The Ties That Bind

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When Madeline's eyes drifted down to the floor, Maxim did finally sigh, mildly annoyed but also a bit apologetic for frightening her. As much as she had been a criminal and it was his job to deal with her, it didn't mean he had to frighten her about it all. He was going to be the only anchor she had to safety and freedom, for the foreseeable future.

"You have a great deal to worry over, Ms. Jones," he said, something softer about his tone, without the irritation brought on by her doubting him. "Stick to what is yours to worry about, and leave what is mine to me." There was no need for her to be concerned for people that were under his care. They were his responsibility, not hers.

"Are we leaving?" Simon asked from his desk, and when Maxim nodded he logged out of the computer and got to his feet to gather his things. "I'll be ready in just a second." She was coming with them, it seemed, which was a bit of a surprise. He was sure Maxim would fill him in later.
 
She appeared to be more upset than frightened, but it was hard to tell. When she lifted her gaze to look at him again, her expression was neutral, a carefully guarded look in her eye.

"Understood, Agent Orwell." Her tone was perfectly polite, but professional sounding, an odd detached quality to it. She was putting her guard up again, retreating back into herself.

She glanced over at Simon, wondering what the others would be like, if they'd accept her presence or not.
 
There was nothing for it, Maxim decided. They had only just met, and Madeline's ability to trust was all but imperceivable. A few conversations were not going to change anything.

Though he shook his head at a her, Maxim didn't stop her from calling him Agent, just waving her along as Simon caught up. "Let's get going. Are you hungry, Miss Jones? Hopefully whatever is for dinner will be to your tastes."

"Some kind of pot roast, I think," Simon supplied, smiling a little and seemingly unfazed by her tagging along. "Do you have any allergies, Madeline? I can ask Oscar to set something aside for you if we need to. I'm sure there's frozen dinners around, too, if you don't like it." Dinner was a normal but somewhat chaotic affair, at the pack house. They didn't always jam into one apartment to eat together, but it was often enough Simon had gotten used to it. The children would probably eat somewhere else, with a stranger around, but Simon don't think the others would mind.
 
She shrugged a little and was about to answer him, when Simon suddenly joined them and spoke up. She seemed to relax slightly around Simon, as she fell into step beside them.

"Oh no, I can eat anything." She said softly, without even thinking, a hint of sadness in her tone. Then realising what she'd said, she got a bit flustered, a faint pink blush colouring her cheeks.

"Uh I mean, no I'm not allergic to anything." She hated feeling so awkward, knowing it was only going to get worse. "Roast sounds great." She said with simple sincerity, surprised at how hungry she felt.
 
Simon was doing his job, Maxim thought with a faint smile he hid briefly behind a hand as if his jaw were hurting. The human was open and friendly, inviting and accepting of just about anyone, and he put people at ease. It was why Maxim took him along, at times, when he was paying a visit to someone who might feel afraid or was grieving. His heart of gold helped soften the wolf's sharp edges.

While he looked a bit bewildered by her reaction to her own words, Simon didn't question her, only pressing forward as they checked out and made their way out of the building to find Maxim's car in the parking lot. "That's good, that's good. Big dinner's can get a little loud, so let me know if you feel like you need to rest. We'll make sure you have enough to eat, though."

"You'll have to beat the little ones off with a stick if you want any potatoes." Maxim said with a shake of his head as he unlocked the car.

Simon laughed softly, standing back a bit and gesturing forward to let Madeline get I first and decide if she would feel more comfortable in the front or the back. "I'm sure Os will set a bowl aside for them. Mashed potatoes are their favorite, right now."
 
She noticed his confusion and felt even more embarrassed but she didn't explain, grateful that he just ignored it and moved on. She didn't feel like getting into it, enough painful memories had been dragged up today.

She kept her eyes peeled as they made their way to his car, watching and listening for any hint of danger. She didn't expect any, not yet at least, but she couldn't be too careful.

Maxims comment about the kids made her smile a little, she'd always liked kids, her few happy childhood memories centred around them.

She slipped into the back seat, thinking it would make her less noticeable, but also thinking Simon would prefer the front. "How old are they?"
 
