Transformation

[Acorn]

He'd been lounging on the bed, pillow and arm stuffed underneath his head and a book propped up on his chest. Any other full moon and he would've been pacing around the room while trying to avoid looking up at the fluorescent lights, but he felt none of his usual antsiness and sensitivity. In their absence, though, he felt an anxious coil forming in his middle. His stomach gurgled and he froze, then it gurgled again and he shut his book and sat up on his elbows to lift his shirt and stare at his abdomen. He watched it, fearing his ribs would start moving around before his eyes, but minutes ticked by and nothing more happened.

Leon scoffed, lowered his shirt, then flopped back to the bed, leaving his book closed beside him. Despite Jenny's reassurances (where she'd pointed to his lack of symptoms as a sure sign that they'd been successful in their experiment), he'd spent more full moons out of control than in control, and was sure every sound his body produced was the start of his body shifting to his other form. There was no point trying to read when he couldn't make it through a paragraph before something made him sit up and inspect himself.

He felt a twinge in his toe and was fighting back the urge to sit up again when the door unlocked and Rita entered. All his uneasiness fled in the dark-haired woman's presence, and he smiled widely as she situated herself in the space he wasn't stretched out into.

"If by excited you mean terrified Jenny's just been fucking with me and I'm still going to shift, then yeah." He eyed her kevlar and then lifted his head enough to look at Rita. "Please don't shoot me if I do. I'm one of the good werewolves, I swear." Leon chuckled and relaxed back onto his pillow. "Unless it looks like I'm gonna get bitey, then you should probably go ahead and shoot me. Just not in the leg, okay?"

 

[Meraki]

"Don't worry, I won't shoot you," Rita laughed and tugged her hair out the ponytail it was in. It felt so much better to not be uptight, and to just let herself relax. She was trying that now, since her breakdown on the roof, to try and cut herself a bit of a break. She wasn't getting much more sleep, or eating nearly enough, but there were small improvements that she noticed. She smiled more, felt lighter and she didn't need to chug eight cups of coffee to keep herself going. She had a bit more energy. All thanks to Leon. "I really don't think you'll get all bitey. It's probably a lot like riding a bike, after the first time you do it it's like muscle memory. I wouldn't be here if I was worried about you eating me."

It was a joke, but she meant it. There was no place she would rather be in that moment, but she also wouldn't have risked her life needlessly. After all, he'd made it very clear that he wasn't a fan of how reckless she'd been jumping in after him, but they were both just grateful that it helped. It was a close call, but she wasn't really a betting woman. The last thing she wanted to do was put either of them in danger. "But if anyone else tries to shoot at you, I promise, I'll remind them not to shoot you in the leg," she teased.

It was a comfortable position, sitting with him and talking as the world around them prepared for one of the ultimate supernatural events. She could tell that the full moon was on them because she could see other enforcers moving to ensure that units were contained and secure. A few looked at Rita with astounded eyes as she sat leisurely back and chatted with Leon. She was about to open her mouth when she heard an alarm sound. It was an alarm she never expected to hear, blaring and deafening to the ears. She immediately snapped her head around to the open space in the containment unit. Leon was lucky, this cell block was far more open for the sake of research. Instead of units in a row, they were all around a block of open space, to allow for free movement and quick entry and exit procedures. To the left there was a large, secure door that led to the other cell blocks. But that alarm didn't mean fire.

It meant that there was a security breach. Someone was out of their unit. A werewolf.

Rita watched as the other Enforcers scrambled and Rita stood, keeping careful eye on them. She could see the other werewolves in their units from here, but what unnerved her most was when she saw the giant door slide open. It was never to be open on a full moon. Rita moved immediately to grab her Kevlar and did not even bother with her jacket. She strapped it over her tank top and looked to Leon with pleading eyes, "Don't move, okay?"

"That's an alarm, someone's broken out of their unit and if you change, they won't know the difference between you and whoever is out of their cell. Stay here. I'll be right back," she said quickly before rushing out of the room and into the cell block. It was a mess as the Enforcers came barreling out of the door and Rita heard her name called out. "Rita!" Alice's voice was clear over the crowd and Rita moved to stand beside her, guns loaded as they moved. Out of the door came barreling two full sized werewolves and Rita heard the orders given. Secure the floor. Non-lethal means.

"What the hell is with these non-lethal means?" Rita huffed.

"Careful," Alice smiled, "Leon is a werewolf too."

"Who is not actively," she cocked her gun, "trying to kill me. Come on."

It was an overwhelming fight before they even got involved. Immediately there were tranquilizer darts being fired, silver bullets shot at legs and shoulders, but nothing worked. They only grew angrier and more vicious as Rita watched the other Enforcers get knocked around, the werewolves breaking through like it was nothing. Just as they ran into the fight, Rita watched as one of the werewolves b-lined for Alice. Rita moved in and tried to get to a place to hit a tranquilizer and end it, but it didn't seem to be easy. Something had set this werewolves off and she saw a serious development of rage in their eyes. There was no man there, just the beast. Rita dove out of the way as it lunged for her and bolted after Alice, trying to put as much distance as she could to get a better vantage point. Just as she was moving, she felt herself knocked down to the ground by one of the wolves, pinning her down and its teeth inches from her face. She couldn't reach her gun and she heard Alice calling out her name. She swung her powerful legs underneath the werewolf's chest and kicked up, knocking the beat just far enough away that she could turn and sink a tranquilizer into its shoulder. The whimpering noise loud as she did it. It would take a moment, but Rita had enough time to scramble painfully to her feet and back up.

A growl tore her out of her own mind as she watch another werewolf come barreling in through the door and aiming straight for Alice. She raised her gun at him and Rita knew she wouldn't make it in time. "Alice, MOVE!" she screamed as loud as her lungs could manage and as the two charged after the same woman, Rita managed to get there a split second faster and push Alice out of the way. Immediately, she felt the full force of a werewolf barrel into her and send her flying back until her body crashed against the far wall by Leon's cell.

And everything went black as her body crumpled to the floor. Blood seeping from a head wound against the concrete.

 

[Acorn]

At the sound of the alarm, Leon sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed so his bare feet were touching the cold concrete floor. He couldn't see what Rita had from his position, but as soon as she exploded into motion, grabbing her kevlar and throwing it on, he stood and then followed her to the door. He wanted to argue with her but knew she was right. Goddamnit, she was right. Knowing that didn't make him worry any less about her going out to face a loose werewolf, but she had a gun and experience and he'd only get in the way if he went out as he was. Even if he changed into his werewolf form, he'd probably just end up filled with silver.

