Elle stood over the body of the werewolf on the floor and the armed cops and animal control officers made crud jokes and comments to one another. The monster's brains were on the floor and Elle knew that she and her brother were free, free of this curse. Elle could still feel her heart pounding in her chest and the aura of adrenaline left her shaky and in shock.

"It's over right?" Jimmy asked. Elle looked at him and saw the same signs of worry and fatigue. She took a deep breath and composed herself; she had to be strong, for him.

"Joanie's dead, so we're OK now…" Elle trailed off.

"Well, that's subjective, we still have to go back to our pathetic pre-cursed lives."

"I'm personally ok with that." Giving him the big sister look. His ability to make jokes after all the death and destruction was so, so, Jimmy.

"Well you're not in high school," Jimmy teased. Elle had to smile. They walked out the side exit trying to avoid the police as much as possible. At some point, Elle knew someone would track them down; ask a million questions, but not tonight. Not with the body of a skinny blonde naked woman lying on the floor of the ruined club with god only knows how many police bullets in her. All Elle wanted to do was to get home, shower and crawl into bed and forget this night, as if that was even possible.

Elle and Jimmy returned home to find the door wide open, claw marks everywhere and dog food scattered across the kitchen floor. Elle looked about expecting Jake to be there, could he have done all this?

"What happened?" Elle asked. She has worked so hard to keep the house like their parents had left it before they died. It almost broke her heart but she let that sadness turn to anger and annoyance to give her strength to keep on going.

"Zipper," Jimmy said. He still could not believe that a dog bit a werewolf and turn into a worse monster. He looked around and based on how Elle was standing he knew she was pissed which made Jimmy feel even more guilty. This mess, at least, was his fault.

"Are you OK?" Jimmy asked looking at the mess.

"I will be." Elle said and began to pick up pots and pans to put on the counter to wash.

Elle was in battle mode as she attacked the mess with her cleaning, but even with this distraction she could not help but think about Jake. He had tried to explain things to Elle before Joanie attacked and she never gave him the chance. All Elle could think about was how Jake had put himself in front of Elle to fend off Joanie before she attacked and while she…changed. Joanie had been merciless. Elle could still see the blood where she had torn into Jake. Supposedly werewolves were supposed to heal, but he did not get up, and even as she played back the moment in her head, Elle could swear she saw his inside leaking out. Was he dead? With too many people in the club, Elle had not taken the time to look for Jake, and now, despite everything, she felt guilty that she had not checked for him.

"What's wrong? Are you worried about Jake?" Jimmy asked. "His secret is out, he had to disappear."

Elle cringed and cleaned faster. "I don 't want to talk about it Ok?" Elle said. Cleaning had always been her great coping skill.

"I know you think that he's a good guy, Ellie," Jimmy said, trying to convince himself as much as her, Damn it he had liked Jake! Bastard! "But don't forget, all of this…everything we've been through, is because of him. When it comes down to it, a monster is still a monster."

"Jimmy that's enough," Elle snapped.

"I guess some things never change." Jimmy pouted.

Elle let Jimmy's words sink in. He was right. How close had they come to being monsters themselves? Elle didn't even want to think about what that life would be like.

"Do you think you can get us some light?" Elle asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll check the circuit breaker."

Elle started to clean and heard a noise.

"How are you doing with those lights?" Elle called.

"Yeah, one second." Jimmy yelled and fiddled with the electrical panel shocking himself on the circuit breaker. "Shit!"

"Is everything ok down there?" Elle called.

"Yeah it's fine, I just…." The lights flicked on.

"Thank you." Elle called. She finished sweeping in her little corner of the kitchen and turned towards the fridge. Brushing the broom across the floor, something shiny caught the light. Elle leaned down and picked up the silver-serving knife that had been from her parent's wedding. As she held the handle, something changed as smoke and burning started. Elle tried to hold on but the pain was too much.

Elle's heart was racing and she looked at the clock, it was close to midnight. Something was wrong! Heart racing Elle backed away from the knife as if that would change anything. They were supposed to be free! Joanie was dead, right? Elle wanted to yell for Jimmy but a wave of pain dropped her to her knees.

Meanwhile in the basement, Jimmy was going through his own changes. Looking at the burn on his fingertip, Jimmy watched as the flesh went from burnt red to healthy pink in seconds under the swinging basement light, but then his watched in horror as claws began to form. Heart racing, Jimmy watched as claws popped out of his sneakers as he heard his sister scream. Faster than he thought possible Jimmy was up the stairs and back in the kitchen where he found Elle on the ground in pain.

"What is happening?" Elle asked as her gold eyes flashed pain and desperation.

"This shouldn't be happening!" Jimmy said. "The curse should be broken!"

"It's not," Elle growled, getting to her knees.

Now it was jimmy's turn to be bent over double by the pain of the change. It was all Elle and Jimmy could do to fight the change and keep on breathing.

Then the door opened.

Bo stood in the door way, holding a something tightly in his hand, with such a puppy dog look on his face that Jimmy was startled enough to forget his own pain. But then the wind hit and all that changed as both Jimmy and Elle caught the scent of blood. Clenched in Bo's hand was a dog collar that was soaked in dried and sticky blood.

"They shot your dog…"Bo said choking out the words, and then he saw Jimmy's eyes and froze.

"Zipper," Jimmy managed to say, but it was Elle who took action.

"We need to get out of here before we hurt someone," Elle said grabbing Jimmy's arm and pulling him past Bo.

All Elle knew was that Jimmy smelled like food. The dog blood on the collar made it worse, like an appetizer for the main course. All Elle knew was that she was going to do everything in her power that if she and Jimmy were going to turn into monsters at least they would not be murders.

Bo grabbed Jimmy's arm. "Let me drive you."

"Are you nuts," Elle growled."

"Think about it, you are in the middle of the city, if you are going to change, then you need to get the hills," Bo said.

"Elle, he's right," Jimmy, said, being over double again as fangs formed in his mouth. Elle felt the same wave but managed to hide it as her hands grew claws and dug into Jimmy's arm.

"Ow!" Jimmy snarled but some how the pain pushed back the change, and he looked more, human. Elle and Jimmy exchanged a look.

"Hit me," Elle ordered.

"What?" Jimmy stammered.

"Hit, me!" Elle snarled, "It is slowly the change."

Without another word, Jimmy lashed out and popped Elle in the nose. Red and stars flashed before her eyes but the pain of the change retreated.

"Get in the car." Bo said and slid into the front seat.

"We don't want to hurt you," Jimmy said.

"Then get in," Bo shouted as the engine roared to life. Elle pulled Jimmy into the back as the car screamed out of the driveway fully speed. Elle and Jimmy hunkered low in the back seat, hands on each other's arms, fighting the change. Every time something flared up and forced claws, fangs, or fur to surface, Elle and Jimmy dug their claws into one another's forearms. Blood was all over the back of Bo's leather seats as their feet tore through their shoes into the soft leather and foam.

Bo, despite all the growls, snarls, rips, tears, and whimpers kept driving full speed in the mountains of Mulholland. Granted there were multimillion-dollar houses up here but also the wild life reserves that had less people. Somehow he managed to get to the trailhead, and slid into the dirt.

Elle and Jimmy leapt out of the back of the car. Elle took off full run into the hills. Jimmy paused to look back at Bo.

"Go!" Bo yelled.

Jimmy nodded his shaggy head and took off into the night.

"Take care of each other," Bo said and turned to survey the damage done to his beautiful car.