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"Hey-la Angel-luv!" Asher said brightly. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Partly." He smiled.

"Oh." She brushed his bangs back and looked at him seriously. "Your eyes are so gray today," she whispered. "You look so old and wise." A flash of smile. "Mostly old."

"Old eh!?" He smirked and tossed her into the air, catching her. "Old I may be, but still frisky."

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh I'm hoping." She kissed him deeply, in such a passionate way that passers by smiled. Finally, he put her down.

"So," she said, breathless and smiling. "What are you planning to do with the rest of the day?"

"Nothing that couldn't be moved to tomorrow."

"Then why don't we take a walk around town - just to stay in practice."

They smiled at each other and laughed.

When Victor and Asher got back to the inn and they'd settled in to dinner, he paused for a moment to think of the cryptic words of the wolf. He stared across the table at Asher as she ate and her cool gray eyes.

"Is something the matter, Angel-luv?"

He shook himself out of it. "What? Oh no, just something is on my mind."

Asher reached across the table and poured his glass full of the excellent local wine. "Well, I'm sure I can think of something to take your mind off of it." She gave him a smile, and he returned it. There was so much to love about that woman.

"I feel a little bad, Asher."

"Oh?"

"You keep paying for the inn and the meal."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'd do the same if you had money, and I didn't."

"I suppose I would."

"And I'm sure you can think of ways to pay me back."

Victor raised his eyebrows at her, and smirked, then raised his glass in a toast.

"Victor?" whispered Asher. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her, eyes half shaded behind his bangs and invisible in the dim light.

"Hmmm? Yes?"

"I want you to know I love you."

"Hmmm?" he said, blinking, and shaking his hair out of the way so he could see her more clearly. Asher had the blanket pulled up to her chin to ward off the chill, but her eyes were wide open and serious.

"I love you more than I think I've ever loved anyone."

Victor smoothed back a lock of her hair, and cradled her face in his hand.

"I don't expect you to feel the same way, but I wanted you to know."

"Why now?"

"I don't know." She snuggled close to his chest and sighed, laying her cheek again the long scar that wound down his torso. Angel stroked her hair and enjoyed the feel of her breath on his skin.

"And I know there are secrets about yourself you can't tell me, like the scar," she breathed, looking up at him. "But that's alright, as there are secrets I can't tell you, but I just..." She sighed, yawning, as if that confession had taken all of her energy. "I just..." She dropped off and Victor settled back down, pulling the blankets over both of them. He wondered if this was love. It felt different than any other time he thought he'd been in love. But now he was awake, and for many moments he lay awake staring at the ceiling, and thinking about the werewolf slavers. At last he spoke silently to God.

"God," he prayed. "I know the garou aren't your creatures. But I can't let this go on, and I'd really appreciate all the help I can get." He smiled down at Asher. "Unless you've already sent it to me." Slowly the dark haired drifter relaxed and he fell back to sleep. Tomorrow, he would see the fur merchants. He'd need all the sleep he could get.

"...no!" yelped the weasely clerk as Victor threw him through the false wall.

"I told you you could open it," smirked the dark haired drifter. "If you're going to lie," Victor added, lighting first a clove then a lamp, as he stepped into the cold storage space, "get better at it." As he raised the lamp to shine light all around him, his jaw fell open and his stomach churned. "Oh my God." The clerk whimpered and groveled at Victor's feet begging him not to kill him, but Victor paid no attention. The room was larger than he'd thought, part processing room, part showroom. Silver scraping knives and skinning blades shone in the light, and racks stretched the hides. There were more than just wolf's hides. Bears, great cats, the spotted hide of a desert scavenger, even a rat's hide the size of a large dog's. Victor stepped over the quivering scared lump of flesh he'd just interrogated. A stuffed war form snarled on a stand. On another wall there was a small forge, and a half completed collar - just big enough for a child's neck glimmered in fine silver stock. Victor suddenly realized why the bear's fur that he and Asher had slept on was so large. Somewhere deep in his mind, the hunter realized someone was screaming - a deep outraged howl. After a few moments he realized it was him.

Angel turned, fangs out, blood lust on him - whatever promises he'd made to the weasel like clerk if he cooperated were forgotten. Someone would pay and the boy was unfortunately enough for him, within reach.

"Someone is asking questions."

"Someone usually is."

"I think he will cause trouble. He scared our slaver friend almost straight. He couldn't even talk about what happened until he had half a bottle of imported whisky in him."

"I don't know, it sounds about normal for him."

"This is serious. If this troublemaker gets wind of our new hunting plans."

"He won't."

"And if he does?"

"...he'll be stopped."

"You're getting soft. Just like a woman." The large man snorted. He was flung against the wall, and felt the prick of a knife blade below his belt.

"I am never soft. Remember who you work for."

"I will."

Victor took deep calming breaths, and looked around the room again. It was lamentably unchanged. He hadn't expected any less.

"Now, what am I going to do with you all?" he asked the furs and things. He wiped his face, and peeled off his blood crusted and torn gloves. He looked at them gloomily. "These," he sighed, "are a total loss." Lighting another clove he was startled to see his hand shake the lighter flame. He swallowed heavily. Then slowly he gave a small smile. He couldn't change what had happened here, but at least he could erase this place from the face of the earth.