He looked through the viewing panel as the door slid shut behind her and sighed. "Be safe," he said, and wished he'd been able to say it to her before she'd left, but there hadn't been enough time. Leon continued to watch as she met up with Alice and was surprised by how ferocious the small blonde woman looked with her gun out and kevlar on. He understood a little better now how two women had been able to take him down while he'd been transformed.

When the first werewolves appeared, he felt a tremor run through him and the contents of his stomach churned. He'd been forced to watch a video of his own transformation to help convince him of the necessity of keeping him locked away on the full moon; he knew what werewolves looked like, but he'd never been in a position to see one, much less two, in person. They were massive, their furred bodies muscular and powerful, their muzzles filled with sharp teeth and their lips of their long snouts peeled back savagely.

Monsters.

Monsters that should've been kept locked away, monsters that were barreling right for Rita and Alice, with Enforcers on their tails. There were pops of guns, yelling, snarling, motion everywhere. He could barely keep track of where Rita was in all the chaos. As soon as his eyes found her, she was moving again, then there was a werewolf on her and he felt his heart seize up in his chest until she was back up.

Another werewolf came through the door and he gasped, banging his fist against the window and yelling for them to watch out, but only Rita turned in time to see the creature. Leon was paralyzed when the werewolf made contact with her and she slammed into the wall.

"No," he said, his voice strangled. It was Lorelei's vision come to life. Her crumpled body, her long, dark hair fallen into her face, her eyes closed and her blood. No, that was different. There was more blood; it didn't glisten wetly on her lips, it pooled around her in a macabre halo.

"Rita!" he cried out, smacking his open palm against the window. "Rita, get up. Rita! Please!"

Alice backed up against his containment unit and she had her gun pointed at the werewolf that'd skidded to a stop in front of her.

Leon tore his eyes from Rita and renewed his banging on the glass with the sides of both his fists. "Alice! Alice, goddamnit, Alice, get me out of here. I can help. Let me out!"

She glanced at him, her hand never wavering from the werewolf that was now turning to her.

"Fucking let me out!" Even as she turned, her security card in hand, his heartbeat was loud in his ears and he felt his body rebuilding itself, but unlike the last time he'd changed, he was able to endure the pain and remain upright with only the support of his hands on either side of the door. When it slid open, he stepped out, his t-shirt shredded irreparably and dangling from his shoulders, dark fur pushing through the gaps of white cotton, his pants split up the thighs and calves but still clinging on stubbornly. He'd struggled to walk on inverted knees the first time he'd been brought to awareness while he'd been transformed, but something in him had clicked this time and he started towards Rita without hesitation.

"You said you were gonna help!" Alice shrieked, and Leon stopped and swung his head towards her, then the dark movement in his peripheral. He coiled and leaped, arms outstretched to catch the werewolf just before it smashed into the blonde Enforcer. They both went skidding across the floor, him on top of the other werewolf until they came to a stop and then he was flipped on his back, holding his clawed hands out to keep space between himself and a snapping and drooling maw. There was a yelp, and the other werewolf shook its head, its yellow eyes unfocused, and then shoved off him to stumble away. As he clamored to his feet, yet another werewolf passed where Rita remained unmoving, heading towards Alice who had turned to towards Leon to load the other werewolf full of enough tranquilizer to drop an elephant.

She smiled at him and then turned right as the werewolf landed on her. He'd never heard a sound like the one she made; it was a swallowed scream, a cry cut short by a mouth that covered her face and pulled away, leaving with its teeth filled with blood and skin and muscle. The werewolf was on all fours over her and had lowered its head and tore at her neck, and Leon, with hackles raised and growling, crossed the distance between them and was on the other werewolf, tearing at it with his claws and teeth, pulling it off Alice and pushing at it, forcing it down the hallway and towards a group of Enforcers that immediately began pumping it full of silver and tranquilizers.

It dropped and Leon stood over it, breathing hard, his muzzle and chest dark and slick with blood. The Enforcers were aiming at him but didn't fire, and he turned to look behind him. Alice and Rita were both on the ground, but as soon as he took a step towards them, there was a flurry of voices assaulting his ears.

"Don't move!"

"Stand down!"

"Do not move! I repeat, do not move!"

He swung back around, his ears pinned to his head.

They escorted him back towards his containment unit, but when he tried to stop by Rita, there was more yelling and waving of weapons and he growled but started walking again. He watched through the glass as medics swarmed around her and Alice and then bundled them both off on stretchers. The floor was streaked with blood. He caught sight of his reflection and backed away, shaking his head. His snout was covered in blood. His chest and claws and arms were covered in blood. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, focusing on and counting each one, then he tried to remember and think of himself as a man, like Rita had told him when she'd helped him shift back the first time, but all he could see was the pool of blood that had surrounded her head.

He was still stuck with fur and fangs when Jenny came to the door, folded white shirt and blue pants in her arms. Leon growled and stepped towards her but she looked unimpressed.

"I understand you're unhappy to see me, but if you want to see Rita, shift back," she said over the intercom. He stared at her, unmoving except for the twitching of his lips. "She's alright, Leon."

His whole body relaxed. She was okay. He could go see her. He just needed to shift. He could do that. He just needed to focus. This time when he closed his eyes and remembered himself, he could picture how it felt to hold Rita on the rooftop, the smell of summer and her shampoo, the sound of her laughter.

Once he'd changed back, Jenny opened the door and deposited fresh clothes just inside and then waited for him to wash off with water from the sink. He tried not to look too hard at the pink water as it swirled and went down the drain.

The tall brunette led him to the sick bay, her white lab coat flared out behind her as she walked. He was tired, his muscles ached, but he made himself keep pace with her.

His throat clenched and he swallowed hard when he saw Rita. She looked impossibly small and washed out in the hospital bed and under its white sheets, hooked up to lines that led to both an IV bag and monitoring equipment, with a bandage on her head.

Jenny was already checking a clipboard and taking notes as she glanced up periodically at readouts. "Just needs rest," she announced, and she dropped the clipboard back into its spot at the foot of the bed, then left without another word.

