Century Traveler

John would use the time to visit his friends and speak with Deron about rebuilding Century Traveler. He'd already put the idea in the man's head when he called him in the hospital. The man told him he was doing well but was having nightmares. John told him he had just the thing for that.

The house phone rang, and John got up to answer it. It was security asking permission to send up a visitor. John had been expecting this and said to send them up. He walked over to the door and opened it. Moments later, the elevator opened, and Renée stepped off... with a suitcase.

John's eyebrows went up. "Moving in?" he joked, then he noticed the puffiness around her eyes. "What happened?"

"I broke up with my boyfriend," she said quietly.

"And the suitcase?" John asked.

"It was his apartment. Agents tend to move around a lot. It didn't make sense to have my own place," she replied.

"Come in, please," he stepped aside to let her in. "You didn't leave him because of what I said about Melanie, did you?" he asked gently.

She stood looking across his living room at the view, but he could tell her eyes weren't soaking it in. "What you said changed my world, John. I can't lie and say it didn't. The man I was living with was a good man, and I thought I might have even loved him. But when I saw my life stretching out before me, I realized what I felt for him wasn't enough to survive."

Renée turned her face to look at John and smiled weakly. "As the lead investigator on the case, I've gained a little too much celebrity for my wolf's comfort. I asked to be taken off the case, which they refused, but they did make one of their pretty boys take the lead and be its face to drum up good PR while I do the actual work on the case. I tried checking into the hotel I made a reservation at, but the press was waiting for me, so I came here. Hopefully, they will give up, and I can go back tonight."

"Or you could stay here. I have an extra guest bed--" John began.

"NO!" Sasha yelled as she lunged around the corner from the kitchen where she'd been eavesdropping. Her eyes were a little wild, and she was baring her teeth at Renée in a snarl.

"Sasha!" John snapped.

She took a step back. Then with a snarl that was half rage and half panic, she leaped at her competition, but John was already moving. He caught Sasha in a tackle, and they went over the back of a sofa and tumbled off onto the floor. He immediately pinned her under him and kissed her deeply, catching her completely off guard. He felt her muscles relax and the tension melt away. He pulled back and stared into her eyes as they reopened.

"Who is pack?" he asked firmly.

"Sasha," she breathed.

"Who is leader?" he asked just as firmly.

"You are," she moaned in need as she pressed back against him.

"And do you trust me?" he growled.

"Yes, but she is wolf. She is like you. You won't need Sasha," she said and began to whine.

"Sasha! You are pack. I'm not giving you up. Do you understand? You will always be pack unless you prove that I can no longer trust you or if you cannot trust me to do the right thing for us. Do you understand?" he said sharply.

Sasha looked at him with her wide blue eyes and nodded as a small smile crept on her face.

"Now, you have embarrassed me. Agent Bellerose is my friend. A friend in need of sanctuary. Members of my pack will behave with good manners to guests. You will apologize to my friend," he said with finality. He pushed himself to his feet and helped Sasha up as well.

Renée was still standing at the entrance to the living room, watching the drama unfold on the floor. Her eyes were wide with surprise and embarrassment. Anna was standing next to her with her arms crossed and an annoyed expression.

John blushed strongly. "I'm terribly sorry for that. Have you met Anna Harrison? She was my landlady in Portland and is my honorary Mom. This is my good friend and the only other member of my pack, Sasha Leonov. She lives on the tenth floor and was friends with my wolf's previous host. Sasha, what have you got to say to Renée?"

Sasha looked at him, and he nodded, looking her in the eyes. She turned to Renée and bowed her head slightly. "I am sorry for my behavior. John is my first pack. I thought you would take him. You won't do this?"

"Sasha!" John growled.

She looked back at him with just the slightest bit of frightened defiance. "I trust you. Her, I don't know her."

"It's okay, John. Sasha, I promise not to take him from you. I doubt I could after that display," she smiled.

Sasha's face lit up with one of her thousand-watt smiles, and she squeezed up against John's side.

"I need to speak with Renée for a minute. Have you finished your breakfast?" he asked. She shook her head and gave him a peck on the cheek, and she pranced back into the kitchen. Anna followed, shaking her head.

Once they were alone again, Renée turned to John. "How old is Sasha?"

"I think the better question might be, how old was human Sasha when she took in her wolf. She seems to have very limited human interactive skills and is mostly wolf. That said, she needs me, and I need her. She is pack, and will remain so. I'm sorry for the surprise display of intimacy. I thought it might defuse her panic, and it did. My offer of a place to stay remains open."

