Guarded Ep. 05

Tracey grinned and watched the look on his face and the internal struggle of chewing and swallowing it. "I mean really, everything is lab grown and fully digestible regardless of your plumbing these days. Not like they carved that off one of your distant cousins."

"I'm glad you understand his position and worry about his career Tracey, I know it's a very unfair thing to ask you to accept." Max frowned as he looked over at her.

The wolf drank more of her tea and sighed happily, the hot earl gray soothing and making her think of good times. She blinked her eyes open and gave the rat a gentle smile, realizing she was still enjoying good times while drinking it now too. "It's no problem, I get how it works, having him is enough for me, I don't need to brag about it."

The ram blushed at her words and flicked his tail gently before looking down. "I really don't deserve either of you guys... What about you Max?"

The rat cocked an eyebrow at his name. "What about me?"

"Will you and I go our separate ways once my limelight is over?" The ram asks the question, a little bit of worry creeping into his voice.

The rat gave a wide grin and put his hands on his hips. "Leo, baby... I'm Blue's biggest fan, but Leonard is my best friend. So long as you stay in the biz and you want to have me, I'm here as your manager. That's regardless of what we're doing and what your stage name is."

With a grunt Leo looked away, feeling the words hit him hard. Tracey snorted and then sips more of her tea. "Nerds..."

#

After their dinner at the truck stop along with a quick shower, Tracey and Leo were back on the bus. There wouldn't be any more stops until morning now.

They didn't try for a third session, the two of them simply piled up on the small sofa and watched a movie together. Tracey watched it while laying her head in his lap, his hand ever-present, stroking her hair and ears lovingly.

It was a new experience for her in a lot of ways. She had never had anything before taking her job other than one failed relationship when she was nineteen. After that, it was just a very rare casual thing to scratch the itch when it got too bad and that had been years ago.

This ram though, here he was stroking her hair, petting her ears, and watching a movie with her. They had shared meals together and even watched baseball together. Little things she was sure most couples had gotten used to and never cared about anymore. It all felt so good and it all felt so right.

She rolled over onto her back looking up at him, blinking her azure eyes as he looked down smiling, his own emerald eyes sparkling and looking so happy to have her with him. She offered her own gentle smile and closed her eyes, feeling him fondle and stroke at her ears, fingering at the silver hoop in the chipped one.

Maybe it would work or maybe being the young man that he was, he would get bored of her and find something else soon enough. She had considered it, but right now in this moment, it didn't matter. Right now for the first time in almost ten years, she felt happy and wanted to relish it.

#

The bus was filled with the low audible rumble of the engine and the sound of the tires on the asphalt of the interstate. The sound had lulled her to sleep fairly easily, then a loud heavy crack of thunder boomed out while they were driving through the big empty plains.

Tracey's ears sprang up and she let out a soft gasp, her breath hot on his chest where she had been clinging to him asleep. She blinked her eyes open in the darkness of the little makeshift bedroom. The curtain was drawn but she could still see the flash of lightning fill the bus interior from time to time. Heavy sheets of rain were pouring against the vehicle and she could hear the raindrops beating down on the roof.

Gritting her teeth the wolf clung tighter to the ram, his scent strong in her nose, she nuzzled against him, feeling her eyes burn as old memories started rushing in once more. Even in this perfect moment of laying in bed, their naked bodies pressed together, warm and secure. Even then, it was coming back up to torment her.

A heavy hand reached up and settled on her head and ears. Tracey gave a shocked huff in response, then felt her tension melt away as the familiar sensation of him rubbing her ears and stroking her hair ensued. She eased her shoulders, her arms relaxing her hug slightly.

Several moments of gentle petting ensued before she heard his voice call out in the shadows and the flashes of lightning. "Afraid of storms?"

With a faint shake of her head against his hand and chest she spoke out softly. "No... I just hate the rain... brings back bad memories..."

"Helen was her name... yeah?" He spoke the words gently feeling Tracey flinch at the mention of her name. He started running his fingertips through her hair now, trailing them down along the mussed braid that moved down her back.

"Yes..." Tracey clung to him pushing closer and resting her head on his shoulder now, her breath gentle and warm against his throat while he stroked her hair.