God, he'd never hated anyone, but she was close to being the first.

Leon went to Rita's side, his expression soft as he curled his fingers up and stroked her cheek. Her eyelashes were long and dark against her pale skin, and if it hadn't been for the beeping in the foreground and all the wires, he could've imagined that she was only sleeping. He gathered up her hand in one of his and squeezed it, then sighed deeply. Seeing her crumpled and unresponsive for a second time hadn't been any less painful than it had the first, but the relief at seeing her alive and breathing was just as potent this time as it had been the last. He stood by her, his hand holding hers, until his feet and calves started aching, then he dragged a chair over and scooted close enough that he could rest his head on the edge of the bed.

He retook her hand and closed his eyes and didn't fight sleep when it overtook him.

 

[Meraki]

Rita dreamed of Leon.

Not exactly a dream, but she could hear him in the dark prison of her own mind. The words were jumbled but she knew the timbre of his voice anywhere. She recognized his laugh. She knew what she was hearing was just a mess of memories her mind was working through, but she wanted to find his voice again. She wanted to feel the warmth of him against the cold that she felt. It was a bitter cold, one that sent shivers down her spine, and she felt weak. She felt like her muscles were made of led and her mind was hot air, the two dancing lightyears away from one another. She had no idea how to come back, how to open her eyes, but she still tried.

But when she finally managed, she felt a surge of nausea hit her hard. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet when she felt the way her head ached and swam. Her entire body ached with such an intensity that her breathing was uneven and shallow. But there was warmth – in all the discombobulation and confusion – she felt a warmth engulf her hand. She willed everything in her body to open her eyes and they did, slowly and her eyelashes fluttered a few times until she could manage to clear up her own vision. It was still a bit muddled, but she felt a soft groan escape her lips. Her ribs ached, her head throbbed, but she couldn't quite pinpoint where it hurt. Everything hurt and nothing hurt all at once.

What the hell was she on? What happened?

Her eyes found the IV in her hand first, leading back up to what she presumed were pain killers. No wonder she couldn't think straight. Everything was swimming together in her mind. Werewolves, Leon, Alice, the alarm – that deafening awful sound – and she remembered everything and then nothing at all. Blackness. What happened to her? Where was she? Sick bay?

Her eyes slowly glanced over at the warmth engulfing her hand to see Leon sitting there with his eyes closed, head splayed out on the edge of the bed and curls wild. She tried to find it in her mind to make her fingers wiggle but nothing moved for a moment. Once they did, though, she managed to gently and lovingly squeeze his hand. "L-Leon?" her voice was hoarse but it was to be expected when she was under so much pain medication.

 

[Acorn]

His had been the light sleep of someone perched on the edge of a chair with their head barely supported by the edge of a mattress, so he startled awake as soon as he felt Rita squeeze his hand. Leon lifted his free hand to rub the sleep from his eyes and then pushed back some of the hair that'd fallen in his face in an attempt to tame it. Several curls flopped back onto his brow and he blew at them, then ran his fingers through his hair again, so it fucked off like it should've in the first place. Not for the first time, it occurred to him that he really needed to get a haircut. Maybe there was an Enforcer barber around the corner. They had everything else, why not a place to get a cut and shave?

"Hey there," Leon said, voice still thick with sleep. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the tops of her knuckles then sat up straighter so he could hold her hand close to his chest. He wasn't planning on letting her go unless he had to. "Good to see you again."

He couldn't believe how good. Leon was relishing the lightness of relief, breathing easy for the first time in hours, and smiling stupidly at her when someone cleared their throat behind him and he turned to see Jenny holding a stethoscope in her hands.

"I thought you should know Alice is dead," she said, her voice even and controlled, like she was working air traffic control and not delivering the news that Rita's partner had just died. There was no warmth, no sympathy, nothing. She wasn't even looking at either of them, but a spot above them. Leon's mouth was hanging open when he shook his head at the woman. What the fuck was wrong with her?

He looked to Rita and licked his lips, trying to gauge her response. He hadn't had a chance to let her know that he'd had to pull a werewolf off Alice, but he hadn't even thought about Alice until now because he'd been so wrapped up in Rita. He felt a pang of guilt, then, and wished he'd been able to warn her, to ease her into the gravity of what'd happened before Jenny showed up.

 

[Meraki]

Rita couldn't make sense of much through the throbbing, but she could focus on Leon. She met his gaze and smiled gently. It was hardly big or brilliant but she was lucky to be awake at all. If the way she felt was any indication, she hadn't exactly won her battle with the werewolves. All she remembered was Alice being in the way and shoving her, then nothing. After that is was just darkness. She felt the sensation of his lips against her knuckles before she saw the gesture and she squeezed his hand again. He cradled it against his chest and she felt safe – a strange feeling when cooped up in sick bay – but she did. With his touch she felt all of the anxieties in her heart just melt away with the medication.

He was so handsome. Had she ever really noticed that before?

"You too," she breathed out slowly, ensuring that her words made more sense aloud than they did in her head. When she thought about them, they just came out in jumbles of sounds. "I'm g-glad," she took a few shallow breaths, "no one shot you." It was a light jest, but it was the most Rita she could manage right now. At the sound of a throat clearing, Rita noticed Jenny across the room with a stethoscope in hand.

You should know Alice is dead.

What? Rita blinked a few times and tried to make sense of the words. Alice – what….how? The last thing she remembered was going into a wall for Alice. There was no way. How could she? Dead. Rita's eyes averted as she tried to process the information. She knew Chase was dead. Leon was a werewolf. Alice was her partner. How could Jenny have said – unless she meant…

Rita groaned and brought her free hand up to her head, only to find it bandaged. No wonder she couldn't think straight – her mind was jumbled and it was almost molasses slow. What was it Jenny had said? Alice is...dead. The word echoed in her mind for a moment before it hit and it was just one clean shot. Her fragile psyche shattered at the mention and Rita looked back at Jenny. Alice was dead? Her partner Alice was dead. "I h-have to go…" Rita pushed herself up a bit but her head throbbed and vision spun. She was certainly not meant to be upright yet. Her ribs tugged uncomfortably.

"You have two bruised ribs, you're lucky you didn't break your spine, and your head—"

"I need to see her, I have to…to see Alice," Rita tried to get her thoughts out but was frustrated by how much the drugs were slurring her thoughts and comments. She reached down and in one swift movement pulled the IV from her hand without hesitation. She needed it gone. She needed to be able to process. What was she doing? Where was she going? Alice.

