SIGMUND: Sigmund had his laptop with him as he sat on the huge wrap-around porch of the large farmhouse he owned. The tree-ladden countryside sprawled out in front of him, and mountains arched up behind the house, creating the perfect location for both sides of Sigmund. It was a quiet, peaceful place to write, and it was an ideal place to run with no other human homes for quite a few miles around. Tapping out his op ed piece for this Sunday's paper, Sigmund let eyes flick to the clock in the corner of his screen. They'd arrive soon and he promised himself he wouldn't be anxious.

JEREMIAH: Sitting in the passenger side of Ryland's car, Jeremiah toyed with the ends of the white and black striped scarf that his brother had wrapped around his neck before he had headed out to go to Ryland's. He and Julian were not on the same shifting schedule because Aiden didn't want both boys gone at the same time. Jeremiah had had two shifts. His second had been earlier that morning and then he'd showered and slept on the guest bedroom in Ryland's house for a few hours before Ryland woke him to tell him that he was going to the pack alpha's for dinner. Jeremiah had a sinking suspicion it was so that Ryland and Jude could have some alone time but he really didn't mind. When the car pulled up at the house he smiled over at Ryland and then got out so that he could walk up and meet Sigmund. He really had no idea what he was doing or what proper protocol was. He was just mostly unfamiliar with all of this.

SIGMUND: Sigmund glanced up when he heard the car coming down the road. Closing his laptop, he set it on the table and stood up. Protocol to Sigmund was less than important and when he'd gone to visit other packs, he'd been called out on the carpet for it. But he refused to force an archaic sense of animalism on his wolves, even though he demanded respect. Sigmund thought modernity was the way to go, the saving grace and the future of werewolf-kind. Few other leaders embraced it as he did. "Hello." He watched Jeremiah carefully with sharply curious eyes.

JEREMIAH: There was something almost lethargic about Jeremiah. Walking slowly across the yard to the steps he looked up at Sigmund from the edge of the porch and he just gave him a quiet smile. "Hello." His voice was airy and light, almost like he was drugged, but he wasn't. Of the two werewolves he was the one that had been left undrugged and unchained, because Aiden didn't have to worry about him running away.

SIGMUND: Sigmund's wolf was powerful and with something so new in front of it, he had a hard time keeping the energy from overflowing. Instead of fighting it, he channeled it, reaching out his hand and taking Jeremiah's in a seemingly innocent handshake. As soon as their hands touched though, he let the power wash out over him, just enough to enliven the other, inject him with the sensation of home and welcome.

JEREMIAH: The rush of power over him gave him goosebumps and he shivered a little bit as he shook his hand. His bright blue eyes seemed to shine when he did that, jumping to life, though he just kept that soft smile on his face. "I'm Jeremiah." he said, as if Sigmund didn't know already.

SIGMUND: He nodded, releasing Jeremiah's hand after a couple of beats. "Come inside." Sigmund's tone was kind and steady, full of quiet charisma as he led the smaller wolf inside. The kitchen was cozy with a small breakfast nook. The larger meals were had in the dining room. "There's no one else here this evening, so we can eat in the kitchen." He smiled.

JEREMIAH: Jeremiah walked up the steps and into the house. He was in a fairly good mood. He felt good on account of the run and the nap that he had had. It was warm around here, which was so much different from how cold they always kept it at Aiden's house. "You have a very nice house. It's very warm."

SIGMUND: "Thank you," he said as he opened the refridgerator. "What is it that you like to eat?" Meat, he assumed, but everyone had their favorite foods and with the stock they kept in the house, Sigmund was pretty sure he could fulfill nearly any request Jeremiah might have.

JEREMIAH: "I could eat anything." Jeremiah was easy going and he liked to do whatever would please anyone else. When he got to the kitchen he moved to lean against the counter next to the refridgerator and he just watched Sigmund as he looked inside. "Do you think that we could have mashed potatoes?" He liked those and he hadn't gotten them in a while. They were very limited to what there was to eat at Aiden's because it had to be what thye could make.

SIGMUND: Such a simple request made Sigmund grin. "Uh, yeah. Yeah we can have mashed potatoes." He set to fixing dinner, nothing from scratch, but everything was sure to taste good. Sigmund was a master by now at making large quantities of food fast and well. He put on some Shake n' Bake chicken as well. Once everything was cooking, he sat down at the table. "So, how has it been so far?"

JEREMIAH: "I don't know, I can't remember." he'd only shifted twice. "I remember taking a bath and then waking up in the basement in bed, and then I remember driving out here and then waking up in the guest bedroom at Ryland's house so that I could come over here to talk to you."

