Friends and Foes Ch. 11

"Grandma, if mum has no traits, how come I do? I should be even less Were than her, not more."

Dora patted his hand in a loving gesture. "I really don't know. It makes no sense to me either. I relaxed once I knew my children were nearly human, I never thought to check when their children were born. I wish I had. It would have saved a lot of heartache, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I guess I was a little worried when your uncles started to have kids, but there was no sign of anything. I'd got to the point of being sure it wouldn't be passed on at all, until your mother...."

She went very quiet, and it almost looked as though she was going to cry. There were certainly tears in her eyes, but she sniffed, not wanting to let them fall. She hadn't cried about it for over twenty years and she didn't want to start now. Especially not in front of her grandson. He was going to hate her for this, she was almost sure of that. He wanted to be with his mate and it was her fault that he hadn't been. Tilly was squirming uncomfortably in her seat by now, feeling a myriad of emotions coming from Dora, and a little from Adam, but mostly it was how afraid the older woman was.

"I'm so sorry Adam. If I had ever known how to tell you before now, I would have, but I've spent so long trying to keep my own secret I didn't realise how much I was harming you by doing it. You should have known a long time ago, but your mother wanted to keep you normal. I went along with it because I didn't want to lose you too."

The tears started to fall then, despite her trying not to cry. Adam hugged her tight and it only made things worse. He was trying to make her feel better, but him caring about her only made her feel worse about what she had done. He tried talking to her to calm her down.

"I understand keeping your wolf hidden, I do. Jake did it for a long time even with me, and we both keep that secret now. It's okay, please don't cry."

Her next words were muffled through her tears and his shoulder, but they all heard them clearly enough to cause a shocked silence in the back of the car.

"You have a sister."

* * * * * *

Back in the house where he was stuck, Finn was bored, tense, and had an itch that he couldn't scratch. Jake was very quiet after their captors had left, and it probably didn't help that Finn had quite such a go at him about what he had said, but it needed to be raised. Jake had probably got them into more trouble than they already were. The only good part was that the others were on their way, hopefully. They had told him they were fairly sure they knew where this place was, but he couldn't help worrying. It didn't help that they had also said it was going to take a couple of hours, although Mark was also sending some people from HQ. It might end up being a large assault on this house, and all he had to do was make sure they stayed alive to benefit from it.

He stopped his thinking over what was going to happen when Jake finally broke the silence, speaking to him for the first time since they argued.

"I can't help thinking this is my fault. I'm sorry you got caught up in it."

"It's not your fault. She's crazy, she doesn't like me either, but at least I haven't been boning her son. It's not as though you had any choice, but she doesn't understand the draw you feel to a mate. No-one could keep you from that. You knew who he was when you met him but it wasn't enough to stop you."

"If I'd told him who I was when we met he might not have stuck around, and we wouldn't be in this mess now."

"Trust me, pretending these things aren't happening don't work. He would have tracked you down, or you would have had to find him again. Your brother tried to fight what he felt for Tom, but that didn't last. Even I was confused when I met Sky and thought I had those feelings for all the wrong reasons, but she convinced me otherwise, very easily. You and Adam were meant to be, no matter what she thinks."

"It might not matter any longer. She's afraid of losing him to me, and to us. They've gone off to work out what to do with me, and she's going to want me dead. It's the only way she can stop him being with me, and she knows that."

"Jake, your brother's team and others from HQ are on their way. They are going to be here soon. Don't worry, they will get to us before anything can happen."

It went very quiet again, and Finn knew what he had said hadn't really helped Jake. He was right, if Finn was any judge of the situation. She was going to want them dead, Jake more than him, but given the situation they weren't going to stop at killing just one of them. He tried not to think about it, but there was a real chance that they would be dead before the others got there, or they would be killed at the first sign of an attack. He tried even harder not to think about how Sky would cope without him. The first time she had family in her life, and it might now be taken away from her. She would still have Tilly, but that would never be enough.