"So then he helped make sure that the fire didn't spread. The man's a born hero!" the guard captain told Asher, who was waiting for Victor to come back from the bathhouse, where he was washing smoke out of his hair. "We couldn't stop the fire, but since he called for the fire brigade in time, it didn't spread."

"My Angel-luv is a remarkable man," she allowed with a faint smile. "But I'm sure you want to get back and wash too, so don't let me keep you here."

"Oh, yeah..." The smoke-stained young man shambled off, just as Victor emerged from the bathhouse, toweling off his hair.

"So what really happened, Angel-luv?" demanded Asher.

"What do you mean Ash?"

"Don't try that innocent look on me!" she said, smiling in spite of herself. "Why were you down in the furrier's district in the first place?" Her pale gray eyes leveled on him and he sighed deeply.

"Doing a favor for a friend," he replied, giving a second deep sigh. Asher cupped his cheek and smiled at him.

"Alright," she accepted. "Just be careful."

"I will." They kissed, and Asher snaked her hand inside his robe to caress his chest. He chuckled deep in his chest.

"You would not believe some of the shit that is going on down there," said Victor shaking the last droplets of water out of his hair.

"Oh?" she asked coolly. The dark haired man nodded and headed across the room to dig out some clean clothes from his pack. He paused and shivered. Asher followed him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. He leaned into it, sighing.

"It's hard to think about."

"It's alright, Angel-luv," she whispered into his ear. "I can help you forget anything." He smiled at her and leaned his head against hers.

"I think you could," he whispered softly. "But I don't think I want to forget this. If I forget, I can't do anything."

"Then just forget for a bit." She put her lips over his and for a little while, he did forget what he'd seen.

* Snick.*

* Snick.*

* Snick.*

Asher woke up and blinked sleepily. She felt next to her, and found Victor gone. She sat up and saw him sitting on the foot of the bed, slowly sharpening a knife.

"Angel-luv?"

"Hmmm?"

"It really upset you didn't it, what you saw today?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me what it was?"

"Just something that isn't illegal, but should be." He sighed deeply again.

"I wish I could help you," she said softly, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"You help more than you could know, " he said with a faint smile. He put the knife and whetstone away, and lay back down beside her.

"So are you going to tell me what it is?" she asked the next morning after breakfast.

He looked up at her with smoky gray-brown eyes and smiled. "So you still want to know?"

"Of course I want to know," Asher laughed. "I want to know all about you."

Victor reached across the table and cradled her cheek in his hand.

"No you don't." He dropped his hand and took a drink of his coffee, leaving Asher wondering about the sadness in his voice. At last he looked up at met her silvery eyes. "It's just, you know what Wintersong and Memorydancer asked me about?"

"Who?" asked Asher, confused.

"The garou."

Asher drew back a little surprised. Victor didn't seem to notice.

"It's everywhere," he muttered to himself. "And I can't find the source, it's driving me crazy."

"Angel-luv..."

"And I just don't know what I can do about it."

"Victor!"

The lanky man stopped and looked at his breakfast companion in surprise.

"Do you really think this is any of your business, Victor?"

"Things like this are everyone's business." He looked back at her and the upset expression, and sighed. "Alright, alright, unless I stumble across it I'll let it be, alright." She calmed down, and he went back to his coffee. 'And if I happen to stumble across it because I'm looking for it, then....'

It almost seemed that Asher knew what Victor had in mind, since she made a point not to leave him alone for over a week after that conversation. It wasn't truly annoying, just trying. But Asher was out with her friends tonight, which left him free to prowl. Or perhaps a better word was hunt.

There had been very little sign of the hunters and trappers in town since he'd gone ballistic on their base of operation, but he wasn't so foolish as to think they'd skipped town completely. He just needed to sniff them out. It was cold. Winter seemed to have decided that it was going to bitch-slap them a few more times before it surrendered to spring. Or maybe this was what it was always like in this area. It was hard for Victor to tell. Right now he was half hidden in shadows in an out of the way bar, drinking spiked coffee, and keeping his ears open. And luck rewarded him for being her faithful follower.

"So you're saying there's a whole village of mutts out there."

A murmuring reply.

"Yeah, I know, don't hurt the humans - do we ever?"

"Look Boss, are you sure this is a good idea, I mean, what with that guy out there."

"---- having him watched----taken care of----ever question me!"

"If you say so. The advance troops are out."

Murmured reply.

"Right, since they're active at night, we're gonna attack just before dawn, downwind. Gees Boss, you'd think after all this time, you'd trust us to plan an attack. You coming?"

The same murmuring voice, just out of the audible range for him. Victor strained to hear it. He couldn't make out the words, but he caught the negative.

"I guess. You did sniff this out for us."

Laughing assent, still just below the audible range.

Victor waited until their conversation got deeper, before paying his bill and leaving without a rush. He waited till he was down the street and around the corner before running back to the inn.

Extra rounds, the sharpened knives, two silk undershirts. It would be a hell of a run to the village. Where was Asher? He'd love to have her back up on this.

"Victor?" Asher stood in the doorway, key in one hand, looking shocked. "Angel-Luv, what's going on?"

"We're going hunting," he explained, pointing at the warm clothes he'd laid out for her. "Come on, suit up!"

She obediently shed her town shirt for the silk and woolen layers, as Victor finished packing.

"But where are we..."

"No time!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. As they rushed down the hall, Asher still putting on her jacket, he handed her his gun. "Hold onto this, you'll probably need it."