"I don't have to be a member of your pack?" she asked uneasily.

John blushed again. "No. Again, I'm really sorry about all this," he said, gesturing to the little display he and Sasha had made. "I have to let my wolf guide me when interacting with Sasha. Sometimes it gets... physical. But she's happier, and that's what's important. Being part of the pack is completely voluntary. Sasha desperately needed it. My wolf remembered it, missed it, and now needs it."

"What does your pack... do?" Renée asked.

"Well, we've only managed to get out once so far, but we went up into the mountains. We ran together, and we hunted."

"We had beautiful sex!" Sasha yelled from the kitchen.

John dropped his face into his hands and sighed.

Renée smiled at his embarrassment. "The running and hunting sound good."

"John! Come quick! Look at this!" Anna yelled from the kitchen.

John ran in to see what Anna was yelling about, and there was a news alert playing on the TV. Anna turned up the volume.

"...--sive explosion in the maintenance wing of the new Tennison Maximum Security prison just outside of Seattle thirty minutes ago. Witnesses on the scene are describing the damage as catastrophic. An entire wing is on fire. It's responsible for the heating and cooling of the prison as well as its water and electrical systems. It's not yet known how many employees were in the wing when the explosion occurred and emergency crews are just now arriving on scene. With no power and smoke filling the prison, the rescue workers will have an extremely difficult task battling the blaze."

John looked at Renée. "Prescott," they whispered in unison.

Renée's cell rang. She answered. "Agent Bellerose. Yes, sir. I'm... interviewing Doe right now, sir. Yes, sir, he's standing right in front of me. What? In his condo in Seattle. Yes, we just saw it on TV." She went silent for a while as she listened, her eyes growing large. "That's impossible! What? Sorry, sir. Okay, we're coming in." She looked at her phone and hung up. Then she looked at John, worry in her eyes.

"What is it?" John asked.

"Prescott is dead," she said quietly.

"What? How? I was told he was in isolated lockdown!" John barked.

"The lights went off after the explosion. It took the backup generators ninety seconds to bring the emergency lights back on. Then the guards went in to inspect the isolation cells. Four dead prisoners and Prescott was torn to pieces. Your name, DOE, was written on a wall of his cell in blood. My boss wants me to bring you in for protective custody."

John laughed. A single barking exhalation that sounded frightened even to his own ears. "That's not going to happen. Your agency couldn't protect someone in the most secure building in the state. I think I'm far better off relying on discretion and anonymity than surrounding myself with a big federal bull's-eye. I think it's time for a vacation. I apparently have many vacation homes all over the world, thanks to Wallace. This seems like an opportune time to visit them." His expression froze. "Wait! Now that Prescott is dead, is there still a case? Am I still needed as a witness?"

Renée had a frown on her face, but she nodded.

"If you want to help, you could get me one of those witness protection passports with something other than John Doe on it. John Harrison has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Anna's worried look changed into a smile, and her eyes welled up. Sasha looked outright panicked.

"These ladies are coming with me. It's the only way I can ensure they're safe. Sasha, do you have a passport?" John asked.

She shook her head, her big blue eyes on him.

"We'll need one for her too. Can you do this?" he asked Renée.

"I- I'm going to need to speak with my boss. He's not going to be happy," she replied, moving to leave the room to make the call.

"Happy or not, I'm going. You're going to keep an eye on the star witness, though, right? Did I mention I have a chalet in the French Alps?" John asked.

Renée froze at the doorway and looked back with a surprised smile. She nodded and started to dial as she went into the living room.

"Sorry to make that unilateral decision for you both, but I've seen what we're up against. You can refuse to come, but I hope you won't," John pleaded.

"I haven't been to France in a long time, and I've never seen the Alps there. I think that would be nice," Anna agreed.

Sasha was still looking nervously at John as though he would change his mind and leave her behind. "Sasha, what did I say about trust?" he said firmly.

That seemed to comfort her, and her smile returned. He affectionately kissed her nose, and the smile became a grin.

Anna frowned with concern. "Are we going to run then? For how long?"

John looked at the two women. His family. He was stunned by the changes in his life, some good and some not so good. But having a family wasn't something he'd ever expected to have, and he would gladly endure all of the pain he'd experienced again to keep it. He was ready to fight for them.

"I don't intend on running for long. Just until we can get more information on who we're up against and how many of them there are. I have Mr. Sass' help with that."

Renée came back into the kitchen with a smile on her face. "As well as the resources of the FBI."

He looked at his family. "Once we know our enemy, I'll take the fight to them."