"Tell me about her. What did you two do together on the bus to kill time?" Leo prodded at the wolf for her to talk.

Tracey clenched her teeth and folded her ears, she didn't want to do this, she never wanted to talk about her. The memories were precious and painful. "I uh..."

"I won't force you to... I just thought, maybe talking about the good times, would help you feel better." Leo's voice spoke out in the darkness again, another heavy rumble of thunder filling the plains the bus was driving through.

Tracey gritted her teeth and huffed out in an irritated tone, finally, she spoke out. "No... I want to, she was such a good and kind wolf. W-well... first off you gotta remember that during this time, technology wasn't nearly as widespread. Sure we had cell phones and satellite, but outside of big cities they were pretty useless and so we had to just deal with keeping ourselves entertained."

The wolf talked about her year on the road with the older wolf. The awkwardness of working with someone so much older at first, then the bond they formed as it developed. She talked about doing Helen's makeup for her, and the older wolf brushing her hair and braiding it. She talked about the late nights talking about life. She spoke fondly of Helen's husband and son, even though they died when Tracey was still a puppy. The stories Helen told her of them made it feel like she had known them herself. She talked about Helen's car when she was younger and talked about their tea times together.

Leo grinned and held her against his chest, rubbing her ears and stroking her hair. The wolf just kept talking about her friend, he could feel the tears on his chest and shoulder while she spoke, occasionally a soft gasp as she tried to fight back a bit of a sob.

Tracey talked for over an hour about things with him, then slumped her head against his shoulder and let out a ragged sigh. "I... I couldn't... I was too weak and too stupid when it mattered most... should of just... dove on her."

"The time you took to turn and pounce... she probably would have taken the hits that went in your shoulder and thigh. She was smaller than you, yeah? Probably would have been a chest or head shot." The ram spoke the words with a calculated tone.

"T-then I should of just dove on his ass from the stage!" Tracey snarled the words, heat filling her voice now.

"Sounds like he was still pretty far back, could you have launched yourself ten to fifteen feet out, flat-footed without a running start? Even if you could... if turning and pouncing was too much time, how much time would THAT have taken?" Again his words came out sharp and pointedly.

"Then I should have noticed him sooner!" Her words were hot and angry now and he could feel her nails digging into his skin.

"In a crowd of several hundred maybe even over a thousand? Get real, seeing him at all was a testament to your ability." Again the words were sharp and emotionless.

Now Tracey was growling and she climbed on top of him, shoving her palms against his shoulder and glaring down at him in the low light of the dark bus, lightning filling the bus with flashes of blue light clearly showing the streaks of tears cascading down her cheeks. "Why the fuck are you doing this? Are you trying to piss me off?!"

"No, of course I'm not!" Leo growed the words back then moved to grip her wrists. He shifted his weight and rolled the wolf over, pinning her arms above her head and looking down at her.

"Let me go, sheep!" The wolf snarled the words, her teeth showing now.

"Give me a break, Tracey, we both know you could overpower me without a problem, free yourself if you don't like it!" He huffed the words then gripped her wrists tighter and looked down at her. "You beat yourself up, you replay the moment and think of all the situations you could have done differently, but you don't play out the counter to those in your mind. You think I don't do the same thing with my little brother?!"

The wolf clenched her teeth, looking furious, then her gaze softened and her eyes looked away at the mention of his own loss. Leo continued as he held her there. "It's easy to imagine us in the situation with clairvoyance or having superpowers. The reality is you had one out of a dozen choices to make, you chose one, and all the other choices may have ended the same."

Tracey grunted and closed her eyes tightly. "I know that... I just... I miss her so much, Leo!"

"And I miss my brother! B-but..." Leo grit his teeth and gave a ragged sigh, calming his own emotions before leaning over his wolf and releasing her wrist, sliding his palm over her cheek, feeling the tears against his fingertips. "You're a wonderful friend and a beautiful granddaughter to her... Helen had nothing before you came along other than her dream... No husband, no children... You gave her something she probably thought she would never get again, and... in the end she chose you over her own dream, her own life's ambition..."

