He tapped on the door rapidly and got no response. Hell maybe she was out and Kidd was worrying over nothing. His mind ran back over the phone call he’d gotten an hour ago from his best friend, who sounded at best totally stressed and at worse totally out of it. He didn’t get the reason for him driving all the way from
He shook his head and pulled the key from his pocket that Jon had given him months ago, just in case, and slid it into the lock, praying that she wasn’t in the shower or in some other state he didn’t want to catch her in. Opening the door carefully he sauntered in and called softly, “Hey Dusty girl, ya home?” Dark brown eyes scanned the apartment noticing the layer of dust on everything. Now that was something he didn’t think would be around with Dusty around.
He swiftly moved to the kitchen and shook his head at the plates of half-eaten food that were accumulating its own brand of fur on the counters. Hell even the pots were still standing at attention on the stove. That just wasn't right. Whipping around he moved to the small bedroom and saw a bed that looked like a world war had occurred there, sheets torn and hanging from the bed with pillows tossed from one end of the room to the other.
Muttering softly he moved to the bathroom and opened the door only to find an empty room with still damp towels in piles next to the door. "What the hell?" Turning he moved back to the living room. This wasn’t good. Fuck what had happened to her? Moving into the living room he walked to the phone and picked it up and dialed the number to Jon’s hotel. Giving the code name to the hotel clerk he was put through to Jon’s room immediately.
"Rich you find her? Is everything ok?" Jon answered the phone immediately somehow knowing its Richie.
Richie winced as he considered how to word this, "Kidd, something's not right man. She wouldn't answer the door so I let myself in. Man the place is a mess, I mean she’s not that messy is she?"
"No she's normally spotless. Where is she? Let me talk to her?" Jon wanted reassurance that she was ok at this point. He'd been feeling off and missing her terribly was that a sign something was wrong with her and he didn't know it.
"Man I cant FIND her, the place is a mess though, looks like she hasn't touched a thing in days.. she......." His voice trailed off as he glanced down and saw a pair of feet laying behind the couch. "FUCK!" The phone dropped with a clatter to the floor as he made his way over to the woman who was at this moment nearly curled into a near fetal ball behind the couch.
Jon yelled into the phone, “RICHIE? RICHIE?” then quieted as he heard his friends voice murmuring to someone or something. “Fuck this.” He disconnected the call and immediately went to the closet and pulled his bag out. Within minutes he had everything in the bag willy-nilly and was on his way out of the room. He was going home. The rest of the interviews would happen on the phone. Something was wrong and he was gonna be where he was needed.
She whimpered softly as dazed golden eyes fluttered open. Her voice was nearly gone from all the crying and screaming she'd done in the last two days as pain after pain wracked through her body. She knew someone was standing over her, but the pain was deep and that told her more than anything that it wasn't the ONE person she needed.
One slender arm tried to lift, beg for help as shadows played about in her eyes. Deep dark circles had her face looking pinched and wan as she tried valiantly to move, only accomplishing a soft gasp of pain as strange glimmers of fur seemed to play about over her skin.
Her normally elfin face seemed to shift and shimmer as she whimpered softly, her mind too caught up in the agony to care who saw her flickering in and out of her more furry form.
"Dusty sweetheart, talk to me, what the hell is going on?" Richie couldn't believe his eyes, it couldn't be what he thought he saw. He just knew this woman who had become so important to Jon was in pain. "Dusty let me help you up." As he said that he saw it again, this time it was no mistaking that wolf, that beautiful white wolf from
She curled into his lap, soft whimpers racing over lips gone too dry to work. "Hurts, just hurts, need Jon." Dusty's golden gaze reached upwards, the simmering pain evident as her back arched and again the soft shimmering began, as the wolf again fought for prominence.
"Jon's on his way Dusty, hold on, he'll be here soon, just hold on to me." Richie offered her the only thing he could, his comfort. Whatever the hell was going on that made his eyes see things he couldn't understand he just knew this girl had a serious case of withdrawal from her man.
"Can't tell him, can't. You won't tell him?" Dusty gasped as his gentle comfort reached in and gave her a small measure of control. "He can't know." Her final word was drawn out on a sigh as she forced the wolf back, leaving a shaking golden haired girl.
"I dont' know what has you so scared Dusty but just hold on to me, he'll be here soon and you'll be as good as new." Richie hoped his holding her was enough to keep her sane until Jon got there. He was going to have to seriusly talk to his brother about her dependency on him.
Dusty shivered as she watched the flicker of thoughts behind Richie's eyes. "You can't tell him bout the wolf or what's wrong. He'll get here and i'll be fine. PROMISE ME!" Even though he wasn't Jon, he was a close second, someone she had grown to trust, he had seen the shift, seen her in her worst moment, but even with all that Dusty couldn't let Jon find out this way. Pulling all her strength into the center of her being she whispered again. "Promise?"
Richie watched her intently. He didn’t quite get what she was asking, but it seemed important to her, it just wasn’t important enough for him to lie. Dusty I can't lie to my brother." Richie couldn't promise something he didn't understand. "I'll let you do it when he gets here, if you don't I'll have to."
She pulled herself straighter in his lap and looked deep into his eyes. "You saw, but you don't believe, and if I do it, I might not be able to get back before he comes home." Her voice faded out as her torment grew, "He's like me, but he doesn't believe, he doesnt understand Richie, about us and the bond. You have to believe me, we HAVE to protect him!" Her tears began to race along cheeks that were hollow from the days of being unable to eat. "He’s your brother, your friend, you HAVE to help me protect him."
Richie studied the girl quietly, "I'll always protect him, even if that means from you if I have to. I don't believe anything I saw in there, the gas leak..well if you're telling me it wasn't a gas leak and I did actually see that, then you have to tell him immediately. He has a right to know and make and educated decision on if he wants to be with you or not."
Dusty shook her head, her pain giving her strength, “I showed him once, don’t you get it? He didn’t believe! There’s no gas leak here Richie, no gas leak.” She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, She was too tired to care anymore, it hurt too much to keep stopping it. With a soft sigh she let herself go, let control slip and let the wolf free.”
Richie sat in stunned amazement with a lap full of white wolf and took a deep breath of the fresh air that was blowing onto the balcony. He closed his eyes and looked again, assured that he’d again see the pretty little blonde that had his best friend tied in knots, but the only thing that stared at him was a big white wolf that shared the golden eyes of the girl he had been holding just a few minutes before.
He reached up and gave himself a rather hard pinch and almost yelped when it hurt like hell. “Well fuck that didn’t help.” He shook his head and looked down at the body on his lap. “Could ya go back to being Dusty?? I believe ya, fuck I believe ya.”
Within moments a shivering Dusty was again in his lap, her soft whimpers tearing at his heart.
“I know your hurting Dusty, and I can’t begin to understand why, but when Kidd gets here, well this is something you’re gonna have to tell him, no matter how scary it seems. He’s a good guy Dusty, he can deal.” Richie gave her his most winning smile as he pulled her into a hug, “Until you can explain all I just saw though I’ll try to not say anything. But I won’t keep a secret forever.”
Dusty curled into his lap and nodded. How the hell was she gonna convince him to keep this quiet?
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