooked, with bacon and freshly brewed coffee the centerpiece and eggs and roasted potatoes there to complete the spread. Leon had been baffled why his grandmother had kept things so well-stocked for just one person, but she laughed and pointed out that with how late they'd slept in, she'd had ample time to visit the grocery store.

Since they'd been on the run, driving late and getting up at first light to hit the road again, sleep had been lacking. Rita, especially, had needed to replenish her sleep stores, and he was glad to see her looking refreshed again. The only problem with sleeping in was the knowing look his grandmother kept sending his way, an eyebrow arched and an occasional puckering of her mouth. He didn't even try to explain that all the squeaking she'd heard had just been him trying to get undressed after already getting in bed and then periodically moving to situate himself on a mattress that his feet hung off of if he didn't angle himself correctly. Any objections he made would only give Maria ammunition, so he remained silent on the matter and ate multiple helpings of bacon while meeting her knowing looks with his own raised eyebrows.

To his surprise, she shooed them out of the house after breakfast, instructing Leon take her to see the sights.

What sights? There was the river, where Border Patrol would jump on the chance to interrogate them (or him, at least), and he'd had his fill of that at the facility. He supposed there was a museum they could visit, a little affair that focused on local history. He had to stifle a yawn just thinking about it. It wasn't until they got to her car that he finally thought of a place, and they arrived just as it was opening.

Val Verde Winery: Texas' Oldest read the sign — it was history he could drink, and that made it more palatable.

Rita and Leon were the first customers and were treated to a full tasting at a cost of five dollars each that ended up being refunded when the owner recognized that Leon had worked there a few years back. He'd taken a job there right out of high school, initially working the register, but had eventually moved on to running tours and offering tastings. Between that and his time working at an upscale restaurant in the city the facility was in, he'd acquired an extensive knowledge of all things fermented grapes.

They left with a full box of wine that'd been heavily discounted, else he would've left empty-handed. They didn't have limitless resources, and they definitely shouldn't be spending it all on wine, regardless of how good he knew it was.

When lunchtime rolled around, he drove to a small local franchise and got a couple sandwiches to go, then took her to the park he'd spent the most time as a kid and they'd eaten at a picnic table overlooking a pond, with a single goose that gave him stink eye when he refused to share his food. Occasionally, it struck him how fucking normal it felt to have her there with him, like he wasn't a werewolf and she wasn't an ex-Enforcer on the run. They were just a couple out enjoying the clear weather and each other's company.

To wrap up their day of absolute normalcy, he took her to one of the more popular restaurants in the area. They pulled into the parking lot just as they sky was turning dark, and as soon as a building with a stone facade and a clay tile roof came into view, Leon glanced at her, grinning.

They'd arrived at the best Del Rio had to offer in fine Italian dining: Olive Garden.

"Don't judge me, alright? There weren't any of these in the city proper, and I really want some breadsticks."

 

[Meraki]

It was still a shallow sleep, but Rita slept better than she had in days that night. Nightmares didn't plague her every thought and she was able to get a few hours of sleep before they were peeled out of bed for breakfast. It had been so long since Rita had a home cooked breakfast and she ate unapologetically. It felt so good to have something in her stomach that wasn't fast food and it reminded her of home, a bit. Her mother used to make spreads on the mornings she didn't have track meets to try and keep some curves on her body. Rita didn't even care the reason, she just liked sitting out on the back porch on warm southern mornings with some eggs and bacon.

The rest of their day was pretty simple, but it was more than satisfying to feel like normal people for the first time in what felt like forever. They drove around and visited a winery, got some discounted wine and ate dinner at the park. It was almost surreal the way they fell into the normalcy of it all. It didn't feel foreign, it felt natural, and she wondered when her life had gone from mundane things like going to the park to chasing werewolves and witches. She knew more of the world now, but she still missed little moments like this.

Just her and Leon, sitting by the edge of a pond in the summer sun.

It was only when they pulled into Olive Garden did Rita let out a bright laugh. The two climbed out of the car and she took his hand in hers, "I haven't been to an Olive Garden in years, but I can still imagine their breadsticks. They're definitely worth a pit stop.

It was a pretty busy night, but she imagined that there wasn't much else to do at night in Del Rio. The two found a little booth and scooted in before ordering from their timid, redheaded waitress. She was a precious little thing with a meek voice, but with a smile from Rita she managed to head back to put their orders in. They were, however, up to their necks in breadsticks, so the food could take forever for all she cared. "It's a lot smaller than I expected," Rita smiled, "this town, I mean. I guess when I think of Texas I think of big, bustling places – but it's just a lot of land. Pretty land, but more than I expected."

"At least y'all have an Olive Garden, though," she laughed, "I used to have to drive into the city for any restaurant that wasn't a little beachfront seafood or burger place. We—"

"Come on sweetheart, don't be like that."

The words sent a familiar shiver down Rita's spine as her eyes snapped over to a conversation between their waitress and the table a stone's throw from them. Rita watched as the man reached out and stoked his hand against her thigh and uniform be damned, Rita's blood boiled. She still remembered the feeling of Jackson's hands on her, his words and the malicious way he made her feel powerless. Just as Rita was about to get up, she saw the girl grow uncomfortable and without so much as a flick of her wrist, the sweet tea on the table mysteriously flew off and drenched the serviceman at the table.

Magic.

