A/N: Thanks to: wizziewoo123 (damn straight!), Lady-of-chocolate (no Reid smut in this one, but there will be soon, I promise!), fallen angel 007 (sorry it wasn't sooner!) and Regin (I Thank!) for their reviews of the last chapter, and thanks to everyone who has faved/alerted the story 3

Well that took a hella long time! I know I'm slow but that was ridiculous! I had a lot of RL issues, including my mom being rushed to hospital for major emergency surgery, but she's all healed up now. However, life in general has been nuts, but I'm finally getting back to the good stuff.

Review and Enjoy!

"First. Blood," Tyler grinned at the stunned wolf, using his uninjured hand to lift his shirt and show the unmarred skin underneath.

"Holy shit..." Alex muttered into the silence of the room.

Reid broke the silence a second later with a crow of triumph. "That's my boy! Wooot!"

Tyler laughed and walked back over to them, slapping his brother's hands and even fist-bumping Alex, who despite her earlier concerns was grinning right along with Pogue and Reid.

"I thought you were toast there for a minute man, don't scare me like that!" Pogue scolded, but was unable to keep a straight face.

"Ha! I'll tell you a secret," Tyler grinned. "So did-"

Before he could finish, a clawed hand grabbed him by the back of the shirt and hauled him across the room. He hit the ground hard, his left shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. He'd barely rolled onto his back when a heavy weight dropped on top of him, hot breath on his neck as thick ivory canines clicked near his ear.

"Fucker," Adam growled, his voice barely recognizable. Ty could hear Reid and Pogue yelling behind him, growls from Adam and suddenly the weight was lifting off him. Adam was struggling, and one of his claws caught Tyler across the chest, and this time he did feel the burn of cut flesh.

But before he could even blink in surprise, shifters started piling towards Pogue and Reid, and Tyler jumped up to help his brothers. It all became a chaotic brawl, people jumping in from every side of the room, and Tyler noted distractedly that not all of them were gunning for the Sons, some were trying to pull the others away from them.

Most of the 'Shifters were keeping to their human forms, though there were a few animal eyes and claws here and there. In the unspoken rules of fights, the Sons followed suit and only Used when they had too. It seemed like he squared off against an endless run of enemies, but really it was only seconds that passed.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze at the furious bellow, chests rising and falling in silence as they all turned to the door. Jacob filled the doorway, his face livid with rage as his eyes scanned the room, pining each and every 'Shifter with his angry gaze. One by one, eyes dropped to the floor and people stepped back to the walls, leaving Adam and the Sons once again in the center of the gym.

The aggressive tension had bled away, filling the room with a new kind. Morbid anticipation.

"Adam," Jacob growled, stepping slowly into the room, Talia and Jess behind them. Tyler met the redhead's gaze and saw the anger there. "Explain."

Adam's eyes flicked around before he crossed his arms over his chest defensively. He lifted his chin, at first glance seeming to challenge Jacob, but Tyler noticed the wolf's eyes were fixed on the Alpha's shoulder. No eye contact.

"I challenged him, he knew, and he accepted. That's all, by the book," Adam answered with a shrug.

Jacob's eyes moved to Tyler, and he swallowed down his instinctual fear. The grey-eyed gaze of a very strong predator was fixed on him, and Ty's instincts were telling him to run. There was a question there though, and Tyler dipped his head, agreeing with what Adam said.

"Who won?" Jacob asked, his voice still hard. Adam's silence said it all, and Jacob eyed Tyler with what – under different circumstances – might have been a glimmer of respect. "So if Tyler won first blood, why the HELL did I walk in on a punch out?"

Everyone jumped as he yelled the word. In the ringing silence, Garret and Rena walked in behind him with a few of the older wolves.

One of Adam's buddies stepped forward. He ignored the look Adam fixed him with and faced his Alpha. "Tyler won, he punched Adam across the muzzle and drew blood. Adam was pissed and grabbed him from behind. Tyler's friends," he nodded at the others. "Just jumped in to pull him off, and it got out of hand."

"You're damn right it did," Jacob replied, but his tone wasn't scolding. Ty got that, the wolf had just ratted out his friend for the truth, and Jacob recognised that. "Adam?"