The wolf flicked her ears up sharply, the words ringing in her mind, dragging her back to a time years ago, a judge and a bailiff telling her the same thing. Telling her how Helen had given up her dream to save her life. Tracey knew Helen would still be alive had she not pushed her away at that critical moment. She also knew she herself would be very much dead right now had that not happened as well.

Tracey barked out in a low sob and grabbed Leo and pulled him down against her. The ram huffed out and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding her head against his chest while she cried both in sadness and anger over the whole situation. He just kept stroking her hair, saying nothing as she sobbed and sniffled against his chest.

Several moments of tears and huffs later, Tracey felt her embrace ease and she shuddered gently before speaking out. "Why...?"

"Because I want to help you bare your problems. I will be your rock, Tracey. I can handle it." The ram spoke the words into her large white ears while holding her against his chest, feeling her hand resting gently on his hips.

"You're... you're such a fucking nerd, Leo... Do these lines... really work for you?" She sniffles the words and pulled from his chest, wiping her eyes with the sheets before blinking up at him in the low light of the bedroom.

"Well it got me a hot little wolf, so there's that... yeah, I guess they do." The ram huffed the words playfully while brushing her cheek and moving in for a brief soft kiss.

Tracey gasped out at the soft kiss and folded her ears, wrapping her arms around the ram's neck. She pushes her lips hard against his own, kissing him fervently, with a desperate desire to taste him and feel his heat on her body.

Leo returns the kiss with equal vigor and moved his hands over her cheeks, sliding them back into her hair to grip at it before breaking the kiss and looking into his wolf's wet blue eyes. "I will be here for you... I know it's not been long, but you can trust me with your burdens, I mean it..."

She nodded her head a few times, gripping at his shoulders before shoving her mouth back against his own, wanting to just turn her brain off and just be with him. The ram was all too eager to oblige her, returning the kiss eagerly while holding her close to him.

The night went on and then morning slowly broke to a wet but mostly clear day.

#

Tracey let out a groan of disapproval as the bus lurched to a stop, nuzzling her head against Leo's chest, not wanting to move yet. She felt his hand on her head once more petting and stroking her hair. The wolf sighed happily and felt herself drifting back into slumber, feeling safe in his arms.

A loud banging on the side of the bus made the wolf's ears spring up and pulled her from her slumber the split second it began. She snarled and climbed off Leo's body, her tail whipping about furiously as she jerked the curtain open and started to stomp over to the door.

"Hey, Tracey! Shouldn't you put some clothes on before you kill Max?" Leo called the words out at her playfully with a grin.

Tracey stopped and glared back at the ram before snatching up her panties that had somehow ended up draped over the TV last night. Pulling the underwear on she quickly looked around and found Leo's discarded t-shirt and tugged it on, the hem coming down just past her thighs.

Another bang on the door and Tracey wrenched it open glaring down furiously at the small rat while wearing just the ram's t-shirt, panties barely hidden. "Good morning Maximillian, lovely day for your funeral isn't it?" The wolf growls the words through clenched teeth.

Max squeaked and hopped back a step. "S-sorry, Tracey! Leo likes it when I uh... wake him up when we arrive, so he can... you know get breakfast and shower..."

"Well I don't! Piss off!" The wolf barked the words and the rat squeaked again and scurried away. Tracey growled and slammed the folding doors shut while thrashing her tail about.

"Scary..." Leo called out in a sing-song voice while tugging his boxers back on.

"Don't test me, ram! Unless you've got coffee for me, fuck off and let me wake up." The wolf growled the words and stomped about the bus gathering her pants and pulling them on.

The ram slipped up behind her while her back was turned and hugged her up suddenly, resetting his hands on her hips. "You... are so fucking cute when you're stomping around fussing like this..." He puffed the words into her large white ear playfully.

"You... have awful taste in women!" Tracey growled the words but blushed all the same before bumping him with her hip to dislodge him from hugging her and turns to face him. Her cheeks were slightly darker as she huffed and put her hands on her own hips.

"Think so?" The ram called out playfully, walking over to the mini-fridge and opening it up.

"I know so! Who would like a cranky bitch like me?" Tracey grumbled the words as she found her discarded bra and peeled Leo's shirt off to tug it on.