Rita would have recognized it anywhere by now. What her real concern was, though, was the way the man shot up and got in the waitress' face with some sharp, digging words. Rita didn't even hesitate to stand and before she realized she was up, she was crossing the restaurant to put a firm hand on the man's chest and push him back. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to back off," Rita said evenly, "She apologized, take a seat."

"Do you work here?" he said firmly, eyes raking over her, "Got some damn beautiful women here, but stupid as a sack of bricks."

"He's not going to bother you again," Rita turned and said to the young redhead, "Why don't you go grab a towel and we'll get this figured out."

"Listen, sweetheart," the man said as he put his hand on Rita's arm, and let it slide down to her hand. She immediately snapped back and stood firmly in front of the waitress. "Don't touch me," Rita said clear and strong, her green eyes serious as they stared him down, "And you sure as hell stay away from her, got it?"

 

[Acorn]

Leon had just bitten into his third breadstick when Rita's attention went to something going on behind him and he turned in the booth to follow her gaze. He kept chewing as he watched, his eyes tracking the man's hand and then the glass that went sailing without any obvious assistance. He, too, recognized magic when he saw it, and when he looked at her again he didn't see a sweet-faced girl anymore, he saw a younger version of Lorelei and the breadstick turned to sawdust in his mouth.

He swallowed and turned back to tell Rita that maybe Olive Garden hadn't been such a great idea, but they hadn't gotten their food yet, so no harm, no foul — they could go ahead and leave, but she was up and marching across the room to intervene in something that they had no business getting involved in. They needed to keep their heads down, not draw attention to themselves, and getting in the face and pushing some serviceman was not a good way to stay under the radar.

As soon as Leon registered the way the man was looking at her, heard his comment about how stupid she was, and then saw him put a hand on her, he sighed and tossed the remainder of his breadstick on the table and stood. There was no coming back from that. Not for Rita, and sure as fuck not for him. He joined the fray, pushing himself between Rita and the man. Rita gave way, but the man didn't, and they were practically chest to chest, nose to nose, when the man laughed and turned to his buddies who were still sitting, though looked poised to stand if things went south.

"Get a load of this wetback," he said, then turned back to Leon, smirking. Leon felt heat rise in his face and his eyebrows dipped even as his nostrils flared. He wasn't a stranger to racism, but he'd grown unused to it after living in a big city; the shade of his skin and the culture he'd been raised in had rarely been more than a passing curiosity if it came up at all. And even though Del Rio was largely populated with Latinos, and those who weren't had effortlessly blended their cultures together, there was an Air Force base not 10 miles outside of the city. It was always the airmen he had trouble with, off base and full of God and Country and traveling in packs.

Once, he would've been able to let the insult slide, but his armor had developed holes in his time away.

He took the bait.

"You realize I was born here, right?"

"You realize I don't give a fuck, right?"

"Yeah," Leon said, scoffing, "I should've figured that."

"Uh huh. Why don't you go sit your ass back down, now?"

Leon didn't budge, even when the man brought his hands up and took a step towards him, pushing at his chest. He could smell the garlic on the other man's breath, hear his heartbeat, fast and adrenaline fueled, and he could see his face with painful clarity even though the lights within the restaurant were dimmed. There was movement at his side, a flash of red hair, and he snapped his head around to fix his gaze on the girl. Her brown eyes grew wide and her mouth parted as she stared back at him.

"You not hear what I said?" Another push, and this time he took a step back.

Another push and Leon raised his arms up at the elbow, palms out: surrender.

"I hear you," he said, in case the action wasn't clear enough.

Despite his attempt to de-escalate the situation, a bespectacled, gray-haired man with a phone in hand approached them. "Excuse me, sir — ma'am," he looked at Leon, then Rita, "You need to leave now or I'll have to call the police."

All the tension that had coiled up beneath his skin, itching and writhing like worms, disappeared in the face of his astonishment that they were getting kicked out of a fucking Olive Garden. He turned, grabbed Rita's hand, and began walking out, shaking his head and trying to ignore all the eyes on them.

"Yeah, that's right. Keep going 'til you hit Mexico," the man said to his back, and his buddies laughed.

"Enough of that," he heard a masculine, drawling voice say. "No way to talk to another person." They were defending him, speaking out against idiocy, and as much as that warmed him, he didn't want to hang around to thank them for fear he'd get the itch to shift again. He'd experienced it once before, standing in front of another meathead who was eager to discriminate against him — though, to be fair, at least Jackson hated him because he was a werewolf and capable of killing people if he didn't keep himself under control.

His expression was dark when they got into the parking lot and he remained silent as they approached the car. There was the sound of the restaurant door opening and shutting, then the slapping of shoes on the pavement and Leon turned to see the redheaded waitress come to a stop in front of them. She clasped her hands in front of her, but her fingers twined and pulled at one another with nervous frequency.

"Hey, um. So. You're a werewolf, aren't you?" she asked Leon, then looked at Rita, smiling bashfully. "And you saw what I did with the glass, didn't you?"

 

[Meraki]

Rita wished she could get a word in edgewise, but Leon was quick to her defense.