Adam was glaring at his friend, who met his gaze without hesitation. "You broke the rules, Adam. You cheated."

Adam looked away then, his throat working as he swallowed. "Yes," he answered softly, acknowledging his buddy's point and the fact that he'd attack Tyler without reason.

"Challenges are for Pack, or other 'Shifters. They are MY guests in MY home, and if anyone else tries to cause trouble without reason," he levelled his gaze at the room. "They'll be going against my direct orders. Understand?"

There was a bobbing of heads as everyone involved hastily agree to their angry Alpha. "Adam, guys, you stay. Everyone else, three weekends spent renovating the new apartment complex."

There were a few sighs as everyone shuffled out, but no arguments on what Tyler presumed was a labour punishment for those involved. Once the room was clear only Jacob, Adam, Rena and Garrett remained with those that had arrived the night before.

"Adam, I expect you to work on the remodel as well, but while our guests are here you'll act as their guide, making sure they have everything they need and say out of trouble," he finished, leaving Adam - and the Sons gaping at him in shock.

Up till now, Tyler had understood what was going on. But this...putting them in a situation where they'd be at each other's throats - possibly literally - did not sound like a good idea. Garret, frowning with disappointment, gestured for Adam to follow him out. Rena shook her head as they passed her, and Ty tried not to smirk as Adam looked for all the world like a five year old being scolded by his mother.

Reid was the first one to speak after the door swung shut. "Look, we're all sorry about what happened, but you can't saddle us with that jackass!"

"I can't?" Jacob asked, cocking a brow. "Let me tell you what I can do. I can refuse to help you. I can order Talia and Jess to stay here." He paused, dropping his cool Alpha state and running a hand through his hair and sighing. "But I won't. I know you weren't trying to cause trouble, and Adam put you in a position where you had very little choice. But I can't allow this to happen again. If you continue to have problems, you bring it to me. And if you want to stay here, Adam sticks with you."

With that the big bad wolf turned on his heel and stalked out, leaving them alone. Ty was surprised that the guy had left it like that. Sure, there was the whole 'Shifter vs. Lycan' jurisdiction business, but he was essentially an authority figure, and it was weird not being punished for breaking the rules.

"Well that wasn't so bad," Tyler shrugged, feeling pleased with himself once again at his win. He'd beat the wolf at his own game, proved he could hold his own against the physically superior Shapeshifters.

"Wasn't so bad? Are you kidding me?" Jess yelled disbelievingly. Ty blinked in surprise at his girlfriend. Jess never got angry, it just wasn't her. "We leave for two minutes and you get into a fight with our friend? Not to mention the whole ally thing! What were you thinking?"

"That idiot is your friend?" Reid gaped beside him. "He's a creep!"

"So are you half the time," Talia bit back, joining in. Talia's anger wasn't as rare as her friend's, but still surprising under the circumstances.

Tyler shook his head, trying to get them to understand. "But he said..."

"I don't care what he said! I expect the stupid shit from Reid, not you!" Jess interrupted him.

"Hey, I didn't do anything! Your stupid, jealous, lunatic wolf friend is the one that started this!" Reid snapped back at Jess, defending his best friend.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Talia growled back.

"Kids, that's enough," Rena interjected firmly. "You all need to cool off, this isn't getting you anywhere. Girls, we're going to go out for a while," the petite woman declared, including Alex in the statement. "Boys, you find Adam and the old lion and make yourselves useful. And call your friends too; see what time they'll arrive. No arguments."

With that, she shooed out the girls and shut the door firmly behind her. Tyler blinked at it for a moment before turning to Reid and Pogue with wide eyes. "What the hell just happened?"

"I can't believe them!" Jess sighed, flipping idly through brightly colored baby bouncers.

"I'm sure they weren't trying to cause trouble," Ana replied sympathetically, picking up a stuffed elephant and reading the label.

"It doesn't matter! They know how important this is, and they let Adam goad them into a fight," Talia grumbled, paging her way through a kids book with a look of slight horror at the talking animals in dresses.