* * * * * *

"I have a what?" Adam almost shouted in his shock. His voice seemed to echo around the car, the others were so quiet.

Dora had to try and calm herself before she replied. He didn't sound angry at least, that part was probably still to come.

"You have a sister. Specifically a twin sister. Or at least you did have. I don't know what happened to her Adam, I've tried to find out but it isn't that simple."

"Why not? What happened that you don't know where she went? It's not like you just lose a child down the back of the sofa."

"Your mother happened. When you two were born she was so happy, both your parents were. I used to look after you while they were running the business. I would tell you stories and you both loved it when I changed and you could curl up in my fur and sleep. I shouldn't have been doing that, but I enjoyed it too, it was the only time I let my wolf out. Perhaps it was because of that, maybe I showed her how in some way, but your sister started to change in little ways. There would be a hint of something, a change in her eyes or her face shape. I saw the wolf coming through more and more as she became a toddler."

"She could change?" Adam asked in disbelief. Then he became more demanding. "So why can't I?"

Dora looked afraid, but she managed to stay calm, even though her voice was quiet and betrayed her nerves.

"Let me finish. I was panicking, I didn't know how but she seemed to be changing, yes. It would normally be controlled by the mother, but yours didn't know how. I managed to have some effect, bring her back, but I knew I needed to find a better solution, especially when she was so young and couldn't control it herself. I went out to meet my old friend and he gave me some herbs that can be used to keep the Were side controlled. I was going to give her a dose when I got home and keep her human until she was old enough to understand, but I was too late.

I got back to the house and was sorting out a bottle for her when I heard your mother screaming. I raced there, so did your father. She was white, terrified, and when I looked in the bed I saw you curled up asleep with your sister, but she was fully changed. Your mother saw you with a wolf cub in your bed and went crazy. I should have thought of something, but I was panicked too, and when I went to touch her she changed back. Your mum started screaming even more then. She'd heard all the stories I told her, but she didn't believe until she saw that."

Dora took a deep breath, steeling herself to tell the rest of the horrible story.

"She was so scared, and angry. She kept talking about the freak and getting rid of it. I tried to calm her down, to tell her I knew how to stop it. Your father was too, he doted on that little girl and he didn't seem afraid of her. Surprised, yes, but he didn't care what she was. We thought we had done it, we really did, because your mother started to breathe and speak normally. It turned out she was just trying to work out what to do without arousing suspicion. I thought she had accepted it, but I shouldn't have believed her quite so quickly. She told me to give the girl the herbs so she wouldn't change in front of others, making it sound like it was just to keep our secret.

About a week later we'd all relaxed, thinking it was fine. The herbs seemed to have worked, your mother seemed okay with it all. When she said she was taking the two of you out for the day we didn't think anything of it. But she didn't come back that night, and when she did, after your father and I had called her so many times with no answer, she brought you back but not your sister. She said she'd driven miles away and dumped the freak at an orphanage."

Tilly felt the emotions hitting her from all sides then. Dora was still scared, Adam was angry, and Sky was nervous and hopeful. She wondered if this could explain everything, but part of her doubted that it would be so simple after everything she had done to find her family in the past. It was just that the facts were starting to fit. She wanted to ask a question, but Adam beat her to it, practically shouting at his grandmother.

"And you let her? You let her dump my sister god knows where and you didn't try to find her?"

Dora was hurt, but not surprised by his reaction. "We tried to find her, your father and I tried everything we could think of, but with no information on where she might have gone we didn't get far. Your mother threatened us both too, saying we'd never see you again if we brought her back. It was after that your father and she stopped talking. He loved you, but he never forgave her for what she did. I don't think I've forgiven her either, but I felt that it was partly my fault. I should have seen the signs sooner, or got you both checked for traits. I concentrated on you after that, making sure you didn't show any signs and you never would."

Realisation dawned on Adam's face and he spat out the drink he had been sipping. It made him even more angry.

"You've been drugging me, all these years. How could you do that?"