She knew it was her fault. It wasn't any of her business, but as Leon argued with blind and ignorant racism, Rita stood in front of the young waitress with an arm outstretched slightly to the side as though to keep her there. Leon probably had a pretty good inkling as to why Rita had moved to help, but she couldn't help but feel a built guilty as he took the brunt of the comments from the airmen. It wasn't until she watched his nostrils flare and feel their waitress nearly squirm behind them did Rita realize what Leon was feeling. He was completely in control of his transformation now, but that didn't mean she wanted him running into situations where he had to test that. When the manager came to escort them out, Rita was quick not to argue and follow Leon on.

Well, not that she had much of a choice. He was near dragging Rita out to the parking lot by her hand.

"Leon wait—" but he didn't wait until the sound of footsteps caught up to them. "Listen, I'm sorry—"

Hey, um.

Rita turned and saw the waitress standing just a few paces off in front of them, her hands held nervously in front of her. She couldn't have been a hundred pounds soaking wet, barely eighteen and with her red hair tied back. "So you sensed that too, huh? I thought so." Rita stepped forward unmoved by the reality of what was in front of them. Unlike Leon, Rita had studied witches enough to know that the one in front of them? She was nothing like Lorelei. She was new in her powers, still learning, with enough power to throw a glass but not enough control to do much else. "I didn't think we'd find a witch this far out."

"It was a nice shot, though," she smiled, complementing her magic, "I'm sorry I made that a bigger deal than it had to be. I just get a little worked up sometimes when it comes to guys like that. I'm Rita and this is Leon."

"Can I ask why you followed us out here?"

The last thing she wanted to do was frighten the girl. She looked nervous, meek in the way she held herself, and if there was one thing Rita was it was fiercely maternal. It made her great at public relations because it made her easily accessible and genuinely warm. The last thing she wanted was for the young girl to feel uncomfortable especially when her powers were so volatile.

 

[Acorn]

He'd half suspected the buzzcuts would've followed them, but it'd only been the girl — the witch, and oh wonderful, she knew he was a werewolf, and not only that, she'd announced it in public. He darted a look around the parking lot, but to his surprise, it was empty save for them, and it made him feel marginally better about the situation until Rita started talking to her, discussing things like their names and the fact they knew she was a witch.

What was she doing? They needed to disengage as soon as possible, get in the fucking car and go. Leon reached into his pants pocket and jingled the keys within, shifting from one foot from the other as he watched Rita get that look, the one that reminded him of the way she'd look at a stray cat or dog or wounded werewolf, and he sighed. They weren't going to leave until Rita was ready to leave. Hopefully, the witch would answer her question and Rita would be satisfied and they could go back to his grandmother's, maybe open up a bottle of wine and relax and drink on the front porch.

"It's okay," the redhead said, her voice quiet enough that he took a step closer to catch the rest of her words, "they're regulars. Jim, my manager, he never does anything about it, so if you hadn't…" She shrugged and relinquished her hold on her hands to clasp her elbows, crossing her arms under her diminutive chest. "So yeah, thanks. I'm Becca, by the way. And honestly? I'm not sure. You guys seemed nice, mainly."

She'd maintained eye contact with Rita for the duration of her answer, but looked over at Leon when he snorted indelicately.

The witch was good. Real good. Hugging herself and talking about the assholes back in the restaurant in a way that was sure to have Rita feeling warm and empathetic towards her. It was too much, saccharine sweet, cancer-inducing in large quantities. How could Rita not see through it immediately? He thought she was good at reading people. Why wasn't she reading this girl the way he was?

"But you said you didn't think you'd find a witch this far out," she continued, her eyes falling back onto Rita. "Does that mean you were looking for one? You're not Enforcers, are you?"

Leon looked at Rita, too, an eyebrow raised and his mouth off to one side, and that was all the response he had.

 

[Meraki]

She may have been empathic, but Rita knew how to read people. It was her job, or well – it used to be. She could read the girl's body language and nothing in her appearance seemed forced or fake. Her aversion seemed like a nervous tick, her hands shifting as she spoke played to the anxieties she was sure to be feeling. Everything about her spoke to her being uncertain and a bit skittish, but there was nothing that pointed to her having malicious intent. Rita had known from day one that Jenny and Lorelei felt like they were more complex people, but Becca was just a kid. A kid with magic stuck in a small town full of small minds. At the very least, she thought Leon could identify with that, but she understood his apprehension.

While Lorelei had tortured them both, the pain he had endured was far greater than anything she could imagine. Of course he had an aversion when it came to witches, but she could tell his snorting only served to push the girl to be a bit more closed off. Rita gave him a quick side eye before turning her attention back towards Becca. Her comment hit Rita a bit harder than she anticipated and she realized again what she used to work for – the Enforcers were in the business of registering most supernaturals, witches included. She shouldn't have been surprised that Becca heard of them.

"No, we weren't looking for one," Rita admitted honestly, "and from the look of it, you weren't really trying to be found, were you?"

Rita pushed her long dark locks from her face and let out a bit of sigh. "Truth be told, neither were we."

"But if you know about them," she mentioned about the Enforcers, not referring to them by name, "that means you've been registered, right? So you're on the run, too, then?"

There was no way the Enforcers wouldn't be able to find a girl like Becca and take her in. The real question that remained was how she managed to get away and how she was evading them. Rita took a deep breath, knowing that Leon would be upset at her next comment, but he had to trust her judgment sometime. Something in Rita told her that Becca was important to them. She wasn't sure how, yet, but she would figure it out.

"We're ex-Enforcers," Rita admitted point blank, "Leon was only one for a short time, but I worked at bringing in, tagging and handling supernaturals. It was how we met, initially. But I'm sure you know that once you leave, you never really get away from it. So what's your story then?"