SIGMUND: Sigmund quirked a brow, folding his hands together on the table. "If you don't remember much, then what will we talk about?" He was half kidding really, and the smile that followed his words indicated that. "Do you have questions?"

JEREMIAH: "Aiden said that I was screaming and thrashing around and that it sounded like I was in a lot of pain. Does it always hurt?" Because he couldn't remember it being painful. "I was very sore after."

SIGMUND: "It gets easier as time goes on, and it's always better if you try not to resist it." After a second, he frowned, names registering. "Aiden?" That was peculiar and a chill went up his spine, realizing who that must be.

JEREMIAH: "Yes, Aiden. He keeps me." Like a pet, but he wasn't going to say that. "I stay at the house with him and his brothers. They are Ryland's brothers."

SIGMUND: Sigmund didn't know what to say to that, feeling profoundly blindsided. Jaw clenching down, he got up to stir in the potatoes, whisking them perhaps a little too hard and getting blops of mix on the counter. Jeremiah looked healthy, at the very least, but he knew how much abuse a wolf could take before showing it. "Keeps you?"

JEREMIAH: "Yes." Jeremiah came over to stand beside Sigmund and he ran his finger over one of the blobs of mashed potato and he stuck it in his mouth. "Aiden found us after we left the pack we were in." Their father had been the leader of their pack, though he had kept the twins very sheltered because of the hostility with some of the pack members and because they were his youngest sons. When their father had gotten killed and overthrown, Julian had taken Jeremiah and run with him and Jeremiah had followed.

SIGMUND: "Well now that you've found this pack, you can come and live here." If only it were that easy. Something told Sigmund it wasn't, but at least he could live in a fantasy world for a few seconds as he pulled the chicken out of the oven and dished them up two plates. The plates were more like platters in this house, and he put extra on Jeremiah's plate because he was a growing boy and needed it.

JEREMIAH: "I like Aiden." Jeremiah said definitively. As if there was just no other choice in the matter. "He's very nice to me and he treats me very well." And he was sure that when Julian came around the vampire would treat him better too. "but if you wouldn't mind, I would like to come out to visit sometimes. It's nice here. Very warm. Jude is sweet and Ryland is very helpful."

SIGMUND: Sigmund picked up on everything held in Jeremiah's voice and he took a moment to consider it. Carrying both of their plates to the table, Sigmund set them down and looked the little wolf over again. "Aiden's brother Victor isn't exactly the best friend of werewolves." He felt the need to point out. "But I wouldn't force you to stay somewhere you didn't want to be. I'd love for you to visit us though." Because that would at least ease Sigmund's mind that he was getting some healthy interaction.

JEREMIAH: Coming to the table, Jeremiah sat down beside Sigmund at the table and he tucked one leg up under him so he was a little bit higher in the seat. "Victor isn't very nice but he has been nicer since Elijah." The vampire had found a toy to play with and for the most part he left everyone else in the house alone. "We stay in the basement, and Victor stays upstairs."

SIGMUND: It was clear that he didn't like talking about this, but he wanted all of the information that Jeremiah would give him. "Elijah?" He asked, praying to whatever god there was that this new name wasn't a wolf too. A wolf in Victor's hands would need to be dealt with.

JEREMIAH: "He's a boy from the symphony. Victor takes him everywhere. He's very tall and skinny and he's very pretty. I think that I heard Victor telling Gavin that he wants to make Elijah his servant but I didn't know what that meant." But to Sigmund he might understand that it meant Elijah was human.

SIGMUND: Breathing a sigh of relief, Sigmund really didn't have the heart or time to worry about the rest of the world, and humans certainly fit into that category. He started to eat then, cutting up his chicken and smoothing his fork through his mashed potatotes. There was water and juice on the table already. "You need to make sure to eat enough protein. Don't be afraid to eat too much; you're body knows what it needs."

JEREMIAH: "I ate a lot the first night." after the first time that he shifted. "Julian's been shfiting for a long time already, I thought I wasn't ever going to shift." but he was glad that he did because it made him feel closer to Julian and he liked that. "How often will this happen? I started feeling really itchy and hot and that's why Aiden brought me to see Ryland, and then I shifted in the woods with him I think."

SIGMUND: "It happens quite often in the first year or so. As you get older, you'll need to change less and less often, but once a week is a good schedule to keep you healthy. You'll learn the signs. Hot, itchy skin is one of the main ones, though that's pretty close to when your body will just take over and shift for you. That's very dangerous for those around you."