"And your IV stand rolls," Jenny deadpanned as she reached to bandage Rita's hand as she floundered for a way to stand. Jenny did not stop her. Instead, Rita kept her hand in Leon's and used him as an anchor. He was the only thing here that felt right, so she clung to him and made her way uneasily on her feet. She stumbled at first, using Leon's forearms to keep herself up. Her body was still weak, she needed more rest, but she had to know. She had to see.

It was an impossibly long walk down to the morgue as Leon essentially carried her most of the way. She found it difficult to stay upright and the world kept spinning around her. Her fatigued muscles cried out for a break, but Rita wouldn't. It wasn't until she was through the morgue doors, did she speak again or lean up against Leon for support. "Rita," the mortician said, his eyes finding hers and recognizing her immediately, "What are—"

"Alice Cunningham," she said as clear as she could manage, "Is she here?"

"I have her right here," the mortician said but made no move to show Rita. "I don't think—"

"Let me see her."

With the request, the mortician moved to unzip the body bag that they had Alice neatly zipped up in. When it revealed her face and upper body, Rita let go of Leon for a moment and stumbled forward one step and then two so she could take a better look. It was her. It was Alice and the only reason Rita knew that was because she had the same blonde hair and could see the outer edge of Alice's perfectly manicured eyebrows. Her face and throat had been more or less torn off and there was no other way to identify her save for her dental records, but Rita knew.

Chest broken open. Heart exposed. Limbs dismembered. She couldn't even recognize the left side of his face.

It was just too much. Alice was dead. Chase was dead. Each one mangled beyond recognition and she felt the throbbing in her head grow worse as she winced. The memories hit hard and Rita took a step back but her legs were not strong enough to keep her upright. She felt herself grow a bit faint but kept her consciousness as she collapsed back against Leon, her legs giving out underneath her.

 

[Acorn]

He caught her up in his arms and would've held her up until she regained her feet again, but he'd already walked farther than he thought he'd be able to while supporting Rita. If he hadn't spent the night running around and fighting other werewolves, maybe he would've been able to rally, but he sank as carefully as he could to a cross-legged position with Rita. He shifted her to her side and so she was sitting in his lap and he cradled her against him like a napping child; her cheek against the hollow of his shoulder, one arm supporting her back and the hand of his other arm wrapped around her middle.

Leon held onto her, rocking back and forth, his cheek pressed against the top of her head while he tried to look anywhere but the gurney that Alice was on. It wasn't possible, so he closed his eyes, but all he could see was her ruined face. She'd smiled at him just before the werewolf had attacked her. If he hadn't tried to go for Rita first, if he'd immediately helped Alice like he should've, then maybe she wouldn't have been turned around when the werewolf had approached her from behind, and she could've reacted, could've shot it, darted away, something, anything, but she'd had the smile ripped from her face instead. He clutched at Rita all the tighter, the muscles of his jaws flaring and his eyes stinging behind his closed eyelids.

He wasn't sure how long they sat like that before the mortician quietly asked if there was anything he could do for them. Leon knew he needed to get Rita back to the sick bay, but there was no way he could walk her back on his own. He wasn't even sure if he'd be able to be able to get to his feet again.

"Wheelchair, please, if there is one," he said, and watched with numb detachment as the man nodded and then left the room. When the mortician returned, Leon was surprised when he leaned down to help him guide Rita into the chair before he could even ask. He even held a hand out for him to clasp and help lever himself to his feet with.

It didn't occur to him how unusual the assistance had been until he was already wheeling Rita away, and by then it was too late to turn back and thank him because he couldn't fathom anything but walking forward to their destination. They were both silent as he continued pushing her through the hallways. He tried to figure out how to explain the night's events to Rita as he went, but he kept smacking into dead ends and running in loops because nothing could soften the blow that at the end of it all, Alice had died. When he reached the sick bay, he steered the wheelchair into the room Rita's bed had been in and was relieved to see that Jenny was nowhere in sight. He kicked the wheel lock into place with his foot, then walked around to the front.

"Hey, let's get you back in bed," he said, his voice soft, and extended his hand to her.

 

[Meraki]

The next thing Rita knew, she was being helped up into a wheelchair. It felt like blacking out with her eyes open, because she could feel Leon there but she couldn't process anything around her. The meds were making her drowsy and groggy, pulling her vision back and forth like a tug-o-war. She missed the warmth, she missed the feeling of Leon's arms around her and she lulled her head to the side as they rolled away from the corpse. She was missing her face. Alice didn't even look like Alice. Every time she closed her eyes she could see it. Then Chase. All she wanted to see was Leon.

When she opened her eyes back up, they were back under the fluorescent lights of the sick bay and she saw Leon's hand extended to her and she looked up at him with sleepy, big green eyes. She took his hand and between the two of them they managed to get her up and onto the edge of the bed. Rita was happy to feel the comfort of the bed beneath her and she slipped underneath the covers. She was so cold, though she wasn't sure if the chill came from her actual body temperature or because she was processing the reality of what happened.

The pain hit hard, but she didn't want to be numb. She didn't want to hide from the pain. She needed to be alert, she needed to be awake for herself and Leon.

"They won't even call her family," Rita said evenly, her head throbbing, "They won't unless they don't have someone else to confirm identity."

God, everything hurt. She wished she had tears left to cry. Instead, her breathing just turned ragged and shallow. Feeling the edge of a panic attack edging in, Rita reached for Leon's hand and tugged him towards her, scooting so that there was room for him to lie beside her. She needed the closeness, she needed to be there with him. It was so easy to get lost in the pain and fall back into old habits, but she didn't want to. She just needed him there, because every single time she closed her eyes – she saw Alice and Chase. When she opened them, she just wanted to see Leon.

"What happened?" she asked, feeling the ache in her head intensify. She knew the medication was pushing out of her system and she could finally think straight. "I just remember pushing her out of the way – but I…everything is dark after that."