 

[Acorn]

Becca unfurled like a butterfly's wings fresh from a cocoon; her arms dropped to her sides, her shoulders relaxed, and she lifted her head to meet Rita's gaze straight on. "I'm not registered," she said proudly, shaking her head so that her ponytail bobbed about. "My mom is, though, so she knew how it all worked. She knew how to fool the tests when my powers first kicked in." She smiled and her cheeks dimpled. "But they didn't kick in until way later than usual for a witch, so I think they'd kind of given up on me already. That helped. She gave me some money and told me to keep running to Louisiana. I almost got there before I ran out and had to stop here to work for a while."

She looked over her shoulder at the building and when she looked back, she was making a sour face, "I don't like Texas." Her eyebrows shot up and she held her hands up to Leon, palms out, like he had to the airman earlier. "No offense, I know you were born here. It's nice enough, it's just not for me. I mean, the sunsets are beautiful, the whole place is beautiful, but the people—"

"No, I get it," Leon interrupted. "You can stop now." She closed her mouth and looked down at her feet, and Leon sighed. He didn't mean to be rude, but it was hard to separate her from Lorelei; every time he looked at the girl, he could see the older woman's cruel face superimposed on hers. Lorelei would set up something elaborate like this — she had to know he would've returned to his grandmother's at some point, she could've planted Becca there, made her wait for the moment he got a craving for breadsticks. He reached up to rub the bridge of his nose, then scrubbed his hand over his face and scratched at facial hair that, like the rest of his hair, was overdue for a trim.

"It's real convenient, isn't it? You happen to be in my hometown working at the restaurant we stop in at, waiting our exact table. Sounds like we should be asking you who you're really working for."

She looked up from her feet, her eyes wide. "Oh, no. No, no. I could never work for them, not even a little. They're awful. Some of the things they've done to my mom? Just because she wouldn't listen? She gave up her chance to get away just so I could go."

Her chin wobbled as she unsuccessfully fought back tears. "I just want to get to Louisiana," she said, a high note of desperation in her voice. "Mom said there were people there who could help keep me hidden near New Orleans. So that's where I'm going. Eventually. Once I get enough money. I just… I should probably get back to work now. It was nice meeting you two."

 

[Meraki]

Rita wanted nothing more than to extend an invitation to Becca to join them at Leon's grandmother's house for the night, but she could tell from his words that Leon wasn't the slightest bit convinced. Rightfully so, too. He had endured so much at the hand of witches, but Rita knew far more details about the Enforcers and she knew the reality of the girl's situation. It wasn't too far from his, if he would just pull his head out of his ass and listen with an open mind. "It was nice meeting you too," Rita said finally, not wanting to leave the girl without a word and instead following Leon back to the car. It was a long, eerily silent drive as Rita mulled over her own thoughts.

It was a risky play, sure, but how long could they run? How long could they feasibly stay on the road without any rhyme or reason and still not get caught? It was dangerous for his grandmother if they stayed and they had nowhere else to go. If they went to her parents' house, her mother would scream a sound that echoed across the heavens and drew any and all attention to them. They couldn't go back, so where did that leave them? Eventually the Enforcers would find a way to track them, without a single doubt.

When they arrived back at his grandmother's, Rita wasn't very hungry but she sat to nibble on whatever she'd insisted they try. After some pleasant conversation and her coaxing the two to an early bedtime because they looked exhausted, Rita climbed the stairs with Leon. It wasn't until the door was shut and she was mid-undressing did she finally stop and turn to him. "I think we should go back for her."

It was a blunt statement, but in the grand scheme of her thoughts it was a simple conclusion. "I know you're not exactly thrilled about who she is, but I believe her. The only one," she stayed vague as to ensure any eavesdropping ears were prying about the house, "you have ever met was Lorelei and she is – she's her own entity entirely. It's not so different from what you endured. She would have been registered, forced to leave her family and her life behind, and endure training until they thought she was not a danger to anyone else or herself. Then, of course, they'd use her."

"The same way they used us," she said finally, pushing her thick, dark locks from her face as she scavenged for the t-shirt she had stolen from Leon the previous night. The last thing she wanted to do was think about what had happened to them and the pain they endured, but they needed to help Becca out of understanding, not shun her out of fear. "And I know this all sounds ridiculous to you," she said finally, "and I understand that, but I think this is one of those times where you have to just trust me and give her the benefit of the doubt. If there really is a rogue group in Louisiana that is in the business of hiding supernaturals? Maybe that's where we need to focus our energy and she can get us there."

"You gave me the benefit of the doubt when I walked into your unit that first night," Rita reminded him, "just like I gave it to you. Maybe we're her only chance."

 

[Acorn]

Leon had taken up a sitting position on the bed after removing his shoes and socks; back pressed against the headboard with a pillow stuffed behind him, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, and his hands loosely clasped over his stomach. He was trying his best to clear his mind of the total fiasco that had been their dinner, and what better way to do that than to watch Rita undress?

He was admiring the curve of her back, and those two little dimples low on either side of her spine near her hips, when she spun and brought the girl up again. Leon made a soft noise of dismay and thunked his head back on the hard wood of the headboard. He'd thought that since Rita hadn't brought her up on the car ride that she'd forgotten or moved on, but it seemed like she'd just been biding her time.