JEREMIAH: "How will I know before it gets to that point?" Because he couldn't tell what the other signs were, he just knew that he needed to shift when he started to get really warm and he'd told Aiden that. "Aiden said when I shifted I ran around in the yard for a while and then slept on the porch until I changed back. It doesn't seem that dangerous."

SIGMUND: "Some wolves are very vicious. There's no way of knowing for sure how it will be. Aiden was lucky, you could have ripped him apart, or at least hurt him." Sigmund had a hard time saying 'could have' instead of 'should have.' "You must be docile by nature." That was sweet and it worried him that he couldn't protect himself. "You'll want to be outside. Sometimes you'll drift off--be preoccupied and have a short attention span. You can feel it in your bones, they ache a little, you feel like stretching more."

JEREMIAH: Jeremiah nodded, taking in all the little bits of information that Sigmund was feeding him while he ate. He commited them all to memory and he liked knowing that the other wolf was trying to help him. "I've always been this way." Docile, he meant. In both his human form and his wolf form. He'd never been particularly agressive.

SIGMUND: "That can be good." He ate a few bites, chewing thoughtfully. "In pack life, your sort is needed. If everyone was aggressive, we'd have killed each other off a long time ago. But I worry you can't protect yourself, especially in the place where you live. That should be my job, by all rights."

JEREMIAH: "It was our dad's job before." Jeremiah said softly. "His name was Jack. Our oldest brother killed him and ran the rest of us out." Anyone that was blood and had claim to the alpha position. Not that Julian or Jeremiah would have ever posed a threat. Neither of the boys were alpha material, least of all Jeremiah. This was something that Sigmund would have been fairly aware of, if only having heard it through the grapevine. The pack they had come from had been descending into anarchy for a long time.

SIGMUND: Sigmund nodded, understanding quickly. That sort of pack life wasn't exactly the kind he'd want to go back to either. Sitting in silence for a little bit, he considered his options. Nothing in him was the sort who limited his wolves' choices in life. "Well, you're welcome here anytime, Jeremiah. And if you ever need help, here is where you come, all right?"

JEREMIAH: "All right." Though he didn't think that he would need help aside from a place toshift and the occasional question about what was going on. "MY dad kept us very close to him all the time. I don't know very much about how other packs work" And theirs had been so dysfunctional that it was hardly a model.

SIGMUND: "They all work a little bit differently, whatever works for that set of wolves." He didn't want to outright badmouth how Jeremiah's family was run; sometimes things were brutal. "But you'll find the wolves around here to be a little less hostile. Most, anyway. We help each other. We argue, of course, but it all comes out all right in the end."

JEREMIAH: Stirring his mashed potatoes up, he stuck the fork in his mouth and just listened to what Sigmund had to say to him. "I hope that they are less hostile here." He smiled. He didn't like to think about his family much becuase it made his stomach hurt, so he just let the rest of the comments he nearly said slide back down and he focused more on eating.

SIGMUND: Even a human could pick up on the fact that Jeremiah was through talking about his family and Sigmund granted him that, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable. His ultimate goal was to create the sort of place Jeremiah could come to if the fact that he liked Aiden ever changed. He didn't like that two were in the vampire's care, but at least the connection with Ryland would probably do them good. "What do you look like, as a wolf, I mean? Black, I would imagine."

JEREMIAH: "I don't know. Aiden said I was very small and very dark and that my eyesl ook the same as they do right now." Which he thought would be interesting. "I told him that next time I wanted him to take a picture of me so that I could see."

SIGMUND: It was odd to think of an interaction like that, but Sigmund was rather glad to hear it. "Not a bad idea. You know, as you get older, you'll be able to retain more and more of yourself when you shift. You'll remember things better. Though for some it takes a long time to get there."

JEREMIAH: "I hope that I can remember things soon." Just because he wanted to know what it was like when he shifted. Before long his plate was empty and he just leaned his head against his hand to look at Sigmund.

SIGMUND: Sigmund was finished as well. "Are you still hungry?" There was plenty food to be had and the way he asked showed that he wouldn't mind fixing something else.

JEREMIAH: "I'd like more potatoes if there are more." Jeremiah was pretty easy to please and if there were more potatoes then he'd be content with having a little more. "Do you live out here by yourself?" he asked, a random sort of question that just sort of popped into his mind.

SIGMUND: He got up and spooned up Jeremiah more potatoes. "No, some of the pack lives here. It's a pretty big house; I'd get lonely here all by myself." Sigmund couldn't imagine being in this place completely alone. There was almost always something going on in this house, and the walls were happy for it.

JEREMIAH: "Could I stay here sometime if I wanted?" he didn't want to at the moment but he liked knowing that the option was there if he ever wanted to. For now he knew he was safe at Aiden's but is Victor ever hurt him or Julian he knew he'd have no choice but to leave.