"To protect you. I would have stopped if I'd known about Jake. Somehow being with him was enough that you discovered the ability to communicate telepathically. You needed to stay human so your mother wouldn't reject you as well."

"She already has, and she's trying to kill my mate. How much worse could it have got? All this time I could have been with him properly, and now I might never be able to. Can I change?" he demanded.

"I don't know. You never showed any sign of doing it, but boys tend to be a little slower at developing the ability. All the herbs you took would have stopped it if you could. I am trying to do the right thing now though, this is the antidote," she said, lifting her own cup and drinking more of the contents. "It removes the effects of the other stuff that will be lingering in your system. If you can change, we'll soon know. Drink up," she continued, pouring him more of the tea. This time he didn't even complain about the taste and downed it.

"How am I going to know if it's worked?" Adam's anger was gone now, he was just desperate to find out if he could do the thing he always wanted. He was scared that he might find out it wasn't possible, and scared that if he could it might be too late for Jake to see it, but he needed to know.

Dora smiled, glad that he was no longer shouting at her. "As I remember, you'll feel a bit drunk for a few minutes when it takes effect. When you feel sober again, you'll have all the traits you ever did. I can't promise you can change though, that might be an ability you never had. I know that's what you want, but no amount of herbs is going to make it happen if you can't."

Tilly had watched this with a great deal of interest, and she knew Tom was just as intrigued. The dosing with herbs was something she had vaguely heard about, but it was as a note from history in relation to those who left their families and lived as human. She had no idea people were still doing it. She would love to know if Adam could change, as he already seemed to have a lot of abilities that he shouldn't. Once this was over, Council would want to know how and why the abilities had been retained.

At the side of her, Sky was practically buzzing with questions, and still afraid that the answers she was going to get might not be what she hoped. That fear was not enough to stop her though, and she grasped Tilly's hand for reassurance, knowing the cat could feel some of her emotion and had an idea of what she was thinking. Then she asked the least scary question she could think of.

"What was her name?"

Dora looked across at the woman for the first time, not having really paid much attention to the people other than Adam. The voice was quiet and she seemed nervous, but a pleasant looking young woman, so Dora gave her a smile.

"Her name was Sky," she replied.

There was an immediate reaction from everyone in the car, even Tom who let out a strange noise and swerved the car slightly in his surprise. Only Sky and Tilly knew the full story of her past, although Tom knew she didn't have a family and had been raised human. Dora noticed the shock of the others but didn't realise what it meant. Adam was the fastest to speak having put two and two together.

"You?! Is it you?"

Sky still didn't know for sure, but she couldn't contain her excitement now. "It could be. I was found outside an orphanage when I was about two and a half. All I knew was my name. They knew I'd been well looked after up til then, but they didn't find anything to work out who left me there."

"When? What date?" Dora asked, barely containing her own excitement then. After all these years, could she really have found her grand-daughter?

"November 10^th 1983."

Dora didn't say anything, she just launched herself across the car to embrace Sky, making a kind of funny shrieking sound, that they all assumed was immense pleasure. Obviously the date was right. Tilly couldn't wipe the smile of her face, feeling the happiness of everyone in the back of the car, and her own that Sky had found her family. It was almost enough that when Finn started to talk to her she didn't realise, and she had to tune out the emotion and focus on him.

"What the hell is going on? Are you having a party? All I can get off Sky is excitement and she can't concentrate on me. Do I need to remind you things are a little more worrying up here."

"Sorry, it's just been a bit odd. We are on our way, but I don't have time to explain right now. We are supposed to be meeting Sam in fifteen minutes. We will be with you soon."

"You'd better. I'm getting more and more nervous, and Jake is convinced Adam's mother is going to kill him. To be honest, I'm fairly sure he's right, and I'd prefer it if she doesn't get the chance."

"She won't," Tilly replied, with a confidence she wasn't quite feeling.