For a while, he stared up at the white popcorn ceiling, tracing familiar patterns with his eyes: there, a dog's face, and just beneath that a flying bird, until Rita mentioned that they used witches the same way they'd used them and he lifted his head to blink at her.

So not all of them were Lorelei, allowed to roam free wreaking havoc wherever they went? Becca had mentioned that her mom had been hurt when she hadn't listened, hadn't she? Like they'd hurt him and like they'd hurt Rita. She'd given up her chance to get away, too, she'd said, given her money and told her to run until she hit the bayous of Louisiana. Becca's mother had been desperate and loved her enough that she was willing to endure any pain as punishment just to see her little girl safe. He understood — he knew without a doubt that if his and Rita's situation had been similar, he would've pushed Rita to go, to leave without him so she had a chance at living a life without Lorelei and Jenny in it.

"Alright," he said, "so let's say I give her the benefit of the doubt. I believe her story and she's on her way to this rogue group that can keep us hidden. What's going to keep us safe from her on the way there? She doesn't have a fucking clue what she's doing, from the sound of it. She might not mean to, but she could hurt you."

Heaving a sigh, he pushed himself up from the mattress and crossed one of his legs underneath him.

"I know you want to help, I get that. But me and you? That was different. That was before… Damnit, Rita, what if something happens to you because of her, and I could've prevented it by saying no?"

 

[Meraki]

"I don't know," Rita shrugged, answering honestly.

There were so many variables, so many what if situations that Rita couldn't give him an honest answer. She never wanted to lie to Leon and she wouldn't, not even about this. "I don't know what stops her from hurting anyone, except for the fact she doesn't want to hurt anyone. Least of all the people who can get her to Louisiana. You and I? We weren't that different. I had to run into a locked containment unit to pull you back from your wolf form and I had no tangible evidence that if you wouldn't hurt me, but I knew that deep down, you didn't want to. It's not the same risk, I could have died then in a second, but there's no option here where you can protect me from everything."

"If you had said no to my help back in that containment unit, the Enforcers would have still used me, I would have still found out that they killed Chase, I would have endured all of that alone. But you let me help you, and all of this has been heartbreaking and more painful than I could have ever imagined, but at least I wasn't alone. Having you has made all the difference."

"And who does she have, Leon?" she asked honestly, "She's working for bare bones minimum wage in a restaurant ten hours from where she wants to be with no means of transportation. The Enforcers will come for her someday, there's no way she'll outrun them for long, and I just can't leave here on good conscience knowing we're leaving her behind. Maybe I get hurt, but she doesn't know enough magic to do much of anything yet."

"You could get hurt too, or she could hurt herself," she shook her head, "Everyone has to learn to control their powers and it doesn't make her worth leaving behind because no one has ever been around to teach her. Without her mom, she doesn't have anyone to show her the way. I'm no witch, but I know enough about magic to give her an idea. Maybe there's someone in that rogue group who can help her, too."

She sighed and forewent the shirt to just climb into bed next to Leon and look up at him with those big, green eyes of hers. "I know I'm impossible," she said gently, "But I'm not asking to take in a stray dog, I'm asking to help a girl who has been left alone by the same people who have worked tirelessly to break us. I just – I won't let them break her, too. Not when we can stop it."

 

[Acorn]

He'd been lost and confused when she'd taken his fur-covered and fang-filled face up in her hands, when she'd talked to him, carried him back with her voice and her touch. That wasn't something he'd ever forgotten. He was grateful beyond words she'd not only been able to help him, but that she'd been willing to in the first place. Who was he to deny her the ability to help others the way she'd helped him? He wanted to keep her safe, wanted to make sure nothing ever hurt her again, but to do that he'd have to squash the very part of her that had brought them together in the first place.

When she presented a hypothetical scenario where she hadn't been able to help him, his eyebrows knitted and he looked away from her to his hands that rested in his lap. It crushed him to think of her enduring the facility alone, of having her strings still attached to and pulled by Jenny, the mastermind behind it all who had no qualms about doing whatever she needed to whomever she needed to get what she wanted.

What if he hadn't been there for her on the rooftop? Would she have stayed there, or would the pain have overtaken her and made her climb to the edge and look down upon the city before making a choice you couldn't come back from? You could get lost in the pain she'd felt, he knew it — he'd experienced it himself, but they'd been there for one another, been able to bring each other back from the brink.

Becca didn't have anyone to do that for her.

He looked up when Rita joined him on the bed and puffed a sigh that was tinged with resignation. The witch needed help and it was within their power to help her. Rita was right: it wasn't fair to leave her behind, though it would be much easier.

But when had they ever taken the easy way out?

Leon reached over to catch her chin between his thumb and curled forefinger, stared into her vibrant green eyes, and he smiled.

"Okay then," he said. "Let's see if Becca wants to come with us to Louisiana."

There were several heartbeats that flip-flopped in his chest as he continued looking at her, lost in a feeling that molded itself into words and he breathed into life, "I love you, Rita."

And for once in his life, he didn't feel the compulsion to bumblingly justify himself or throw in any additional sentiments; he let the words stand on their own, beautiful and potent, and was satisfied simply with the fact that she would know how he felt.

 

[Meraki]

At the sound of Leon's okay, Rita's face brightened considerably.

