Trouble comes home (Amber, Cole, Hayden, Open)

[ladyamber]

Amber knew she had to do this. Her life would be infinitely better if she could trust the local Preternatural Marshall and the RPIT officers. In the past, RPIT and Amber had crossed paths on a few cases in Dallas. It was not her fault that she seemed to always be at ground zero for every crazy magic user that came into town. She had simply been minding her own business and was doing her job to protect the pack. Amber had tried to help RPIT back then by taking the information about the people who were perpetuating those attacks and had ended up on the suspect list. She still bore the scars from the crazy Nordic witch that had tried to take out RPIT’s first responders and SWAT with a magic bomb. She had managed to shield and save almost everyone but at great cost to herself. Then she had been targeted by Humans Only, a more radical younger brother branch of Humans First. She was once again a suspect in attacks that she had tried to stop. She had eventually ended up in witness protection being very publicly outed as a magic user when she had testified before a grand jury about Humans Only. Humans Only had been protected by very wealthy and powerful people from within congress and law enforcement. Amber had worked with a federal prosecutor and the FBI and Marshall’s office to hunt down and find the splintered cells and members of the group. Her testimony and work with them had taken down several senators and a few congressmen, and agents from within the FBI.



Amber had been treated as an unwilling or hostile witness by most of the law enforcement that she had come into contact with. Those early reports from Dallas RPIT had labeled her uncooperative and suspect even after all she had done to stop the attacks. She had taken information to the local RPIT commander to have it ignored and scoffed at. He had put her into an interrogation room. He had tried to pin the crimes on Amber. She felt like she had to explain herself and was confronted with suspicion and fear by law enforcement. Her location and presence had been leaked while she had been in witness protection. She was afraid to put herself back into their hands. She trusted David. She would go to RPIT headquarters and seek out the two men he had asked her to see. She had taken precautions because she didn’t trust them after the last time she had come to them. She had made sure David knew she was going. He was supposed to come after her if she had not contacted him within 3 hours.



Amber looked out the windshield at the Dallas headquarters of the RPIT team. The building was several stories tall and of modern architecture. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She did her best to release her anxiety out as she blew the breath out once more. Once she felt as calm as she felt she would be able to get. She climbed out of her SUV. She clicked the lock button on the fob. She heard the horn beep letting her know the alarm was set. She pulled her medicine bag over her shoulder. She was wearing black dress slacks, patent leather pumps, and a floral blouse. Her medicine had been flung across her body. Her long raven black hair was pulled back into a French braid. Her hand found the necklace Remy had given her. Her hand clutched it and her fingers ran over the smooth surface of the moonstone. Running her fingers over the stone reminded her she was not alone and that there were people in Dallas that would notice if she disappeared again. She felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She shivered but sucked up her courage and made her way to the front door.



Amber stepped through the mirrored double doors and into the lobby of the police station. The tile floors were a clean but classy fake marble. There was a wall with four bullet proof windows with an officer sitting behind it at the counter desk. There was a door to one side of the desk area that led deeper into the station. The small lobby had a few chairs and a memorial wall. She stepped into line and waited her turn to approach one of the windows with an officer behind it. She stepped up to an older officer that looked close to retirement. The officer looked bored as she stepped up to the window. He looked at her curiously and gave her a professional nod.



“How can we help you today?” She took a deep breath and dug deep for courage. “Hello my name is Amber Skywulf and I am here to see either Cole Avery or Hayden Patton.” She gave the officer a polite smile. The officer looked confused as he consulted his computer. “Did you have an appointment ma'am? I don’t see you listed on the schedule.” She shook her head no. “No, I don't have an appointment. Could you please page them and see if they have a few minutes to spare? I won’t take up much of their time.” He gave her a disgruntled look but dutifully picked up the phone and hit a few buttons. She couldn’t hear the conversation on the phone. He hung up and pointed to the side door. “Please wait over there. Someone will be out to guide you in a few minutes.” Amber could feel his eyes following her as she stepped out of line and over to the only door that led deeper into the building. She did her best to appear non threatening. She could feel eyes on her as she waited quietly by the door. Amber had considered making an appointment but she was worried her courage would fail and they would be left wondering what happened to her. It was better this way or so she hoped. 