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Maxim was relaxed, but it didn't mean he wasn't also keeping an eye out. Even as he started the car and began to guide them out of the parking lot, he was focusing on their surroundings, looking slowly between mirrors and making sure he knew where anything else that moved was at all times. "Now would be a good time to lie down where you can't be seen, Miss Jones."

"Opal is 9," Simon said after a confused little pause as she settled in, carrying on as if hiding in the backseat were not an entirely strange thing to do as he ticked off the children on his fingers, "Jasper is 7, and Amethyst is 4."

"And three-quarters." Maxim added idly as he plotted a path towards home that would reveal any potential tails.

"And three-quarters," Simon agreed with a nod. "That's very important. She's very proud of being a 'big girl' soon and going to school like her siblings. . . Jasper has decided that saying he hasn't done ridiculous things makes people think he has done them, so please don't worry if he tells you he most definitely did not lick something, or drop it in the toilet." It was his newest joke and he thought it was very funny, but he was a good boy. He really only ever licked things to gross people out when it was Marina, because she did not obey the concept of 'I licked it so it's mine' and the fact that she would carry on like nothing had happened was apparently some sort of challenge.
 
She didn't argue, pulling her hood up again and laying down across the backseat. She faced away from them, towards the back of the car so her face wasn't visible through the windshield.

She listened with a little smile on her face, doing her best to remember their names and ages. Along with everything else he was telling her about them, "I'll keep that in mind." Her face might not be visible, but the amusement was clear in her voice.

"They sound like sweet kids." She said sincerely, curious if they were all wolves too. "Do you guys all live on the same street or?"
 
"They're very good kids," Simon agreed, smiling warmly and pleased with how she seemed to like hearing about them. Maxim wasn't stopping him, so he was sure it was all right to talk about it. "Their father's raised them well." They were children still, and caused trouble off and on, but they were obedient when it mattered, and had been raised to be kind and compassionate. Simon had grown attached to them just as much as they were attached to him.

"Small apartment building." Maxim informed, though he almost wished they could have been facing each other when she tried to imagine so many people together in one space, and wolves at that. The way they lived as a pack, passing constantly between each other's spaces as if it were all just one large home, could be chaotic. "Two stories, six units. Inherited from my parents when they decided they were done with real estate. You'll be sleeping in the one empty unit, if that makes you feel better."

It was a revelation to Simon that she would be sleeping there, but he decided not to question it. Maybe she needed a place to stay for the night until she could get herself home. "I'll make sure the spare bed has fresh sheets on it when we get back." If it ended up that she didn't like the idea of sleeping in such an empty space, alone, he could always give her his own bedroom in Maxim's apartment and bunk with someone else for the night.
 
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Her smile faded a little hearing him mention their father specifically, as she got impression their mother was either out of their lives, or passed on.

Still it at least seemed they had a caring father, and perhaps an uncle judging by the warmth she could hear in Simon's voice when he spoke about them.

An apartment building made sense, though she was a little envious of the casual way he mentioned it being an inheritance from his parents, she wondered if he realised how lucky he was.

It did make her feel better, "it does, thank you." She said to Maxim, before answering Simon "Thank you, but you really don't have to go to any trouble."
 
Simon shook his head even though she couldn't see it. "It's no trouble! The apartments a little messy since we just use it for storage, but the bedroom is relatively empty. I'll have someone help me make sure it's clean." It would probably be best to distract Aether for a little while anyway. He wasn't very fond of strangers.

Simon was happy enough to talk about the little ones during the ride home, telling her how Opal was learning to sew because she wanted to make new clothes for her dolls, and toys for her younger siblings, how Jasper's new favorite thing was soccer but that he was still learning how to aim and had more than once kicked a ball directly into someone's head. It wasn't quite enough to hurt anyone, but it had made the others laugh when it happened.

Maxim chimed in every now and again with small details but otherwise let him do the bulk of the talking, instead focusing on the road both before and behind them. Only when he was sure no one was following them did he take them home, and finally pulled into the small parking lot outside the building.

"Here we are." He said as he turned the engine off and unbuckled. "It's safe enough to come out now."
 