He held her chin in his fingertips, hands strong but gentle any time they contacted her skin. She searched his eyes as he agreed, but she found far more than she was bargaining for in those warm, deep eyes. The words came out easily, breathed his admission into the air, and it took Rita a moment to understand just what he said to her. I love you, Rita. It had been so long since those words settled into her heart and they felt different this time – not bad different, but instead they gripped her heart tightly and begged for her not to let go. There was no bumbling explanation, no apology, just his honest, heartfelt words.

"I love you, too," she breathed out, the words coming naturally to her. After all they had endured, after everything she had to live and re-live with Chase, Rita had known for some time that what she felt for Leon was different. She'd loved him for longer than she was willing to admit, but it was alright now. Nothing would ever make Chase's death okay, but she got a second chance. She got the chance to love and protect Leon with every inch of her and she would not let him live a single day ignorant of how she felt. "God," she breathed out again as her lips spread into a bright smile, "I've been waiting so long to hear you say that."

She slipped into his lap and brought her hands up to cup his cheeks. She pulled him towards her and crushed their lips together. Their first night at his grandmother's she would have been worried about her hearing, but she was already suspicious of the bed squeaks. Rita didn't care – especially if they were going to add to their little ragtag team. It was not a desperate kiss, but an all-consuming one that caused her to arch her back so she could feel the closeness of him.

"I love you, Leon," she whispered again between breaths.

 

[Acorn]

His grandmother hadn't been able to maintain eye contact with either of them for the duration of breakfast. He supposed he should've felt guilty but he was too far over the moon to give it any additional thought. He couldn't do much beyond look and smile at Rita — he didn't taste his food, and only responded to Maria when she addressed him directly. Judging by her tone, she'd had to repeat herself often enough that she'd grown annoyed with him. After they'd cleared dishes, he dragged himself down from the clouds to explain that there had been an emergency back on campus and as soon as they'd packed they'd be leaving. The lie had fallen from his lips falteringly, but Rita had stepped in to smooth things over and make it all sound convincing. He hated that she couldn't know where they were really going, that he might be going another years' long stretch without seeing her again, but that was the reality of their situation.

They packed, his grandmother cried, and he felt like an absolute heel as they drove away and made their way to Olive Garden. He voiced his concern that Becca might not be working and how would they figure out when she'd be working next if they couldn't even go in to ask, but almost as soon as they pulled into the lot and put the car in park, she exited the restaurant and Leon rolled down the window to greet her.

"Heard you were going to Louisiana," he said. "Need a lift?"

She looked from him to Rita, her mouth split in a stunned smile. "Um, yeah. Just give me like, five seconds. Maybe ten."

By seconds, of course, she'd meant minutes, but it didn't bother Leon to spend some extra alone time with Rita. He caught her hand up in his, twined their fingers together and shifted in his seat so he could look at her fully, probably looking for all the world like some besotted fool but he didn't care — he just relished the knowledge that they loved one another and had cemented their spoken words in his old squeaky bed. And they'd likely scarred his grandmother forever, but it was her own fault for not replacing the fucking thing to begin with.

When Becca returned to the car, she had a duffel bag on her shoulder and she threw it into the trunk before she slid into the back and closed the door behind her.

"What made you change your mind?" she asked, and Leon looked at her through the rear view mirror.

"Rita," he said simply.

Once they were on the interstate, Rita and Becca talked about anything and everything. Leon contributed when he was spoken to, but otherwise, he listened and he drove; it was strange, how quickly they'd adjusted to one another, and it was nice to hear Rita talking to someone as animatedly as she talked to Becca. At one point Becca requested he turn on the radio, and she'd belted out tunes that he'd never heard before, but she had a nice voice and her happiness was contagious. She looked like he felt when he'd gotten out of the facility for the first time as an Enforcer, when he'd fooled himself into thinking he was free.

They made good time through San Antonio and Houston, and crossed the state line as the sun was setting. They'd taken an exit that'd promised a vacant hotel, but five miles in and still they hadn't encountered anything.

"Swear to God," Leon muttered, looking at his phone again. They probably passed it, or it was the other direction entirely. Was Google Maps even updating?

He looked back up at the road right as a deer sprang across the asphalt and Leon slammed on the brakes, hard. They skidded to a stop just in front of the deer that now stood frozen, headlights illuminating its eyes. If he'd been going any faster or hadn't looked up when he did, the thing would've gone through the windshield and he cursed himself for being an idiot and not handing his phone off to Rita to navigate.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Hey, it's okay. I just have whiplash now, I think." Rebecca rubbed at her neck, wincing, and unbuckled herself to lean up between their seats. "First time I've seen one in the wild," she remarked. "It's so—"

And then the deer's ears swiveled and it took off into the brush on the other side of the road.

"— pretty." she finished, and he knew she was pouting even without looking at her.

"Don't worry, sure we'll see plenty more," Leon said. "Now sit back and get your seatbelt back on so we can go."

"Fine," she said, sighing dramatically.

As soon as he heard her seatbelt click, he eased his foot off the brake and was hovering his foot over the gas pedal, but slammed it on the brake again when a large — tall — bipedal shape took long strides into the road and turned its wolfish head to stare at them. He could see the lips of its muzzle lift and fall as it sniffed and huffed at them, considering, then it looked back to where the deer had disappeared and continued across the road.

"Please tell me you guys saw it, too," Leon said.