Alex rolled her eyes as they started again. They'd been grumbling about the fight since Rena had dragged them out shopping. She knew it was a little bit of cathartic complaining and she was all for it, but they were talking in circles. And she wasn't really a baby shopper.

"Ty was the only one that fought," Alex pointed out, feigning interest in a display of bottles. "Reid and Pogue only jumped in when Adam went at him a second time."

She had done a little jumping herself; her right fist was already a little swollen. But while she didn't feel guilty, she was currently in the 'not the enemy' camp, and she wasn't about to change that.

"Oh please, we all know that Reid would have jumped on the challenge if Ty hadn't taken it," Talia remarked, and her comment was met with silence. Hell, Alex had been there, and even she was surprised that it was the level-headed Baby Boy that had fought.

"Sweetheart, you can't punish Reid for something he didn't do, even if he might have under different circumstances," Rena replied from where she was comparing baby blankets.

Talia just huffed, but at least she wasn't arguing.

"What I don't understand is why Adam caused such a fuss," Ana replied with a frown marring her pretty face. The three other shifters exchanged a glance that made Alex's gossip ears perk. "I mean, I know he's a hothead, but it's not like him to cause trouble for Jake."

"What? What are we missing?" Alex asked, looking between their guilty looks. "Come on, spill."

Jess and Talia both pursed their lips, like they didn't want to talk, but Alex knew they would spill eventually. Of course, they didn't have to with straight-talking Rena there. "I expect it had something to do with Adam and Jess."

"Adam and Jess...as in...?" she nodded to indicate the 'as in' implication.

Jess flushed uncharacteristically. "We dated a little. Way before Tyler though. I mean, we were never that serious, I doubt that's got anything to do with all this," she rationalized.

"Uh-huh," Talia replied, smiling for the first time since they'd left.

Jess frowned, but let it go. Alex bit her lip, trying to decide if she should jump in. She just about talked herself down when she caught Tal watching her, one dark eyebrow raised in question.

"I know that look. What is it?" the wolf asked knowingly.

Alex shrugged. "It just seems that even Jake admitted there wasn't much of a choice, and while I'm not one to get in the way of a good grudge," she grinned, "but they're still getting used to the whole 'shifter deal, so am I. It feels like a bit of a minefield sometimes."

The four 'shifter females seemed to think one that a moment, and Alex realized that despite their crash-course the night before, they hadn't really thought about what it might be like for an outsider, they'd all grown up in that world.

Jess sighed. "I guess you're right. But it's just...I don't know where all this came from. One of the things I love about Ty is that he's not and aggressive, hot-headed guy. And there he is...being just that."

"Sounds like something you need to talk to him about," Alex offered gently.

"Yeah," Jess replied, sounding less than enthusiastic at the thought, a frown marring her face.

"What about me? Got some wisdom on what I should do with Reid?" Talia asked with a grin.

"We all know exactly what you want to do with Reid," Alex remarked with a smirk. "It's the reason you two fight so much in the first place. For the making up," Alex added with a saucy wink.

Even Ana giggled at that one, her small hand over her mouth. Talia looked more than a little smug, her lips pressed into a tight smile, her silence the only answer they needed.

"Ooooh," Ana gasped, her hand flying to her swollen belly as she froze.

"Ohmygodisittime?" Jess exclaimed, nearly knocking over the rack she was browsing as she rushed over.

Ana just shook her head and laughed, breaking the tension that had fallen over them all. "No, I've still got a few weeks to go," she assured them. "The little one's just kicking around a lot, that's all. I swear, boy or girl, it's a fighter. Or a soccer player. You want to feel?"

Talia and Jess grinned and placed their hands on Ana's baby bump, their faces lighting up together at what Alex assumed was another kick.

"Whoa, that is so weird," Talia breathed, her grey eyes wide.

"Tell me about it," Ana replied with an eye roll. "Try having the feeling inside your own skin."

"Uh, pass," Jess said, backing away and holding her hands up in mock defense.

"Damn right 'pass'," Rena added, raising one eyebrow at her daughter. "I did the pregnant teenager thing, I don't recommend it."

"Gee, thanks."