 

[Acorn]

Leon stepped forward when she pulled on his hand, and though it took him a moment to process that she'd made space for him on the bed, he did ease himself up, careful not to move too quickly because he didn't want to force Rita off the other side. Neither of them had it in them to get her up off the ground again. He situated himself on his side, pillowed his head under his arm and then scooted close so he could pull her against his chest and left his arm around her. Her eyes were tired and her face was lined with pain, and he struggled with how he'd answer because he didn't want to add more for her to process. With how she'd gone down to see Alice, he didn't imagine she'd be satisfied until she had her explanation. Maybe if it came from him instead of someone like Jenny, it'd be easier to process.

He took a deep breath, released it, then started peeling the band-aid off.

"Werewolf threw you into a wall," he said, remembering how she'd fallen to the ground, unmoving and bleeding. "You didn't get up. Alice, I made her let me out, told her I could help. Changed faster than I ever have, and I—" His brow knitted, and he wet his lips before he continued. "Soon as she let me out, all I could see was you, hurt, and I tried to go to you, but a werewolf went for her and I got it right before it got her. She hit it with a tranq and it stopped fighting me. When I got back up, there was another one behind her and it…"

He trailed off. It was impossible not to experience it again: the scream, the wet sound of it tearing and pulling her apart, the metallic smell of blood. Leon took several quick breaths, his mouth disappearing into a thin line. He couldn't make himself look at Rita.

"By the time I pulled it off her," he shook his head. "If I'd got that first one faster, she woulda known it was there. She wouldn't've been helping me still."

 

[Meraki]

Rita just listened as he spoke.

She recognized the pain in his voice – she had heard it for a long time being expelled from her own lungs. He blamed himself and she could feel the guilt pooling in every single word that he spoke. She mulled over each word that he spoke and each one settled into her heart. "Chase called me before he went home that night," Rita admitted gently, trying to keep herself even, "he asked me if I minded if he took the subway home. It was our anniversary and he just had to stay late – I understood. I told him it was fine. I told him that I would see him whenever he got home."

"I should have been selfish, I should have told him I wanted him home. But I couldn't –" she took a deep breath, "I had no way to know. It's all so much easier looking back. Everything makes sense once it's happened."

It was a heartbreaking realization, but Rita was trying to ease Leon through the guilt. It was hard – she'd been dealing with it for a long time now. She rested her head against his chest and curled herself around him. The pain was intense and she wished it would go away, but she wanted to be here for Leon. She wanted to be coherent for him. He didn't deserve to go through this alone like she had. "You've never fought other werewolves before, let alone fought as a werewolf when you're self-aware," she breathed out, "You took out two werewolves, Leon. You did everything to protect her and me. Do you think if you hadn't stood in front of me that I would have just been left bleeding out on the ground?"

"You know what those senses are like – they would have been drawn to it," she explained. Her words were stronger, coming in full sentences but she still had to close her eyes as she spoke, dizzy from the wound and fluorescent lights. "Alice could take care of herself, I was always so overprotective, but," Rita let out a shaky exhale, "she was more than capable of defending herself. You didn't cause it – sometimes it just…it just happens." It was painful to hear because she'd been told that by her mother time and time again, but she was beginning to understand the truth in it. Death, like life, was unpredictable.

Their time could be up at any time and they'd never see it coming.

"We all know what it means to be an Enforcer," she explained as gently as she could, "We all knew the risk coming into this. You weren't the reason she's gone, Leon, you're the reason she survived as long as she did. And if I know one thing about Alice, it's that if she could hear you right now she would be revoking your cookie privileges immediately."

Rita winced and lifted her head so she could look up at Leon. She was hurting both physically and mentally, but she knew that he needed this. She had learned to live with the grief for so long, but he didn't deserve to cut himself down the way he was. "It doesn't go away," Rita said gently, "but it gets easier."

She didn't know when, but it had to. "Thank you for saving me," she breathed out, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

 

[Acorn]

She was much better with words than he was, he realized. Everything she said was a soothing balm applied to his raw emotions, and he found himself thinking about and acknowledging, if not outright accepting what she said. If he'd been left alone with his guilt, he would've held onto it until he found some way to punish himself appropriately — like he had with his friends' deaths and being completely uprooted from his old life. He'd viewed the loss of everything, how he was treated at the facility and even his time with Lorelei as his penance. He'd justified it all because he'd fucked up and he knew he needed to be held responsible and treated accordingly.

He hadn't known anything about werewolves or full moons when he'd planned a reunion camping trip with a few of his old high school buddies. The circumstances had been out of his control, and of course, if he could rewind time he would do things differently, plan the trip a week later, or hit up a bar instead, but he hadn't. Perhaps that's all that needed to be said about it.

He'd hesitated and maybe if he hadn't, Alice would've turned sooner, and she would've been able to fight back, but maybe she wouldn't have. As it was, he'd done his best and though it didn't seem like enough in hindsight, it'd been all he could do at the time. Rita seemed to think it was worthwhile, and that he'd made enough of a difference that her outcome had been good, at least. He'd expected that she'd be angry with him, disappointed he hadn't done more, but there she was again: forgiving and compassionate.

Leon felt Rita move against his chest and met her gaze when she looked up at him, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by her and everything she was and everything she'd said and at a loss for how to respond.

Then there was a ghost of a smile on his lips and he breathed a puff of a laugh. "Well shit, Rita, what am I gonna beat myself up for now?"

 

[Meraki]

"I hope nothing," Rita smiled gently, "You deserve happiness, even if it doesn't always feel that way. You have a rosary, you know. Ever wonder why you can confess to a priest that you've murdered someone and all you'll get are ten Hail Mary's to pray?"

"It's because eye for an eye doesn't work. You get prayers for penance because the point of it all is that you come to accept what you have done and try to change."

Rita saw firsthand the way guilt ate at him. Throughout the entire endeavor with Lorelei, she understood. He agreed to these things because he thought he deserved them, because in some fucked up way he thought he was paying for all the wrong he had done. But suffering only brought more suffering and endure it never changed anything. Rita knew that one all too intimately. She'd drowned herself in the pain of Chase's death because she thought enduring it was strong – no, healing was. Moving forward and trying to change was strength.

Because falling into the darkness, that was easy. Climbing back out? That was miraculous.

Rita caught his gaze with hers and she was frozen for a moment. She wished she could blame the head wound (though she could probably blame the drugs tapering off in her system), but she found herself listening to her own words. If Leon was trying to find happiness and Rita wanted to be that happiness, was it really so bad for her to look at him like she was? Was she a terrible person for enduring so much and wanting just one, honest moment with someone who cared about her? He had watched her die once and nearly a second time tonight and he had the most tender touch. He was careful, gentle, but his fingertips were warm against her.