 

[Meraki]

Becca was a welcomed addition to their little ragtag team. Right of the bat she was singing and laughing along with the radio, her mind churning through hundreds and hundreds of things to ask Rita and talk about. It was strange because Rita couldn't remember the last time she had a genuine, warm conversation outside of Leon that wasn't for some work event. Even then, those events were never genuine but they were the closest thing Rita came to conversing with normal people daily. She was sad to leave Leon's grandmother, but Rita was really excited for the prospect of finding people who were just like them. She was worried, of course, about being the only human in a growing supernatural world, but she knew there was no reason to worry. Not really, anyway.

It was only when Leon slammed on the breaks did Rita's thoughts stop as she pulled against her seatbelt and snapped her head around to see what happened. "I told you to give me your phone," Rita scolded, but her words were always so warm when she spoke to him, "It's fine, I'll just readjust my brain."

Rita turned completely forward in her seat and was about to buckle herself back in when the beast thumped in front of their car and snarled up at them. Immediately, Rita felt the adrenaline course through her veins and she had to remind herself that she wasn't an Enforcer anymore. It wasn't her job to bring in werewolves, but Rita took a second to peel off her seatbelt and take a closer look through the windshield. It was a young werewolf, younger than Leon, and Rita cocked her head to the side as the werewolf took off after the deer in the woods.

Please tell me you guys saw it, too.

"Only one way to find out," Rita said finally as she opened the glove compartment and pulled out her gun to slip it in the small of her back, just under the line of her belt. "We're out in the middle of nowhere. There's no reason he should be this far out. The nearest town isn't for another fifteen miles."

Rita opened the car door and slipped out, knowing that Leon would follow without fail. "You coming?" she called back to them, but moved anyway. Rita was more than capable of protecting herself, but it always made her feel better when werewolf Leon was there to back her up. She felt a little less like a mouse running into a lion's den. She grabbed a flashlight from the car as well before starting off into the woods, quick and expertly through the trees as she ran.

Eventually she came up on the sight of a slaughtered deer, blood everywhere staining the grass and tree trunks. Rita paused for a moment before she heard a crack in the undergrowth and she turned to find herself face to face with a werewolf. It didn't scare her anymore, save for the blood drenched muzzle, but he was small. Smaller than most of the werewolves she had ever come in contact with. "You're just a kid, huh?" she said, but the wolf snarled dangerously as he sized Rita up.

Maybe she was no werewolf whisperer, but even she knew this wasn't the time for any sudden movement.

"Leon?" she called evenly, "Any time now would be great."

 

[Acorn]

There were plenty of ways to find out that didn't involve a jaunt through the woods at night, but he didn't have time to present any of them before Rita had her gun and was off. "Goddamnit," he said, and with more force than was necessary, steered the car over to the side of the road, put it in park and pulled the emergency brake.

"She's so cool," Becca breathed, her face smashed against the glass as she watched after Rita. He had his seatbelt off and was out of the car when the back door opened too. He caught it at the top and held it in place, preventing her from coming out. She shoved against it, making a garbled noise of protest.

"No," he said firmly. "You stay with the car."

"But I can help!" she insisted.

"Right. Yeah, I'll let you know if I find some iced tea for you to throw at him."

Becca settled back in her seat, her mouth pursed like she'd bitten into a lemon and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You want to make it to Louisiana, right? Need you stay in the car, stay safe."

She grumbled something under her breath and Leon ducked his head to look at her through the door crack.

"What?"

"We're in Louisiana already!" she shouted, then turned her head from him to look out the other window. "Crossed the state line when we were on the interstate," she said in a more subdued manner.

"Doesn't matter. Stay in the fucking car," he said and slammed her door shut.

The last thing he needed was to have to worry about Becca, too.

He started to remove his clothes where he stood, but after he'd taken his shirt off and was in the middle of undoing his belt, he felt eyes on him and stopped.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he said, after he caught a flash of a red face, then red hair, when Becca turned to look somewhere other than out the window he was standing next to. He'd grown so used to the idea of being naked before he changed that it hadn't occurred to him that there was a teenaged girl in the backseat of the car that might not appreciate him stripping in front of her.

It was probably better not to change next to a road, anyway. He left his shirt on the back of the car and made his way to the other side of the road, found a tree to stand behind, and then removed the rest of his clothes and shifted.

For the first time, Leon was fully aware in his other form in the middle of the woods; it was overwhelming. There were so many things to smell, to see, to hear, and he stood for a while processing. Any other time he'd transformed while in the facility, he'd been surrounded by the same grey walls, smelled the same sterile scents, and there were only ever human sounds — doors opening and closing, voices, guns cocking, screams…

Leon shook his head and huffed. Rita. He needed to find Rita. He made himself focus, filter out all the animals noises, the scrabbling, scratching, screeching, and listen for her voice, for footsteps, but he heard neither. The damp smell of the earth was harder to block out, and it took him many breaths before he caught the scent that was uniquely Rita: her shampoo mingled with something sweet that he occasionally caught a hint of when he buried his face into the crook of her neck or kissed her wrists.

He followed her scent through the woods, and soon the metallic smell of blood became prevalent and he heard her scolding him for not being there yet, as if she hadn't taken off by herself in the first place. Leon stepped into the clearing with Rita and the other werewolf moments later and immediately moved to stand between them, his ears pricked forward and his entire body tensed as he tried to figure out what the hell was supposed to happen now.