[Cole Avery]

Cole was in Hayden's office waiting for Hayden to get off the phone. Hayden was on his cell discussing something with Mac. Hadyen's desk phone started to ring. Cole motioned to Hayden if he should answer it. Hayden nodded so he did. Cole briefly talked with the front desk officer and then replaced the receiver. He took Hayden's notepad and wrote down Amber's name and that she was requesting to speak to one of them and slid it in front of Hayden. Hayden nodded and scribbled on the pad that he would try to finish up as quickly as possible but to bring her on back. Cole nodded and disappeared out of the office. He rarely dressed up for work unless he was testifying in a case. Today was a typical day for him so he had on jeans, cowboy boots, and a t-shirt with the Mountain View College mascot on it.

The day shift was mostly working on reports or on the phone. None of them paid attention to Cole as he walked through to go get Amber. He spotted her as he neared the day. She was a very pretty well dressed Native American woman. He'd heard the name before he thought but he couldn't think of where. He opened the door and smiled at her.

"Hello, Ms. Skywulf. I'm Cole Avery. Lieutenant Patton is on the phone but he should be done by now." He stuck his hand out to shake her hand.
"Just follow me."

Cole noticed a few of the officers looking up from their phone calls or reports but none of them did anything more than a quick glance and back down again. They arrived at Hayden's office and he was off the phone now. Cole opened the door and held it for Amber then he entered the office and shut the door behind them.

[Hayden Patton]

Hayden finished up with Mac in time to see Cole headed toward his office with their guest. He'd heard the name Amber Skywulf but he couldn't figure out where he'd heard it. He stood up as Cole and Amber entered. He reached out to shake her hand.

"How can we help you, Ms. Skywulf?" Hayden said taking back his seat after she was seated. He'd been meeting with lots of people since taking over RPIT. He'd made it a point to try to set up meetings with any of the shifter groups he didn't know personally. Mack had known most of the groups in Dallas and he was personal friends with several of David's wolves because most of them were Nadine's guards. Hayden was also friends with some of them through Mac. He'd also been discreetly running background and known associate checks on his team. He didn't want another Ortiz in their mist. They couldn't afford to have someone that close again.

[ladyamber]

Amber waited quietly watching the room through lowered lashes. She avoided making eye contact with anyone in the small waiting room. She felt nervous and slightly nauseous. The last time she had willingly walked into RPIT here in Dallas was to warn them about a crazy Nordic mage targeting shifters. They had scoffed at her and treated her as a suspect even as she had tried to help them. She was actually a little surprised after everything RPIT had accused her of being in the middle of back then that her picture wasn’t on the wall and studied by all the cops on the force. She snickered a little amused at that thought. She had been out of the area for years. She probably wouldn't be recognized by many. She doubted that with everything that RPIT had to worry about that they even still talked about her. She was probably worried for nothing. The fear and anxiety provoked by being here were real enough. A RPIT officer had accused her of magical malfeasance which carries the death penalty. She had come to him to help and he had labeled her suspect number one. He questioned how she knew things. She had told him honestly but wouldn’t give up her sources. She was not going to tell RPIT about weres that were not out of the closet. She would not reveal names when the RPIT officer made it clear he was looking for an escape goat. That was how her dealings back then had gone with the local branch of RPIT.

Amber tried to shake off the dark memories and feelings that came with it. She trusted David and he had said that she could trust Hayden and Cole. She knew she needed to do her best to make this work. Being on the wrong side of RPIT and the Marshall’s office would make it difficult to stay here in Dallas. She was back where she belonged and she wouldn’t let anyone push her away from her friends and the pack she considered family. Amber was shielding tightly because she didn’t want another sensitive cop to charge her with attempting to influence them simply because they could sense her power. She sighed and shifted her weight from foot to foot trying to shed nervous energy.

The door to the rear of the station opened a few minutes later and she was greeted by an officer dressed in casual clothes. The only reason she knew he was an officer was the badge he wore. He introduced himself as Cole Avery. This was the new preternatural Marshall in Dallas that David trusted. She felt her shoulders relax a touch as she was reminded David trusted this man. He held out a hand for her to shake. She shook his hand with a firm grip. Her hands had little white scars all over them. If the man was sensitive, like many cops were, the hair on his arms would stand up as he caught the edge of her abilities, banked like a fire waiting to be unleashed. “Nice to meet you Marshall Avery. David speaks highly of you.” She smiled at him, before stepping through the door behind him.

