Life with Natalie and Kevin was everything that Tommy had always dreamed about.  Here he had a family, a woman that he loved, and people who wanted him.  Things were so good that he began to doubt his own precognitive instincts, blaming it on the spirits of his guitar or his own paranoia.  Nothing was wrong, there was nothing to worry about.  He almost regretted getting Milo and the rats involved in something that seemed to be nothing at all.  When the King got back he told himself that he would call off the watch guards and they could just go on living life peacefully. 

That night he was curled up with Natalie in bed, warm and comfortable, both of them sleeping peacefully.  It was the sound of a gunshot that woke him with a start.  The second shot came soon after and that woke Natalie by his side.  She was only seconds behind him as they both raced towards Kevin’s room.  Tommy raced that way because his lycan hearing told him that was where the shots were coming from.  Maybe it was the same for Natalie, or maybe it was a mothers instinct that made her run that way instead of for the outside of the house.

By the time they reached Kevins room the window had slammed shut and he could just make out a man outside.  He looked familiar, but for the moment Tommy couldn’t place him.  Kevin was crying and racing towards Natalie’s arms.  Letting Natalie take Kevin out of the room he noticed that she already had a gun in her hand.  She was both a mother and a cop, so he didn’t doubt she’d be competent with the gun.  In the hallway he could hear Natalie on the phone but he wasn’t concentrating on the words. 

The man outside the window was gone and Tommy could smell them getting further away.  It was the smell that tipped his memory as he moved to open the window.  The smell belonged to the tiger who had come by with Caspian that day on the porch, the man Natalie had pulled a shotgun on.  Leaning out the window, sure by scent alone that whatever was out there was dead or dying, he saw the knife sticking in the window frame.  Wrestling with it a second the wood frame of the window scraped at his back. 

He pulled the knife out o f the wood and had time to look at the bodies on the ground as he ducked back inside.  Seperating the picture from the knife he wasn’t thinking about evidence since he wasn’t a cop, he was just thinking about figuring out what the hell was happening.  Knox’s scent and the tigers were itching at his nose and he hoped the rat knight was alright.  When he made it to the hallway he saw Natalie hanging up the phone with Kevin glued to her side. 

“Nat, do you know who this is?”

He held the picture out towards her and saw dawning recognition light in her eyes.  Tommy rubbed Kevin’s back lightly as Natalie told him about the man in the picture. Then Tommy tried to explain about the Rodere watching the house, and about the bodies outside being taken out by one of them.  He didn’t mention a name, but she didn’t seem to care as much about that as the fact that Kevin was safe.   In the distance he heard the sound of sirens and inwardly struggled with a desire to run.  Natalie seemed to see it in him and realize that for him being picked up by the police would mean severely different consequences than for her.  Lycans were often taken as guilty until proven innocent rather than the other way around and there were two dead bodies outside. 

“I love you.”

It was all that he could think to say as she urged him to go.  Crouching down he kissed Kevin on the head gently and promised the boy he’d be back, told him to look out for his mother.  Kevin sniffled and nodded but his hand clung to Tommy’s arm as he stood.  Kissing Natalie was all he could do and he didn’t really have time for that, but he hated to leave her even with the safety of her unit bearing down on them.  She promised to contact him as soon as she could and then she pushed him away. 

Stumbling back he nodded, understanding that each of them had to do what they had to do.  The police was her world and she would handle that end of things.  He had his own world to make contact with and check on.  Not waiting to grab clothes he went out the back door that led through the kitchen and into the back yard.  He had only a second to grab his phone off the kitchen counter as he passed.  The fence swung open in the yard so he headed that way, shivering like crazy in just his boxers as he tried to weave through the alleys and streets and put distance between himself and the house that was being surrounded by police cars and emergency vehicles. 

Once he could no longer hear the sirens he slowed enough to dial a number on his phone with shaking hands.  The number he dialed was for the house where Milo picked up and told him Otis was on his way to get him.  Nearly stumbling he hung up the phone and called Otis hoping the man could hear the phone on his bike.  When Otis answered Tommy almost cried with relief.  Hands shaking he tried to spit out his words.

“Don’t go to the house, Natalie’s there dealing with the police.  I’m a few blocks away on Page Street.  I’ll wait here for you.”

Staying crouched in the shadow of a house he waited and hoped that Otis could track his scent.  There wasn’t much else he could do at this point since wandering around the street in his underwear would likely get the cops called on him anyway.  His bare feet were mud soaked and cold, his bare skin covered in gooseflesh, and he was trying to put all the pieces of this together as he crouched there waiting to hear the tell tale sound of a bikes rumble that would signal Otis’s arrival. 

Tigers or not, Tommy didn't believe that Caspian had anything to do with this.  He didn't know what was going on but he felt sure about that instinct.  One way to tell would be to call the man.  If Caspian was willing to come to the Rodere house then it would go a long way towards proving his innocence.  While he waited he called and left Caspian a message at the number Natalie had given him for the man.  By the time he hung up the phone Otis was rolling by on his Chopper.

Running from the shadows he flagged the man down and didn't hesitate to hop on the back of the bike and cling to the warm body in front of him.  Thankfully, Otis didn't ask a lot of crazy questions, he just drove.  Tommy was sure that he'd have to explain things soon enough and he didn't want to have to do it twice.  All the way back to the Rodere house he was saying silent prayers that Natalie and Kevin would be alright.  He could deal with anything else, as long as nothing happened to the two of them.