She closed her eyes as Simon continued to talk about the kids, letting herself relax a little. The ride was smooth, and their talking was a sort of comforting white noise, though she did pay attention to it all and committed it to memory.

Once they finally arrived, she opened her eyes and sat up, somewhat reluctantly. Though she appeared unbothered, her heart was beating a bit fast.

She glanced at Maxim, wondering if he'd want her to wait out here until he spoke to them first. She decided to just wait and see, rather than risk ticking him off again, she really didn't have the energy to deal with that right now.
 
Simon got out of the car to lead the way, letting Madeline linger without prompting her out of the car in case she wasn't ready to meet so many wolves at once. When she hesitated, Maxim waved her on and got out of the car himself.

"Come inside," he urged, in case she felt she needed permission. "I've already called ahead to let them know you're coming. Make yourself at home as best you can."

There was no use hesitating now that they were already there. When she was ready he led her after Simon to unlock the front door. The building's entrance door was generally the only one that was closed, two of the three apartment doors visible from the small lobby left mostly ajar. Unless someone specifically wanted privacy, they were often in and out of each other's homes at will.

"Aether has the biggest table in his apartment," Simon said as they walked in, angling that way to follow the sounds and smells of dinner cooking, "so we eat at his place a lot. I'll get you something to drink, if you want to come and sit down." Oscar would likely be their chef for the night, as he often was, with Aether around to assist. Bella wouldn't stop working and come down until everything was ready, and sometimes not even then, but they did end up eating dinner together at least a few times a week.

"Come in, come in," Oscar called from the kitchen when they walked in, in the middle of watching several side dishes when they walked far enough in to see him, and gave a smile and a little wave over his shoulder. "Have a seat. Dinners almost ready."

Aether was mixing mashed potatoes at the counter nearby, but offered no such greeting, only looking briefly at Madeline with a light frown on his face before turning to make a few gestures at Simon with one hand.

"How are you out of butter?" Simon responded with something confused in his voice even as he pulled a pitcher of filtered water from the fridge and set it down to retrieve a glass. "We should have some, I'll get it in a minute - Madeline, this is Aether and Oscar. Aether, be nice to Madeline."

Aether briefly stuck his tongue out at Simon rather than respond and went back to mixing potatoes with slightly more force than necessary, which only made the human sigh in ways that suggested he'd expected it but was still disappointed.

Maxim rolled his eyes at the exchange and just gestured to the dining table for Madeline to have a seat. "Don't mind Aether, and don't let him fool you into thinking he can't hear you. His ears work fine, he's just an asshole."

The middle finger he was given over the young wolf's shoulder only made the alpha give an amused little smirk. Predictable.

Simon heaved a sigh again at the exchange, a hand pressed wearily against his head like they were too much to handle. "Why are you like this. . ."
 
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She hesitated for a moment longer then stepped out of the car, feeling pretty exposed out in the open, but relaxing a little once they were safely inside.

Pushing her hood back down, she glanced around the place curiously. The open doors were a pretty big change compared to where Farkas's pack all hung out, but it was kinda of nice.

It seemed like they all must get along really well with each other, it sort of reminded her of a home she lived in when she was a kid.

Following them into the apartment, her nerves were soothed a little by the delicious smells wafting out of the kitchen.

She stared back at Aether, not bothered by his frown or lack of greeting, she'd been imagining a lot more hostility so this was pretty damn mild.

She nodded to them both when she was introduced, "nice to meet you both." She noticed Aether using sign language and wondered briefly if he was deaf, until Maxim made it clear he wasn't.

That was good, as the only sign language she could still remember how to do was her name and a bunch of cuss words, which she didn't think would improve their impression of her any.

Sitting where Maxim directed her too, she found their banter rather amusing, though it did make her feel even more like an interloper, which of course she was.

"Can I do anything to help?" She asked a little shyly, but sincerely. She didn't like feeling useless, or rude for not pulling her weight, especially in a situation like this.
 
"Best not to crowd the kitchen too much," Maxim said, shaking his head and taking a seat next to hers, settling in at the table to keep himself out of the way as well. "Just relax for now."

"Even I get kicked out sometimes," Simon said with a little chuckle as he came over to set down a glass of water for her in case she was thirsty. "But that's better than spilling things, I guess."