She followed him past the open pit work area where numerous cops were working at desks writing reports or on the phone. Amber glanced out over the various faces hard at work. She was surprised she didn’t recognize anyone. Her heels made a soft tapping noise on the floors as she followed Cole. Her curiosity got the better of her. The new headquarters were very different from the old ones. She followed Cole to an office and stepped inside as he held the door for her. She stepped forward to greet Hayden as Cole closed the door behind them and stepped into the room behind her.

Hayden stood to greet her and offered a hand to shake. She shook his hand and couldn’t help the trickle of energy exchange as Hayden’s energy brushed along hers. She could tell he was a shifter but not what kind without a deliberate probe, which she refrained from. She wasn’t prying; it was simply one of those metaphysical rules where physical touch made most preternatural powers easier to use or harder to hide. She was sure that Hayden felt the same jolt of energy that revealed to him that she had some kind of preternatural power. It made her curious how she pinged his radar. She wondered if her power read like a shifter, a witch, or a psychic to him? Amber was caught a little off guard by the fact that Hayden was a shifter. She wondered if his fellow cops knew what he was. She wouldn’t be revealing his secrets. It was not her place too and not why she was here.

She sat in the seat he so politely offered for her to sit. She gracefully sat in the chair and unconsciously tugged her medicine bag/purse into her lap so it didn’t get caught between her and the chair. Hayden sat back down at his desk. Amber tilted her head to the side as she tried to think about how to start this awkward conversation. She had expected both men to know her background and challenges with RPIT and the Marshall’s office. They both seemed to have no idea who she was, which was refreshing for a change. “Thank you for seeing me Lieutenant Patton. I have come to see you and Marshall Avery about my return to Dallas. David trusts you and has asked that I do the same. So I am here to clear the air between myself, RPIT, and Marshall Avery. I am here as a courtesy.” She paused letting them process that and watching for signs of recognition or understanding about why she was here. Maybe they truly didn’t know her history with this office? Maybe RPIT had buried the files about her after she was proved innocent. She would tell them everything but wanted to see how they reacted to her first. She wouldn’t be surprised if Cole had received some kind of be on the lookout notice for her after she slipped her Marshall handler in Billings.

[Cole Avery]

Cole recognized the name then. He'd seen the alert where she had disappeared from the Marshall's service. He'd also read the report and didn't blame her for leaving them behind. They were supposed to be watching her back and obviously, they hadn't been doing that. He looked over at Hayden.

"Ms. Skywulf left the Marshalls' service's custody but I read the report and I agree, she had every right to leave." Cole turned to Amber. "I want to apologize for their inability to protect you. You are better protected by David's pack or even the Kiss."

Cole knew from the report that Amber was trained spiritually and some of her training was similar to Miranda's training. He had some training himself so he'd like to talk shop with her sometime. He could imagine that Miranda might too. He turned back to Amber. He was tempted to ask her where she was staying but had a feeling she wouldn't tell him out of distrust. He couldn't blame her. It bothered him that the Marshall's service had let her down.

[Hayden Patton]

Hayden agreed with Cole, that the Marshal's service had done a horrible job of protecting Amber. Hayden had pulled the file from Amber's original visit. Mac had been out of the station at the time and the commander she had dealt with had been an ass. Hayden held up the file and looked at Amber.

"I pulled the file from your original visit here. Mckenzie wasn't here when you came and the commander was a complete ass. I know it's late but I'd like to apologize for his behavior on behalf of the department as well as Mckenzie, even though he's retired now."

Hayden wondered if she was already living in a house or if she was house hunting. He lived in the same subdivision as David. From what he'd been told, David and Nadine owned the entire subdivision so the only people living in the subdivision were people that David and Nadine had vetted.

Hayden looked over to Cole but included Amber in the conversation.

"I don't think the U.S. Marshals need to monitor Amber. I'm sure since the pack knows she's back, that David has her well protected." He looked back at Amber. "If you want the Marshals service to leave you alone, we can make that happen."

[ladyamber]

Amber had been trying to be very careful with her conversation with these two men. Her knee jerk reaction was to be angry, defensive, and distrustful of them both due to her past experiences. Her body jolted and her hands clutched at her bag in surprise. Her surprise and shock jolted her to her core. Her experience with them was completely different from her previous experience with the RPIT commander who had been hateful, distrustful, and looking for a way to put her away. She had expected Cole to try and convince her to go back under the protection of the Marshals. She had expected Hayden to be distrustful of her like so many other preternatural officers had been. The tight hold she had on her power wavered as her concentration lapsed spilling out.