"I do. I like everything about you, the good and the bad." The idol speaks the words and tosses her a bottle.

Tracey caught the small bottle of cold brew coffee in her off hand and snorted at it while standing there in her bra. "What kind of neanderthal drinks cold coffee willingly?" The wolf growled the words and pulled the ram's shirt back on now that she had a bra, then uncapped the coffee. Taking a gulp of the cold drink, the grimace on her face showed her disapproval of the temperature.

"Well when you're stuck on a bus and you need your fix, you take what you can get. Cold brew coffee has helped me through many a late practice session or song writing endeavor over the years."

Tracey drank more of the coffee, eager to get the caffeine in her and perked her ears at his words. "Hmm... sitting here all alone working on lyrics or practicing? I could see the need for caffeine."

Leo gave a grin as he saw she had pulled his shirt back on, claiming it for herself. "Well, Max would be in here with me helping a lot of those nights."

Tracey looked away in thought at those words, then gave the ram a smile and wagged a finger at him. "Treasure those memories with him, my ram. I wish I had."

"You treasure them now, that's what matters the most, Tracey." He sauntered over to the wolf and grabs the front of his shirt she was wearing, jerking her forward and kissing her lips briefly, tasting the coffee on them. "Now give me back my shirt!"

She grinned wide after the kiss and jerked from his grip wagging her tail before huffing out as she quickly snatched her duffle bag. "Your request has been received and rejected by the high council. The possession of the shirt shall be retained!" The wolf barked the words lovingly as she hopped off the bus.

"You keep using that line, yet me and Max are the nerds?" The ram called out with a laugh, moving to the exit of the bus, the wolf grinning at him from the parking lot. A soft breeze picked up tossing her bangs about along with the stray hair that had come out of her braid.

Leo stood there on the last step of the tour bus looking upon her, the morning sunlight making her white hair almost look like it was aglow. Her azure eyes seemed to sparkle and shimmer like the sky above them. The wolf gave him an adoring smile, putting her duffle bag behind her as she stepped away slowly. "See you at breakfast, Leo, my ram." Spinning on her heel she quickly trotted into the travel center for her morning shower.

#

Tracey found her way into the restaurant after her shower, a fresh pair of black jeans on and still wearing Leo's shirt. Of course she had put a clean bra and her own smaller shirt on beneath it, she didn't intend to wear it all day, just tease him about it. She opted for her workout sneakers instead of her boots since they would still just be traveling for most of the day.

She spotted Max sitting at a booth alone sipping some coffee and nibbling on an omelette. Moving over to slide up into the seat across from him she spoke out cheerfully. "Good morning, Maximillian. How are you doing?"

The rat didn't seem shocked at all at her approach, he probably smelled her coming the moment she walked into the restaurant. "Good morning, Tracey... uh... are we cool?" He looked up a little hesitant at the wolf.

"Yeah, sorry I'm just a super-bitch if I get woken up without coffee." The wolf perked her ears as a waitress came by and threw a finger up. "Coffee please, hot... please for the love of gods, hot. Also the meat lovers omelet plate."

Max grinned at the wolf as he set his mug down and looked about. "Leo is still probably showering, it's rare for me and you to have time together like this alone."

Tracey smirked at the rat, her sharp teeth showing, her still faintly damp ears springing up. "Maximillian... is this about to be a confession? What about your wife and kids?"

The idol's manager almost spat his coffee out before coughing and snorting. Tracey grinned at the reaction and the rat gave her what looked like a slight glare, the first look of irritation she had ever seen on his face. "R-really, Tracey!" He huffed out to catch his breath after a few more coughs and seemed to take on his regular composure once again.

"Sorry about that." The wolf growled the words playfully, her ears perking as the waitress returns with a mug of coffee for her. Her tail wagged furiously as she grabbed the cream off the table and dumped a generous helping in, stirring it before taking an eager sip.

"Erm... anyway..." The rat cleared his throat, taking another sip of his own coffee before giving Tracey a fixed look. "So about tonight's show. We're going to pretty much be hitting the door, getting ready, and then on stage."

"Hmm... that quick eh?" The wolf thought about it and cast her eyes to the shower area, waiting to see if Leo was coming out yet.