SIGMUND: "I'd like it if you would. You could have your own room, or share one, if you wanted." There was somehow always space, and only once had Sigmund had to add onto the house. He was pleased that at least Jeremiah was thinking in that direction as a possibility.

JEREMIAH: "Do you mind that we stay at Aiden's? He was afraid if we came out here we wouldn't go back." Really what he needed to worry about was what Julian wanted, because Jeremiah would always do what he wanted.

SIGMUND: Sigmund wasn't going to lie. "I worry that it will end badly if you stay with Aiden, and I worry that he isn't treating you well. So yes, I mind. But ultimately, that decision is up to you. You won't be happy if you're forced to live someplace, so I'll simply keep my door open." That was the way Sigmund worked and the way he ran the pack. Some didn't agree with him, but he'd won Alpha and if they had a problem, they could challenge him.

JEREMIAH: At least he was honest. "Aiden treats me very well and he treats Julian well now, too. " but Jeremiah did understand the dangers of living with vampires, particularly grumpy ones.

SIGMUND: The 'now' qualifier raked ice down Sigmund's back, but he did his best not to show it. "I can't quite understand why he'd want you there. Not that you aren't very nice, of course, but they don't seem the type over there to take strays in." That was, of course, without a price.

JEREMIAH: "Well it's mutually beneficial." He said, as if he was just repeating something that he had heard Aiden say to someone else or repeating perhaps something aiden had said directly to him.

SIGMUND: "How does it benefit you?" Sigmund rarely let anyone get away with generalizations unless he didn't want to deal with the issue.

JEREMIAH: "Aiden keeps us safe and he makes sure that we are well taken care of." Which he really wasn't aware that they could get from anyone else, on account of the fact that his own pack had never been particularly safe so he didn't see why Sigmund's would be.

SIGMUND: Sigmund considered that for a short moment. "All right." He'd buy that, given what he knew about Jeremiah's pack. "And what is it that he gets from you?" He wasn't certain how honest Jeremiah would be, but he had no reason to believe the kid would out and out lie.

JEREMIAH: "We feed him and I have sex with him sometimes." He didn't know if Aiden and Julian were having sex and it wasn't really something that he wanted to think about, so he just didn't.

SIGMUND: Immediately, Pirate came to mind and Sigmund shut his eyes, practically wincing. He hoped the wolf didn't catch wind of that. "You don't have to feed or have sex with someone for protection, Jeremiah. I hope you know that, and will think about it. But ultimately, that's up to you."

JEREMIAH: "It is much safer for us at Aiden's then it was back home." And that effected the way he thought about the pack that he was visiting. It seemed normal on the outside but he knew that didn't mean there wouldn't be the same sort of in fighting his own pack had gone through. "I like Aiden very much, he's sweet to me."

SIGMUND: It was getting to the point where Sigmund couldn't quite stomach the thought, so he just nodded. "Of course. That's good." Nodded, and agreed as much as he could. Standing up, he went to put the dishes in the sink, filling it up with hot soapy water.

JEREMIAH: Jeremiah got the idea that he had said something wrong and so he just sat there quietly, his hands folded in his lap as he watched Sigmund rinse the dishes. "Would you like me to help you do the dishes?"

SIGMUND: Glancing over his shoulder with a large smile, Sigmund shook his head. "No, no don't worry about it; I'm going to let these soak." Wiping his hands off on the dish towel, he turned to motion Jeremiah to get up. "I'll give you a tour."

JEREMIAH: Jeremiah got up from the table and he tucked his hands into the pockets of the hoodie that he had on. "Of the house?"

SIGMUND: "Yeah!" He was enthusiastic again, casually pushing aside his own issues with Jeremiah and Aiden. He led him out of the kitchen into the high-ceilings of the front entrance area. All of the decorations were reminiscent of an old farmhouse, and when they went into the living room, a stone fireplace was the centerpiece. Comfort seemed a priority here and the rooms Sigmund showed were all filled with a homey sense.

JEREMIAH: The whole place was so warm in comparison to the stone hallways and the chilled bedrooms at the vampires' house. Jeremiah wanted to dive onto the couch and just curl up but he just smiled at Sigmund instead and nodded a little. "I like this room."

SIGMUND: He showed him the bedrooms, a couple of the empty ones especially, noting that they were--in fact--empty currently. The backyard was the last place to be shown, and compared to the front (which had a large, open space and rolling fields on the other side of the drive), the backyard had a swimming pool that looked like a giant pond and overlooked a deep running ravine overgrown with trees. At the foot, there was forest that spread on for miles.

