Amber Waves of Angst

Chapter 16

A/N - Haven't heard from a lot of my old fans, I hope you guys are out there, somewhere...I did have a funny private message that read "Ted never acts this way on the show." That's because he's an OC, dude! I'm flattered that he could pass for a real character, though I'm dying to know who the author thought he was. Anywho, please review when you can and any advice, critique or old fashioned 'good job' is greatly appreciated, and thank you to those who have been doing just that.

While Derek was putting the 'old folks' through their training, the younger Hales would often find something to do to occupy their time. Laurie was a force of nature on the training field, able to use her gymnastic skills in tandem with her werewolf abilities to wipe the floor with just about everybody save her father and brother. As Alphas, their brute strength alone was too much for her, though tactically she was at least as competent as Stiles. She was a master of 'intermodal' fighting, riding that edge of transformation that left one with the best abilities of both human and wolf. As she learned to trust the instincts of her inner wolf, she became better and better at relinquishing control and taking it back at the right moments. She had progressed to the point where she could summon or banish it at will, though a low level of discomfort with the beast remained. It upset her to think that this would vanish over time as well.

Moose was away with his folks that week, so she spent most the break from school hanging out with Erik and Robin. They often went to the movies or the mall, or ate at some of the more expensive steak houses in the area (Robin felt very uncomfortable in diners). Laurie noted how happy the two were when they were together, and she was inwardly thankful that, for now at least, the drama in their lives had tapered off.

And as if a mischievous god heard these thoughts, she was once again plunged into frantic worry.

They were at an arcade when a fight broke out among some of the local kids. Erik was playing 'Giggling Space Penguins from the Vicinity of Ursa Minor', and his score was up to 999,999,999,999,785. A 250 point penguin waddled onto the screen while laughing hysterically, and Erik was about to blast it into smithereens and cause the score to roll completely over when he heard Robin's voice.

"Hey, I'm not with these guys, you can let me go now!" One of the bouncers had broken up the fight and was herding the group towards the exit. The arcade was very dark, and Robin came out of the rest room at exactly the wrong time and got swept along with the other exiles. The bouncer (at least as tall as Moose...and almost equally wide) paid no attention to the boy's protests, and gave him a helpful shove.

The bouncer felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and screamed silently at the pair of demonic red eyes that seemed to hover in the darkness. Then a pair of mutant paws seized him and hurled him through the air like a rag doll. Erik's eyes faded back to normal. He had barely shifted, and was indistinguishable from the other kids when the lights were suddenly flicked on.

"Erik...it was all right, you didn't have to do that." Robin murmured as they made their escape in the confusion.

"He touched you. Nobody does that. Ever." Erik never resembled Derek more than in that moment.

A vengeful goddess met them outside, a she-demon masquerading as his sister. She spoke something in a foreign language.

"Whatthehelliswrongwithyou?" They made for the exit while people were helping the astounded bouncer to his feet. He seemed none the worse for wear, though a few more feet would have put him through the tinted window that looked out onto the street. They fled for the Camaro and raced away before someone stopped them. Laurie was fuming. Erik had his arms folded in a defiant gesture that she bleakly realized he copied from her. Robin was torn between gratitude for Erik's concern and guilt that Laurie was so angry with him.