Rena smiled and put a shoulder around her eldest daughter's shoulders. "You I don't regret you sweetheart," she assured with a hug. "Or your sisters, though I could have done without having all three at once," she winced. "Just be grateful you're only having one at a time right now."

"Oh trust me, I am," Ana replied with a grin.

Shaking her head with a smile, Alex went back to browsing the baby store, satisfied she'd helped cool down the situation a little.

Caleb took his eyes of the road for a millisecond, glancing over at Sarah. She was curled up on the passenger seat, her side of her head pressed against the glass as she watched the scenery go by. Her mind seemed elsewhere, not that he could blame her. So far the Midwest seemed to be cornfield after cornfield, and not much else.

But it wasn't just boredom, he could tell that much. She'd been quiet since they'd left her parents, and he couldn't figure out why. It had gone surprisingly well, not awkward at all. Her folks were nice, relaxed, certainly not the old-money coolness he was used to, but that was a good thing. They'd just been happy that their daughter was happy.

Sarah had been happy there, but it seemed like for every mile the travelled away from Boston, she withdrew more and more into herself. He didn't want to push her in case she just needed time alone – something the small front seat of the convertible didn't really allow. But her silence worried him, he didn't like the idea of her being upset over something, and he couldn't fix it for her without knowing what it was that needed fixing.

He cleared his throat, trying to sound casual. "You alright over there, or do you want to stop soon?"

She blinked and looked over at him for a moment before resuming her resting position. "I'm fine."

Silence filled the car once again, and he turned his attention back to the road, his knuckles white where they gripped the wheel.

"What exactly is it we're supposed to be doing here?" Reid demanded, pale blue eyes scanning around the airy lobby suspiciously.

"What do you think, dumbass?" Adam bit back, tossing over a clean paint roller. "Paint...walls...mush mush."

"Bite me."

"Careful what you wish for, Reid. He might give you rabies," Tyler smirked, crouching by one of the many tins and prying open the lid.

"Sorry, you're not my type," the wolf smirked back.

"Guys," Pogue warned, getting a little sick of the sniping back and forth. They'd discovered there wasn't much to do until Jess finished looking through Costin's file – and no one knew where she'd left it anyway. After it became apparent that they had nothing much to do except pick more fights with Adam, Garrett had put them on task in the new apartment building after all.

From what he could gather, the Pack functioned a lot like a business group. All working members contributed to a shared fund, the proceeds of which were used to support members who needed it, and the rest was put into investments. The owned several properties in the neighbourhood, including the club and the complex they were standing in. Pack did the renovations, everyone helping as they could, and Pack moved in, rent-free, the money instead going back into the fund.

The building was a recent acquisition, a run-down apartment building with a couple store fronts on street level. The major structural work had already been done, the fresh plaster evidence of new and removed walls, the only proof that the comfortable, airy apartments had once been tiny little rooms, people living like tightly packed sardines.

But it wasn't the apartments, but the lobby that was their task for the day. It was all prepped, just waiting for that lick of paint to give it some color, then the floor could be tiled, though that was someone else's job. Pogue figured that was for the best, because he wasn't certain any of them had picked up a paint roller in their lives before. He was embarrassed to admit that his parents had always hired people for that sort of thing, every year or so giving the house a fresh coat of paint to keep up appearances.

Of course, none of them had admitted it out loud, especially not with Adam around. He could imagine the guy would have a field day with that, the poor little rich boys too good for painting walls. Well, they'd learn soon enough, and at least they'd be useful for once. In theory at least.

The set up fairly quickly, only spilling a small amount of paint when Reid and Tyler began to argue over who was or wasn't pouring the paint into the trays the right way. The plastic lining the floor thankfully caught it all, and the subsequent drips as three clueless guys figured out how to use the rollers, much to Adam's amusement. Pogue was infinitely grateful for the borrowed coveralls, the previously dried paint evidence of their effectiveness.

A half out later, between the four of them they'd made a good dent on the work, although Pogue wasn't sure the paint should be running down the walls like it was. He tried to use the edge of the paint roller to wipe up the drip, but that only resulted in a larger splodge. So he tried using the sleeve of his cover-alls, which of course only smeared it around more, leaving streaks in the paint.