She was grateful she was sitting down. Her mind raced wondering why then had the Marshall’s service failed her again and again? Why had the previous commander of RPIT been such a hateful bastard to her? She had never met Mac. She thought the officer she had dealt with was named Ortiz. Why had they tried to pin those previous crimes on her when she had brought them information on who was doing it? This was one of those times when her faulty memory frustrated her. It left her feeling vulnerable and unsure of herself.

She knew she might never get answers. Her eyes studied the two men. These two men had been gracious and honest. She had been so hopeful about working with RPIT when she had first come to them when shifters started to go missing. David had never steered her wrong. He trusted these men and wanted her to work with them for the pack’s sake. Why couldn’t it have been this way from the beginning? Had she been hiding much longer than she had needed too? Maybe David was right about her past experiences coloring how she would view other Marshals and RPIT officers. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm her racing heart. Maybe this was one of those things she needed to address to start healing.

Amber started off softly, her voice shaky. Her eyes took on a distant look as she recounted the past. “When I first came to RPIT, I had come to offer my services to help solve local preternatural crime. There was a Nordic Mage that was kidnapping local shifters and stealing their ability to connect with their animal half which left them unable to shift. The mage was using very dark blood magic. Ortiz was angry with me because I would not give him the names of the shifters who had come to me for help. I wouldn’t give up any who were not already outed as shifters. They had a right to privacy. I understood why they didn’t want to come forward. But this maniac needed to be stopped. So I came to RPIT offering advice and what I knew. He charged me with the crime. He said that the only way I could know so much about them was because I was responsible.” She paused her eyes looking haunted as she remembered the magical bomb. Her hand drifted over some of the scars on her face. “He had laid a trap for RPIT officers and the pack members helping to track him. I did my best to contain the bomb but a RPIT SWAT leader triggered it.” She remembered thinking she was too far away and Ortiz had not waited for her. He had deliberately moved on her intel without her. By the time she had figured out it was a trap it had almost been too late. She could remember running and the fear and adrenaline that she wouldn’t make it in time. She closed her eyes remembering the blood and shrapnel flying as she struggled to keep the magic blast contained. “The bomb injured most of the officers in the building and killed two of them. He tried to charge me with their death.”

She opened her eyes, coming back to the present. “I still bear the scars from that day.” She looked at Hayden and Cole assessing once more. “I am tired of running. I have come home to Dallas. I am currently renting a home from David near the pack house.”

Amber solidified her resolve as she sat up straighter in the chair. “I am back to heal. I want to rebuild my life here. I have PTSD from everything I have been through.” She looked at them both. “I don’t want my past to hold me back anymore. I want to build a new future here. I want you both to know that I am here. I also want you both to understand that trouble follows me. I have been moving from place to place for years with the Marshals. There are those who hunt me and word will get out that I am here. They will come eventually.” She paused to see if her warning really got through. She hoped so. Dallas didn’t need any more issues. She worried and was terrified that she would indeed bring more issues to Dallas. She didn’t want to be a trouble magnet. It just seemed to work out that way. “I want to work with you both. I am the pack’s vagamor. I want to help those in the preternatural community. If my expertise or knowledge can help you with your cases. I am at your disposal. I will not reveal any sensitive information or divulge personal identities of any shifter I know about without good cause.” She looked into the eyes of each man. “That is if you would like my help.” She raised an eyebrow in question.

[Cole Avery]

Cole nodded as he listened to Amber talk about how RPIT had treated her.  He knew that won't have flew with Mac and it wouldn't fly with Hayden.  He also knew that Ortiz would rot in jail if the shifters had anything to do with.  Ortiz had refused to give up his accomplices but they were checking his contacts and trying to see if the contacts could be part of Human's First.  Cole took a seat in the chair next to Amber.

"I understand your feelings.  This last attack we had here in Dallas left a lot of us with scars and PTSD."  He paused and looked to Hayden then back at Amber.  "Coming back here was a good idea.  David's right in his trust in us.  We could always use the help.  We're looking for Human's First members.  Ortiz was part of Humans First, probably when you talked him which is why he was such as asshole to you."

Cole was glad she'd come into see them.  After reading her file, he'd been surprised she'd shown up at all because she'd had such horrible treatment at the hands of the Marshal's Service.  Every time he thought he'd seen the worst of people someone would come along and do something else stupid or horrible.  He'd always been pretty open minded but more so since he'd started dating Miranda and being around the wolfpack and around Miranda's brother Hayden.  He wasn't scared of shifters but he was scare of his fellow man because his fellow man had done horrible things.