* * * * * *

While the family bonding went on in the back of one car, the other teams were in two other cars heading the same way, and getting ready to meet up. Dill had been tasked with talking to Tilly so they could liaise, as Tom and Sam were driving. He noticed her distraction too, but put it down to worry about the captives. He knew how close friends she and Finn were, and he and her brother being in danger was going to be difficult for her. Even though they were speaking he felt the fact that he wasn't with her keenly. It still surprised him how much his life had changed now that he had someone else to worry about and to keep happy.

"And you were complaining about me being distracted!" came her voice in his head. "What are you thinking about? It had better not be sex, because we have other priorities right now."

"I don't just think about sex. I was thinking about how lucky I am to have you."

"I'm lucky to have you too. More importantly, right now, we are about ten minutes from the meeting point. Where are you?"

"A bit behind, maybe twenty minutes. We'll see you shortly."

"Tell Sam to hurry, we don't want to leave Jake alone with that woman any longer than absolutely necessary."

"He knows baby."

* * * * * *

After her conversation and reassurance that the others weren't that far behind them, Tilly updated Tom and then let herself be drawn back into the conversation the others were having just so she could keep her mind off everything else. Finn's last words to her had not been comforting. The one good thing at the moment was the new found family were so distracted with each other that Adam and Sky had stopped worrying so much about their mates. That was until Dora put her foot in it.

"So, do you have a mate, Sky? I'd love to meet him if so."

Sky went very quiet, and suddenly felt very guilty. How could she be so happy when Finn was in so much danger?

"His name is Finn. He got captured with Jake."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," said Dora, softly.

"You couldn't have. But we are going to get them back. He saved me, and now I am going to save him," she said firmly.

Tilly was fastest to respond to that. "No, you are going to stay in the car. I know you want to help, but you aren't trained and we can't risk you getting hurt, or have us distracted having to protect you. We will do everything possible to bring him back to you Sky, but you can't go in there."

Any response that might have come was stopped by Adam starting to giggle. Both Tilly and Sky were distracted by the sound and looked at him in question. He laughed harder and tried to reply.

"I think that stuff is kicking in. I feel pissed, it's great!"

When Dora started laughing too all of them descended into giggles. When Tom pulled the car over, Adam was the first to try and get out of the car. He leant forward to pull the door handle and managed to open the door, but fell back into his seat in the same move, just laughing at himself. Tom got out and helped him, amusement clear on his face as well. It was the last chance they would have to relax for a while, and his brother-in-law stumbling around at the side of the road was quite funny.

Adam wandered off into the bushes, loudly declaring that he needed a piss, and they watched as he weaved steadily out of sight. Dora had obviously decided that leaning against the car was the best move until the effects wore off.

"It doesn't last long. He'll be fine in a couple of minutes. I have no idea why it works like this, but it is rather fun while it is happening. And guaranteed no hangover!"

"You've done this before?" Tilly asked.

"On and off through the years. The other stuff controls your Were side so it doesn't go frantic wanting to get out. Sometimes you still want to, but you don't feel the need to run or play and you make less obvious noises. It helps when you are around humans the whole time and don't want your differences to show. It must have been wearing off on Adam for quite a while. We'll soon see how Were he is."

There was a long silence while they considered that, and waited for Adam to return. Tilly was almost ready to send Tom after him when they saw him reappear, this time walking in a straight line. He came right up to them and stood for a moment, shaking his head to make sure it was clear.

"I think that was it. How do I do this? Or find out if I can?"

Tom looked around, but the area was deserted, even the road as far as he could see or hear. He figured it couldn't hurt to try, even though it was broad daylight and he'd usually advise against it.

"Think wolf," he said. Adam just looked at him confused. "You need to imagine the animal, let that side of you take control. But..."

Tom never got the chance to finish his sentence. They all watched in surprise as Adam changed in front of them, and a darkish colour wolf suddenly sat where he had been, looking confused and squirming as it sat encased in a jumper and trousers. The sight was ridiculous and the others laughed. Tom continued.