Everything was so warm.

Rita glanced up before she slowly and gently captured his lips with her own. It was a slow kiss, lingering for a moment before she pulled back ever so slightly to shake her head. "Remind me to apologize to you for that," Rita said gently, "when all of these drugs are out of my system."

 

[Acorn]

He'd caught the glimmer in her eyes before she started moving towards him, and he was still in a state of disbelief when her lips pressed against his, soft and warm, but then she'd pulled away, leaving his mouth tingling and a desire for more. He didn't back away from her and reached out to cup the side of her face and brush her cheek with his thumb.

"Apologize?" He chortled and the corners of his eyes creased. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to kiss you? Don't ever apologize."

All those nights ago when she'd visited him in his containment unit, beautiful in her little black dress and a bag of McDonald's in hand, he'd wanted to kiss her. He'd pulled away from her when he realized how much because he'd been afraid he'd felt an attraction to her just because she'd been kind to him. Lorelei had picked up on that and taunted him before she'd triggered his first change outside of the full moon.

He rolled the witch's words around in his head sometimes: I saw how you looked at her. You only needed a little attention. You ate it up, didn't you?

The words had started to lose their sting, though. After everything they'd been through — after all the near deaths, Jackson's revelation, and the loss of Alice — Rita had sought him out to hold her, allowed him his shows of affection, held his hand and carried on with laughter and conversations.

"And don't you go blaming it on the drugs, either," he said, raising his eyebrows warningly. "I won't believe it."

 

[Meraki]

Leon was quick to scold her, his words warm and kind. He told her quickly that he would never believe any nonsense about drugs or being discombobulated from her head wound. She let out a soft laugh and looked back up to him. He'd wanted to kiss her. Maybe it had been a long time, a real long time since she'd been with someone. Chase had been dead for a year and after his death, she shut herself in and closed herself off. It was so strange to be lying there in another man's arms and pressing her lips to his. It had been nearly a decade since she'd ever dated someone who wasn't Chase.

And Leon was not Chase, but that wasn't a bad thing.

"What was it? The McDonalds, right? That's what made you so wildly attracted to me?" she let out a laugh and it shook her mind a bit, enough that she winced a bit and sort of uselessly thumped her head against his chest. His arms were closed around her and she felt safe. There was a lot of pain between them and Alice's death hung heavy on both of their shoulders, but there was nothing they could do right now. There was nothing they could say or anywhere they could go. He was too tired and she was too hurt, so all they could manage was a moment together – ensuring that the other was okay.

This was going to be a long road, but Rita could only hope that Leon fighting for the Enforcers would give him a chance at his life again. Maybe once he was gone, he would find something better, someone better, but for now she was going to keep it from her mind and just do what she did best. She stayed with Leon, made sure he was alright.

"God," she groaned, "I have no idea what Jenny put me on, but everything is spinning."

Her eyes stayed shut for a moment. Images of Chase and Alice flashed in her mind again and again, but when it became too much, she opened them to find Leon there. Very much alive. "But fine," she finally resided to remark back at his warning, "I won't blame it on the drugs. How about instead – you promise to have dinner with me one day when we manage to get you out of here? I'll cook you a homemade meal and everything."

 

[Acorn]

"Hmm," he said, the sound rumbling up from deep within his chest. "More like that dress you had on." He'd thought she was gorgeous from the first time he'd put eyes on her, learned of her kindness and giving nature soon after, but that night had been a culmination of the two. It was the first time a woman had stopped in at a fast food restaurant in a cocktail dress and heels for him, after all.

When he stopped and considered it, Leon was a touch chagrined to think that she might've realized at the time he'd been mooning over her, had figured out why he'd turned cold all of a sudden, but he had her in his arms and she'd kissed him and he realized it didn't matter one bit.

His arms tightened around her when she complained of spinning, and his expression was one of concern, but when she opened her eyes and mentioned having an actual dinner with her, something more like a date than the cafeteria ventures they'd been on, he blinked in surprise. When we manage to get you out of here, she'd said. She had to be talking about his jailbreak, the thing they'd always joked about happening but realized was a fantasy. He smiled regardless, and ran a hand over her hair, careful of her bandage.

"I'll bring wine," he said quietly. "Why don't you try and get some rest now?"

 

[Meraki]

I'll bring wine.

Rita knew that Leon didn't believe there would ever be an end to this – but she refused to accept that as a fact. Someday they would manage at least one night away from this facility, she was sure of it. But instead of arguing, she listened to him for once and let her eyes flutter shut so she could fall asleep peacefully in his arms.

Days passed and Jenny kept Rita for observations far longer than she was comfortable. By the time she was set free, her head wound was just a tender spot on the back of her skull. The bandage was gone and after a quick shower she looked back to normal. What worried her most was when Jenny came into her room in sick bay and asked – no, demanded her and Leon's presence in her office. When Rita asked why she needed to see them, Jenny brushed her off and told her that she needed to speak to her and Leon before Rita went home for the night. It had been days since she'd last been home and she was looking forward to the freedom, but it also made her heartache for Leon.

She thought about bringing up Leon's freedom, but Jenny was gone in an instant and Rita conceded. An argument for another time, then.

Rita made her way down to the containment unit slowly. There was no evidence left of Alice's death, but Rita still felt it deep in her heart. The Enforcers were cold like that – there was no fanfare or celebration of life. If you were dead, you weren't helpful and that hindered their job. Rita never felt that way. She found herself still seeing Alice every time she closed her eyes. Alice. Chase. She shook it away and sighed. Maybe she did want those painkillers.

It would make this all so much easier.

Keying into his room, Alice knocked on the doorway and let a smile stretch across her lips. "Look who Jenny finally cleared out of sick bay," Rita laughed as she walked in and stopped at the end of his bed to swat his feet playfully so she could sit for a moment.

"I wish I came bearing better news, but…" Rita sighed, "Jenny told me that we need to be in her office before I head home. Not really sure I'm allowed to leave until it happens."

"I don't think we're in trouble, but fuck if I know Jenny anymore."