JEREMIAH: Walking over to the pool, he crouched down and leaned over so that he could put his hand into the water. He loved swimming but it felt like it had been ages since the last time he'd gotten in any body of water.

SIGMUND: Even though it was getting cooler outside, Sigmund always kept the pool open as late as he could. There was also a creek running down below for winter dips though, even if it was far too cold for Sigmund to ever venture into. "All of this space is for our runs. There's a path down to the bottom, and lots of land to explore, animals to hunt." He spoke about the place like he loved it, because he did.

JEREMIAH: "The next time I am here can I go swimming?" he wasn't sure when that would be but he thought it was maybe still warm enough for him to get into the water if it was in the next week or two. It was getting cooler but he hoped it wouldn't be too cool to swim.

SIGMUND: "Yes, of course you can." Sigmund always automatically assumed that this place could be treated like home to any wolf. He was somewhat idealistic in that way. "And I'd like you to come for runs here when you can. We can teach you about your shift, safety, tricks, things like that."

JEREMIAH: "All right." Jeremiah trailed his fingers along the water again before he stood up and turned to follow after Sigmund, wherever they were going next. "Is it okay if Julian comes too?"

SIGMUND: Julian was the one Sigmund worried about the most. One, because he hadn't been able to visually check that he was all right. Two, because the way Jeremiah talked, he was treated more dubiously. "I'd like to meet him." He nodded, heading back into the house.

JEREMIAH: "Maybe the next time he comes for a shift you can. He's already been out here once to Ryland's house." He walked back to the house with Sigmund and went up on the porch and into the house.

SIGMUND: "You're both welcome here anytime. If I'm not here, there's usually someone around to let you in. They'll know you." Because Sigmund was going to make sure to tell each and every wolf who lived at the house to be kind to the brothers.

JEREMIAH: "Okay. Do you know what time Ryland was coming back to get me?" Not because he didn't like Sigmund but because he was a little bit anxious for some reason.

SIGMUND: "Soon, I imagine." He was going to have a hard time letting Jeremiah out of his sight and deep down, he was having a hard time not blaming Ryland for this whole ordeal--even if it was definitely not his fault.

JEREMIAH: "Dinner was very nice and so is your house but I miss my brother." He didn't like being away from Julian for very long and though he didn't get to see Julian as much as he wanted, the boy was at least in the same house as him when he was home.

SIGMUND: "I understand. I miss my brother when he's not around too." Even though often times it didn't seem like that because Logan was always getting into some sort of trouble. He smiled amiably and spoke again. "Should I call him to come pick you up?"

JEREMIAH: "Please." Jeremiah didn't want Sigmund to feel like he didn't want to be there, but he just started feeling weird when he was away from Julian for too long. Out of his comfort zone.

SIGMUND: He tried to picture what Jeremiah's face would look like if he suddenly said the boy wasn't going anywhere. Some would say that was the right thing to do, that and bust in to wrest Julian away from Adrien as well. But that wasn't exactly a guarantee that any injuries would be spared--quite the opposite. Nodding, he left to call Ryland. When he returned, he noted that the others were on their way.

JEREMIAH: When he said they were on their way Jeremiah just nodded and he toyed with the ends of his scarf, trying to settle himself down. "I don't know why I feel so anxious all of the sudden, I just do."

SIGMUND: Sigmund had been so wrapped up with his own internal dialog that he hadn't noticed Jeremiah's anxiety. Focusing on him, he tipped his head and reached out ever so gently with his wolf, stretching out the energy just to check on Jeremiah's status. One could never be to cautious; shifting in the car would be a disaster.

JEREMIAH: He wasn't anywhere near a shift, he didn't even really have the energy fori t, but he was anxious and juts kind of unsettled as he went from foot to foot.

SIGMUND: Relieved, Sigmund stepped closer to him, putting his hand on his shoulder and trying his best to steady him with his own relaxed state of being. "You're protective of him. That's good, don't ever lose that."

JEREMIAH: "I think he's very protective over me too. I would go anywhere Julian wanted to go or do anything he wanted to." Which meant if Julian ever decided to leave Aiden, Jeremiah would go with him.

SIGMUND: Taking note of that, Sigmund wondered if he could ever convince the other brother to pull Jeremiah away from the vampires. He'd give it time because that was all he really could give it. When the car showed up, Sigmund sent Jeremiah out with a fatherly pat on his back.

JEREMIAH: "Thank you for dinner." he said with a polite nod and then he wandered over and slid into the car with Ryland, hoping that the man would take him back to Aiden's right away.