"I trust the shifters, witches, and spirituals more than I'll ever trust another human."  He gave Amber a quick smile.  "I'm glad to have you here." 

[Hayden Patton]

Hayden agreed with Cole. He trusted the shifters, the witches, the spirituals, and the vampires more than he'd trust any human, with that said he trusted Mckenzie because Mckenzie was a standup guy. He'd looked over at Amber and smiled.
"We can use the help. We're not going to kill members of Humans First but we do want to drive them back. I feel like if we made an example of one of them, they would give up on screwing around in Dallas or at least give up messing with the Master and hence stop bothering all of us."

Hayden looked out into the squad room. Most of their people so far had checked out. There were a few of his officers that were still being checked out but he didn't look to have any problems. He looked back over at Amber.

"I'm going to have an animator consulting for us. I'm meeting with her business manager in a few days." He paused then finished. "I would like to have you come to work for us in a consulting position as well. You would still have time for any other interests you have."

[ladyamber]

Amber offered the two officers a tentative smile as they both assured her they were eager to work with her. They seemed to understand where her mistrust had come from and had even apologized for the treatment she had received at the hands of the Marshals service and the previous RPIT officer. Amber’s eyes widened in surprise to hear that Ortiz had turned out to be a member of Humans First. She was more surprised to hear Cole acknowledge that he trusted the preternatural community more than humans.

Amber’s shoulders relaxed and her smile became more genuine and warm. Her smile removed some of that hard cold edge that her anxiety had painted on her face. Amber could tell that the two officers were genuinely glad to meet her. The officers could see the difference as her body language changed to more relaxed and trusting. She was no longer holding herself so stiff and rigid, leaning away from them.

Amber listened to Hayden as he disclosed some of the trouble they had been having with Humans First. It seems that RPIT was still working on uncovering more of the Humans First cell here in Dallas that had been behind the recent attack. Interest in what they were saying reflected in her eyes and curious expression as she listened to the two men. Amber’s face reflected the surprise she felt when Hayden offered her a paid consultant position.

Amber couldn’t help but laugh at how different this trip to RPIT had been compared to her reception in the past. She had been prepared to fight her for freedom and even be held in an interrogation room like last time. She shook her head a little as she laughed hard and wiped away a few tears.

It took her a few moments to regain her composure before she could answer the man. “I would like that very much.” Amber offered Hayden her hand to shake. “Sign me up!” She then gave him a dazzling smile. “And thank you both.” Once again Amber felt that subtle zing of exchanged energy as she shook Hayden’s hand.

How did she thank them for restoring her faith in law enforcement? Amber had felt so hunted and alone for so long. Just being treated with respect and listened to was such a novel experience for her, especially by anyone from law enforcement. Her experiences with other officers had been to treat her like a victim, some of them had blamed her for the fact had needed their services. Every time someone leaked her location and she had to be moved, they blamed her for it. She had been accused of seeking attention and being stupid, incapable of following their directions. She had been so frustrated and had lost so much of herself through the years. It felt good to be seen and heard. It was a very validating and affirming experience for her.

Amber leaned back in the chair after retrieving her hand. “Do you gentlemen have any questions for me? I am assuming you have heard some of my background and have a file on me. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about my skill set or knowledge.”

[Cole Avery]

Cole thought about her question.  Did he have any questions about her skills, at the moment know but once he'd completely read her file he might.  Also, maybe talk to Miranda and see if she had some insight.  He personally liked Amber and from he'd seen she would work out just fine with them.

"At the moment, I can't think of any questions.  I'm just glad to have you join us."  Cole said giving her a smile.  He knew that him and Hayden were pulling together a tight department.  Hayden wanted to include no just good cops but also people like Amber with abilities that could help them but not have this people abused or used just because they had handy abilities.

[Hayden Patton]

Hayden glanced at Cole when Amber asked if he had any questions. He'd felt her power and to him, it felt similar to the pack but he knew she wasn't a shifter. He also knew she'd felt his power and knew he was a shifter, just not what kind he was.

"I know you're comfortable with shifters being with the pack. You'll see me around the pack often, but I'm not a wolf." He paused but decided to spit it out.

"I'm a rat. I was infected years ago during an investigation. Mac went to bat for me to keep my job. I'm telling you this because I didn't want you to find out from someone else.

He also preferred to be honest with the people he worked with.