 

[Acorn]

"Welcome back," he said with a smile, then lifted the arm he'd had draped over his eyes to block out the glare of fluorescent lights. After a month's worth of complaining, the lights still only had two settings: off and on, and they'd threatened to leave them on all the time if he didn't shut up about how easy it'd be to install a dimmer and put them on a timer. When Rita assaulted his feet, he made a show of protesting, but moved them out of the way and sat up to face her.

"Jenny wants to see us?" he asked, and pulled a face like he'd smelled rotten fish. And if he was being honest, the fish would be better company. "Ooo-kay," he drawled as he stood. He'd suspected the doctor would want to see him after his stunt with the other werewolves, but it didn't make any sense to him why she'd want to see them both at the same time. They'd only find out once they visited with her, though, and the faster they did the faster Rita could go home. He didn't enjoy it when she left, but he understood why she did; he sure as fuck didn't want to hang out at the facility, either.

When they entered Jenny's office, she was sitting primly behind her desk, two manilla folders spread on the surface. Wordlessly, she gestured to the two chairs in front of her and as they sat, he began to feel like he'd been sent to the principal's office and damned if she didn't have the look down: eyebrows up, head tilted back slightly so she was looking down her nose at them, and no smile. As soon as they settled, she slid one folder towards Leon.

"We've decided your use to us as an Enforcer outstrips that of being a subject in our research. Effective immediately, you are an employee of The Supernatural Registration Enforcement Agency."

"What?" he said and grabbed the folder. His name, not his number, was labeled on the folder's tab. He opened it to flip through a stack of papers, all official looking, with lots of tiny print and scrawled signatures, shaking his head.

While he processed, Jenny pushed another folder towards Rita. There weren't nearly as many papers within, but they would confirm what she said next in the same tiny print with the same scrawled signatures.

"Your new partner assignment. Since you have already established a… working relationship with one another, we thought it best that it be allowed to continue," she said before she turned again to Leon, who was still reading and shaking his head. She cleared her throat and he looked up, his mouth hanging ajar. "Leon, you answer to Rita, and she answers to me. If you fail at this, you'll both be held responsible. Don't fail."

He frowned and closed his folder, ready to make a quip about that not being the definition of a partner, but she held a finger up and he remained quiet.

"You'll find a security card in the folder; it will grant you access to all doors you have clearance for. You are free to come and go from the facility as you need."

Leon flipped to the back of the paperwork and sure enough, within an envelope was a card identical to the one all the Enforcers used.

Freedom.

He looked at Rita, his mouth slowly working its way into a massive grin.

 

[Meraki]

In a moment, Jenny was gone – before Rita could even react.

Partners.

It was like Alice had never existed and that made her heart ache so fiercely that she was unsure if she could feel any happiness about it. When she said Leon's name, though, immediately Rita's heart thudded in her chest. This was it. This was their jailbreak and instead of fighting back, they just let him go free. It was such a relief to know she hadn't lied to him all that time ago about maybe getting employed. He was an Enforcer, now, and her partner. They would be able to spend time together and he would be able to – god, he would be able to leave.

And when she turned to him, his massive grin showed her that he was on the same exact page.

Freedom.

Immediately, once Jenny was gone, Rita bolted up and threw herself into Leon's arms. "You did it," she smiled brightly, pride beaming in every inch of her expression, "I knew it, come on. Let's get your stuff back."

She tugged him down to the retrieval desk so that he could get his belongings (other than the ones Rita had brought him). They told him that his things could remain in the cell to give him another week to find permanent residency, but Rita didn't even process those words. All she could think about was the moment they had spent on her bed in sick bay and the promise he had made her. It made her antsy, but she knew that she had to follow through. That, and he deserved to have a real meal – and a place to stay, if he wanted it, but she didn't want to be too forward.

She was feeling quite a bit at once that she hadn't felt in some time.

After he had his things, she smiled at him and took his hand for a second. She turned it palm up and pulled a pen from the pocket of her blazer so she could scribble in nice neat letters the address to her apartment. "Seven o'clock," she said finally, "My place. Don't be late, ok? Wear something nice. I promised you dinner and I plan to deliver. It won't be any of your Abuela's cooking, I'm sure, but I think I have enough southern girl in me to make something nice."

"And don't forget the wine," she said finally, pressing a kiss to his cheek slowly before making her way off to her own apartment. She hadn't been home in quite some time, so there was plenty of cleaning to do and tidying to figure out. She stopped at the grocery store to pick up the essentials, as well. She figured steak for a Texas boy would be good enough and with some extra fixings, she made her way back with bags in arms to prepare. It was such a strange feeling, difficult to explain, because she didn't know what she was doing. It had been so long since she dated anyone that the thought of him showing up suddenly frightened her. What if the food wasn't good? What if he showed up and their little kiss had been a one time thing? What if he agreed to stay and noticed that she was never quite capable of sleeping?

Was he only attracted to her because he thought she was beautiful? Did adult men think that way, still? God, she was going to crash and burn.

Rita went home and realized that the house was more or less pristine. It was a beautiful apartment. There was exposed brick and floor to ceiling windows by the couches. It was a open floor plan, the only walls separating back into the bedroom and bathroom, and an extra room that was being used as an office, but someday they'd hoped it would hold their child. It made Rita shake her head and push the thoughts away. Now it was just filled with a couple boxes that she'd yet to sort through. Getting dinner set up, Rita set the circular dining room table and moved to go get ready while things cooked. She showered quickly, sure to blow-dry and curl her hair. Once she was ready, she slipped on a red dress. It was a deep red, fitted in the bodice and flared just enough to fall perfectly on her upper thigh. She slipped on a pair of black heels and finished up her makeup. At least she knew appearance wise she was fine, but she still spent an extra minute or two primping.

The clock struck seven and Rita looked up, moving to take some of the food off the stove as it all came together. It was only when she heard a knock at the door did she take a deep breath and remind herself that dating wasn't easy for anyone.

Especially when your fiancé was dead. It was so complicated that they didn't have a word for it. Not a widow, but she felt like one.

With one last deep breath, Rita opened the door and felt the anxiety fall away at the sight.

 

[Acorn]

After Rita left, Leon continued to hold his hand out, his palm tingling from when she'd written on it. He rubbed his cheek where she'd kissed him and then cursed; he'd never make it there if he smeared the address before he even left. Careful to use only his unwritten on hand, he took the plastic bag with all his things into the bathroom, and was relieved that no one stopped and interrogated him for being out of his containment unit alone; it helped he'd only been twenty feet from the men's restrooms.