A wad of kitchen roll appeared in front of his face. "Leave the wall, man, and clean off that sleeve or I guarantee you'll end up wiping it off on everything by accident."

Pogue blinked in surprise at the wolf, then took the paper towels and cleaned up. "Sorry about the wall," he offered, trying not to ruin the cautious peace.

He still wasn't sure about Adam, but it wouldn't do any of them any good to get into another fight. And he genuinely was sorry about the paint...though at the same time he felt good about being able to help, at least a little.

Adam shrugged his broad shoulders and moved back to his own section of the wall. "Don't worry. Someone who knows what they're doing will paint the second coat," he smirked.

Well, so much for that.

Pogue sighed and continued on, trying not to make too much of a mess. Not long after the doors banged open behind them and they all turned to find Garret and a couple of guys walking in. The carried some plastic grocery bags with 'Jewel-Osco' printed in red lettering.

"Brushes down, boys, grub's up," the lion grinned, holding up the bags. He sat down at the edge of the tarp and made a little make-shift picnic, pulling out saran-wrapped foot-long subs, bottles of soda, potato chips and several of those plastic cartons of baked goods. It was a fricken' feast.

"Oh thank god!" Reid groaned, dropping his roller and flopping out on the floor, his arms and legs sprawled out.

"You guys have done...well," Garret hedged, eyeing the walls suspiciously. The other two guys settled on the ground next to him. "After lunch you're to head over to the club, the women should have returned by then. You might want to stop for a shower, first though."

"Definitely. I dunno about you guys, but I worked up a sweat," Reid sighed, still on the ground.

"Yeah. Plus, you just laid your head down in a puddle of paint," Tyler added, his lips twitching as Reid bolted upright.

"Oh, man..." Reid groaned, touching the back of his head and glowering at the wet paint on his fingertips. "You could have said something."

"I just did," Tyler grinned, unrepentant.

Garret rolled his eyes and gestured to the two big guys with him. "Simon, Greg, meet Tyler, Reid and Pogue," he introduced, and the two guys nodded in turn. Simon was tall but lean, with sharp brown eyes and shaggy brown hair. Greg on the other hand was a little shorter – though still on the taller side of normal – with fair hair and hazel-green eyes, and built like a brick shithouse. The guy looked like he could bench-press a friggin' boxcar.

"Heard you got in some trouble little brother," Simon said softly, eyes fixed on Adam.

Little brother? Well, well...

Adam's jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

"Have fun explaining to Pops how you got your ass kicked by a witch," he smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. Adam just shot his brother a dirty look at the thought, and for a second, Pogue felt a pang of sympathy for the young wolf.

They all sat around the pile of food, with only minor bickering over who got what. Soon they were all stuffing their faces and groaning with happiness as their stomachs were filled. There was a little chatting, but Adam maintained his sullen silence, and his older brother kept shooting him dirty looks. Greg didn't seem to notice the sour mood between the brothers, and was happy to join in the conversation.

"Have you talked to the girls?" Tyler asked tentatively. The chewing slowed among the Sons as they paused to hear Garret's reply.

He sighed and put down his sandwich, looking less than happy. "Quick piece of advice, boy...the second you seem them, apologize. Even if you think you've done nothing wrong, okay? Last thing you all need is to be fighting among yourselves."

"So they're still pissed?" Reid asked with a flinch.

"Don't know. Didn't talk to them," Garret grunted, sounding tired of the conversation already.

"Then—"

"Jake called me, Ana called him to give him the head's up. Jess mentioned needing to look up some things in the archive, and the Boss decided you're all going to help – and fix things – got it?" Garret explained, his tone brooking no argument.

"You fuckin' kidding, right?" Simon snapped, joining the conversation for the first time.

Garret just raised one sandy-blond brow.

"You're actually letting these outsiders near the archives? Since when do we start trusting the goddamned Witches? Hell, it's their fault we're in this mess to start with!" he growled, standing rapidly and glaring down, his hands fisted at his sides.

Everyone froze, and Pogue just shook his head at Tyler and Reid, warning them off. Even if the guy was being a jerk, he hadn't threatened them, and they didn't need another challenge fight.