 

[Meraki]

Rita stood there with the young wolf for a few, long seconds. She noted a few things about him – his clouded eyes, the way Leon's sued to be before he managed to control his transformation, and the way he favored his right front paw. It was a recent injury, but the poor thing had probably been out in these woods for longer than just tonight's full moon. Part of her wondered if there was a reason why the wolf didn't attack her at first, but as her thoughts drifted, she felt a familiar warmth stand in front of her. Leon stepped between them, his eyes back as he warned the young wolf without words. While Rita assumed it would deescalate the situation, the wolf snarled and moved back a step, intimidated, before lunging in attempt to make it over Leon to the woman behind him.

"Shit," Rita muttered as she moved, Leon's body immediately catching the other wolf in midair and taking him down. This was not what she anticipated, but she also knew there were very few rogue werewolves. The facility was disgustingly good at using their witches to identify them before their first transformation. It was the smell, Jenny had explained once, and the overwhelming sense of power. It was no surprise that Becca knew immediately that Leon was a werewolf.

As Leon sparred with the kid, Rita started to make her way up the incline just a bit so she could catch a glimpse of the sky through the trees. They had very little time left of the full moon and sooner rather than later, that boy was going to come stumbling out of his form frightened in the same way that Leon did all those months ago. Rita only stopped when she heard soft, slow footsteps behind her and she turned to see Becca surprised that she got caught. "I know Leon told you to stay behind," Rita scolded for a moment before turning back to the scuffle, "but you want to help, right? Run back to the car, there's an extra pair of drawstring sweatpants in the glove compartment. Bring them back for me with the first aid kit?"

Becca nodded and listened, her steps moving quickly to be of use. Rita's head snapped back around as she heard a yelp, anticipating that it was Leon, but she saw the younger wolf stumble back a few paces, teeth bared as the sound of cracking bones could be heard. Rita would never get used to that, but she did not let it stop her. She ran towards Leon, her hand on his fur as if to tell him to back down without a single word, and the two watched as the wolf crumpled down before settling into the image of a young, naked man in the grass. He was gripping his wrist, eyes clenched as he pushed away from them with no shame.

"Hey, hey," Rita said as she stepped towards him, extending her jacket to him to help cover him up until Becca could get back, "Easy, take it easy—"

"Get the fuck away from me," he grumbled under his breath. "I don't need your help."

"Oh really?" Rita eyed him carefully as she crouched down to be at his level, "You don't need our help? An eighteen year old werewolf running around the woods of Louisiana – and you don't need our help."

"I had it under control."

"No, he," she pointed to Leon, "has it under control. You sprained your wrist attacking a deer."

"I—" he turned to see the deer torn to pieces on the forest floor beside him. He very clearly didn't remember, but that was to be expected. He was really, really young for a werewolf, but nothing changed the fact that young or old – control was elusive to most.

"Let's start with your name, okay?" Rita's voice returned to its same nurturing tone, "You give me your name and what you're doing out here, and I'll get you some pants and fix up that wrist of yours. Deal?"

"Why isn't he changing back?" the boy ignored her request. Rita rolled her eyes. Boys. It only took one firm look from her to cause the boy to avert his eyes.

"Nate," he said finally, "I've been out here for three months."

"Living in the woods?"

"Do you know where the fuck else is safe from Enforcers? The woods were my only choice."

Just as she promised, the moment he gave his name and what he was doing out there, Becca came jogging up with the pair of sweatpants Rita sent her with, Leon's strewn clothes and handed them off. Rita handed them over to Nate and nodded. "It's nice to meet you Nate. I'm Rita, this is Becca, and that is Leon," she introduced them, "Becca, why don't you go put Leon's clothes behind those trees so he can go change."

Rita stood for a second to put her hand on Leon, her fingers running through his fur before she took the first aid kit from Becca. Turning back to the boy who was now pulling on sweatpants, Rita stepped a bit closer and crouched next to him with the first aid kit. "Let me see your wrist."

"Wait," he said finally, "What is a human doing with a werewolf and witch?"

God damn. Was Rita the only one without super senses?

"You're one of them aren't you? You're a fucking Enforcer. Don't touch me," Nate yanked his hand back from Rita and moved to push himself standing. "And here I was thinking I should apologize for probably almost attacking you. I should have just killed you when I had the chance. You're all the fucking same – manipulative and you don't care who you kill in the process as long as you get what you want."

"I'm an ex-Enforcer," Rita said, unfazed by his aggressive remarks. She could feel the anger rolling off him in waves, but he wasn't like Leon. He had no idea how to shift back, so he was mostly harmless. She was tempted to tell him everything she had lost, but she wouldn't. If Nate wasn't going to trust her, that was his decision. "We're running, too."

"Poor thing," Nate scoffed, "perfect world come crashing down around you? How sad."

"You're hurt, let me help you."

"Why? So you can feel better about yourself?" he shot back and Rita stopped responding for a moment. She had to remember he wasn't Leon and he was just an eighteen-year-old kid out in the woods on his own. She took a deep breath and reached for the first aid kit. She pulled out an instant cold pack, some bandages, and packed the rest of the supplies away. Grabbing her jacket off the ground she turned and walked away from Nate to find Leon.

"He needs help and he's not going to take it from me," Rita said honestly, just loud enough for him to hear, "You should talk to him. He's eighteen. Just because he's survived three months in the woods doesn't mean he should have to keep living that way."