Leon changed into the ratty jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes he'd kept at the facility for emergencies, and walked out of the stall cringing. His shoes felt tight on his feet, the collar of his shirt felt like it was choking him, and even with as worn as his jeans were, they felt rough against his legs. Never would he have imagined it, but he missed his old uniform of t-shirt and what were essentially pajama bottoms. Now he just felt like a caterpillar in too tight of a cocoon.

After finding an outlet near the sinks, he plugged in his phone and chewed on the inside of his lip while he stared at its blank screen, waiting, waiting, and there — the happy little apple icon appeared in the middle of the screen and he scooped it up and waited for it to finish loading. His eyebrows shot up as he went through his phone: messages, missed calls, voicemails, emails. Leon was reconnected with the world, and he found out in quick order that he'd lost his job, been dropped from his classes, had his lease canceled, and likely ruined his credit in the month he'd been away.

But he had a date with Rita, so he had that going for him, right?

He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, then tapped open his contact list to make a call to his grandmother. Rita had let him use her phone a couple times, but it'd been a while since they'd touched base and he didn't want her to worry. He was talking with her quietly in Spanish when the bathroom door flew open, and he cast a furtive glance over his shoulder, afraid they'd changed their minds and were there to drag him back to the lower levels. All that happened was that he made eye contact with a man who nodded at him as he beelined for the urinal. He returned to the call laughing, and though his grandmother didn't understand why he thought it was so funny her prized hibiscus had died, she was quick to recover when he apologized and encouraged her to continue.

When he finally left the bathroom, it dawned on him that Rita had requested that he wear something nice and all his clothes had been in his apartment when they'd cleared it out. His landlord had left him a message saying he'd hold onto his stuff for a week because he'd heard about his family troubles in Texas, but after that, he'd donate everything. That had been a week ago. He stopped in the lobby to key Rita's address into his phone before he lost that, too, and pulled up directions to a clothing store he'd always liked. He looked up, tucked his phone in his pocket, then started towards the door, but stopped when it didn't open immediately. Leon snorted when he caught sight of the pad he remembered every single Enforcer tapping their security cards to before they let him out of the building.

Right, he was the Enforcer now.

"Enforce this," he mumbled as he tapped his wallet against the pad, and then grinned when the doors slid open.

Leaving the facility of his own accord gave him a powerful, heady feeling that was only somewhat diminished by the fact that when he walked out the door, he fully anticipated alarms, Enforcers with guns and yelling. Lots of yelling. It was kind of their thing.

Nothing happened, except that he was outside now; it was anticlimactic, but better than the alternative.

After a bus ride where he did his best to not think about what'd happened after his last bus ride, he made it to the clothing store. An employee approached him as soon as he entered, smiling ear to ear and offering his assistance. Leon demurred, but after walking around over half an hour agonizing over what "nice" meant, he finally took him up on his offer and explained his dilemma.

Leon left dressed in dark denim jeans, a dark grey button up shirt, a lightweight black blazer (that the guy had promised would help him cut a nice figure, but still be cool enough that he wouldn't be a sweaty mess by the time he made it to Rita's), and pair of black laced shoes that were even more uncomfortable than his tennis shoes. Now, all he needed to do was find some wine.

It wasn't until he was outside of Rita's apartment that anxiety hit him full force. Before then, he'd had something to focus on, some task to complete, but he was at her door now and all that was left was to knock. He stood there, his nostrils flared and clenching his jaw. It wasn't like she didn't want him there. She'd asked him to dinner, had practically pounced on him and insisted that his first night outside of the facility be spent with her at her place.

Do it. Do it. Just fucking do it.

He knocked.

Leon raked his free hand through his hair and had half turned from the door, fighting a strong urge to run before she answered, but he could hear footsteps, then she was there and everything stopped.

"Hey," he breathed, taking in the sight of her in a red dress that set off her… everything: her eyes, her hair, her skin, her figure. She was breathtaking in her outfit, but he knew it didn't really matter what she'd decided to wear as long he got to spend the evening with her (he would never, ever complain about the dress, though). He was smiling crookedly when he held up a wine bottle. "Pinot Noir. Didn't know what you were making, but figured it was a safe bet."

 

[Meraki]

She kicked herself for not noticing the moment they met how handsome Leon was. It could be attributed to the act that he was bleeding at the time, naked as the day he was born as she tried to keep himself decent. She'd noticed by now the frazzled expression and wild expanse of his hair when he fell back into human form. It was him in a suit jacket that did it for her. It was the first time she had ever seen him without those sweats on and he did not disappoint. It took her a moment to find his eyes and then her words. "Hi," she breathed out with a smile as the heat of the moment hung in the air between them. "Pinot Noir is great, come on in," she laughed and opened the door all the way for him, stepping out of the way so he could enter. She took the bottle from him and moved towards the breakfast counter looking out over the open the bottle. With a swift pop! the cork broke free and Rita reached for two glasses she already had out.

Pouring wine stopped her for focusing on the unfamiliarity of the moment. She had no idea what to do with a date, but at least it was Leon. There was no one else she would rather stumble through this moment with and that brought her some comfort.

"So dinner is almost ready," she smiled as she brought him a glass and handed it over. She couldn't remember the last time she let her hair down and have a glass of wine. She tried a few times, but it never worked. With Leon, no matter how nervous she was, she felt comfortable enough with him to give it a chance, to let herself breathe and forget about the facility for one damn second. If the two of them were going to try this, she wanted to be as far from the facility as possible. He deserved a night like this.

"I couldn't figure out what to make," she admitted with a bit of a sheepish smile, "So I just made a couple steaks, some garlic mashed potatoes, veggies and a peach cobbler for dessert. It's probably not as good of a cobbler as my mom makes. She's the real cook."

Rita had called her mother that evening at the grocery store and asked her for her recipe, to which she promptly scolded her for never calling and simultaneously prodded to know who she was cooking for. Rita managed to talk her down and slip off the phone without too much scolding. All in all, Rita wasn't a terrible cook. She was talented, actually, but it was hard to grow up under an overbearing Southern mother and feel good at any one particular thing that they excelled in.

"Here," Rita raised her glass to Leon's, "Here's to you finally being free. I told you we'd manage a jailbreak, just never thought we'd walk right out the front door."