Garret stood slowly, squaring his shoulders and meeting Simon's furious gaze. Adam was still, his worried gaze flitting between the two of them. "I'm doing no such thing," Garret began, his voice a low rumble. "The decision comes from you Alpha!" he bellowed, a hint of a roar in the sound as his eyes flashing cat-gold. Pogue felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he noticed Adam and Greg visibly wince even though the power was only directed at Simon. "Now boy, if you have a problem with that, you take it up with him, okay?"

Simon's face paled, and he visibly swallowed, dipping his head and staring at his feet. "Sorry, sir," he rasped. "I didn't mean—"

"I really don't care. You question orders again and you'll have to face the consequences, understand?" Garret interrupted. His voice was calmer, but still lacking his regular relaxed drawl.

Simon just nodded and sat back down slowly, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"We'll head over once we're done," Pogue assured Garret, trying to ignore what had just happened, giving Simon time to gather himself. Truth was, he could understand that the wolf wasn't comfortable with them. It had taken the Sons long enough to trust their allies, and most of the Pack hadn't even talked to them.

"Well," Greg remarked, wiping his mouth with a paper napkin and tossing it in an empty bag. "Other than pissin' off your girls...and our Alpha...and Adam...how're you finding Chicago?" he asked with a grin, fishing around in the desserts for something tasty.

Tyler grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "To be honest, we haven't really had much of a chance to sight see, but you've all got a pretty sweet set up here."

"That we do," Greg smiled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Jake's really built this place up for us. Made it a home," he nodded. "He finished what his parents started, and made our Pack strong."

"You mean as opposed to before?" Adam snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. He stood and tossed his trash. "I've gotta do some stuff upstairs," he muttered, stalking off up the large staircase.

Simon watched his brother go, then turned to Greg with the same anger in his eyes. "Nice man, real smooth," he shook his head, and jogged after his brother without looking back.

"Y'know, I'm used to having no fricken' clue what's going on here...but I think I just missed something," Reid remarked conversationally, before taking a huge bite of cupcake.

Garret shot Greg a look, and the other man just shrugged, looking a little regretful. "Before the Sarkas – the senior Sarkas that is – took over the Pack, Adam and Simon's grandfather was Alpha. Life before...it wasn't quite so easy. Weaker members weren't looked after much, and it was a pureblood Pack – wolves only," Greg explained. "Most of us prefer the way things are but really...it was just different."

"So Simon and Adam were close to their grandfather?" Pogue asked, trying to fill in the blanks.

"Nope, not a bit. He refused to stand down, and Piotr Sarka was forced to kill him. He was dead before Simon was even born," Garret sighed. "But the boys' mother..." he trailed off, looking like he was searching for the right words. "She loved her father very much. Believed in him. She raised the boys on stories of him."

"Ah," Reid nodded in understanding, surprising them all. "So she tells them rose-tinted stories, they idolize him, and get pissed when someone says something."

Tyler and Pogue stared at him in surprise. They'd known him for years, and as much as he talked, he'd never been one for any kind of insight. Mostly the opposite, really – oblivious to the people around him.

"What?" he shrugged, and it was his turn to look uncomfortable. "My Grams might have told me stories about her husband once or twice. My Dad's dad," he added. A member of the Covenant. Reid's expression turned devious. "He won so much money, he got himself a lifetime ban from Vegas."

"Oh hell, that explains a lot," Tyler sighed, rolling his eyes.

Reid just smirked again and shrugged. "So do we need to worry? 'cause they don't seem to like us too much."

Garret just shook his head. "Well around here, you boys are an acquired taste, that's for damn sure. But they ain't anything you need to worry about."

Greg looked a little uncomfortable, like he might not quite agree with that assessment, and his eyes darted for a quick second towards where the brothers had disappeared, then quickly came back, focused on the tile beneath them. His lips were tight and a muscle jumped along her clenched jaw, but he didn't say anything. Pogue exchanged a look with the other two, seeing they had noticed Greg's reaction just the same as they had.

"No, what you need to worry about is those girl of yours, and beggin' them to forgive your sorry asses," Garret continued with a grin. "So best get on with your work here so you can be ready when they get done with their shoppin'."