Oscar and Aether were used to each other, shifting easily around each other in the kitchen as they worked to make sure nothing burned or was undercooked, Simon only drifting back and forth every once in a while to gather cups and silverware for the table, the plates left on the kitchen counter so everyone could serve themselves before sitting down. Marina threw a wrench in the works when she came down, bullying her way through them to steal a warm roll of bread and only cackling when Aether smacked her hand away as she tried for a second one. Completely unfazed, she hadn't even looked Madeline's way on her way in.

"Marina, don't cause trouble," Oscar scolded lightly, but with an amused smile on his face. "It'll be ready in a few minutes."

"All right, all right, I'll get out of Mr. Grumpy Gills' way," she said with a teasing grin as she dodged back out of the way with her pilfered snack. "They're so stingy sometimes." She rolled her eyes and took a bite of the roll as she came out to the dining room and leaned her elbows on the back of a chair. "You must be Madeline - want me to steal you something, too?"

Simon shook his head at her as he went to put the pitcher back in the fridge. "I think everyone can manage to wait a few minutes."

"Suit yourself," Marina said with a shrug, but raised an eyebrow at Madeline as she took another bite, as if asking if the other woman wanted her to go back anyway.

Maxim sighed at her to let her know she wasn't sneaky, though it only made her grin at him. "No more stealing. There will be plenty for everyone. Is Bella still working?"

She gave a soft sound of ascent through a mouthful of bread, rocking absentmindedly with the chair she'd taken to leaning on. "Promised I'd bring her dinner later."

"All right. Let her know to take a break later on so I can speak to her." Oscar might have passed on that they had a visitor, but until she was done they wouldn't bother her too much. It wasn't an emergency, and she was at least earning a living.

"Bella does live streams," Simon explained, settling into the chair on Madeline's other side until it was time to eat. "She mostly does video game stuff, but the room is pretty soundproof so don't worry about making noise." With the children around she'd made sure you could only hear a little through the walls while she streamed, at least as far as her microphone picked up.
 
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She nodded a little, deciding she could at least do the dishes afterwards, if they wanted her too of course. "Thanks." She said to Simon, with a small smile.

She took a sip, but mainly just held onto the cup, feeling a bit less awkward with something to occupy her hands. As she watched the other two work, she could see what they meant, Oscar & Aether seemed to have a perfect rhythm going.

Watching the antics of the new woman, Marina, made her smile a little, nodding a little in confirmation. "Yeah, nice to meet you." Before she could answer her question, Maxim answered for her.

Seeing her questioning look, her amused smile widened and she shook her head very softly, liking her and her energy.

She was pleasantly surprised so far, everybody was eiether friendly or indifferent which was more than she'd been hoping for.

When they mentioned streaming, she looked interested. "Oh yeah?" "What does she play?"
 
Marina gave a little tilt of her head in a silent If you say so, and didn't offer to pilfer food for the newcomer again. "Oh, a bunch of stuff," she said instead, switching easily to the topic of the other female wolf in the pack. "Indie games, whatevers popular at the moment - you can tell when it's horror cuz you can hear her scream through the floors." That much she pointed out with a clearly very amused grin, thinking of some of the little clips she'd seen from funnier livestreams. "I think today is Valorant day?"

Simon nodded to confirm. "I believe her words were that we could 'pry it from her cold, dead hands', so safe to say that one isn't going anywhere."

"She won an award last year," Maxim added, proud of one of his pack reaching her goals though it didn't show so much in his voice. "For women in gaming, I believe."

"She's Belladonna online," Marina said with much less concealed fondness, pulling up a picture of the girl's profile on her favored streaming sight and holding out her phone for Madeline to see across the table. "She's got a couple million followers now!"

"Dinner's ready!" Oscar called lightly from the kitchen, and gave Aether a gentle nudge to get him away from the stove. "Why don't you go grab the kids and I'll start filling plates."

Aether made a show of rolling his eyes about it, but went obediently out of the apartment to retrieve the children from upstairs so they could eat.
 
She gamed a little, but she wasn't really into the sort of games it seemed like Bella was into. Still there might be some games in common they could talk about, assuming she'd meet her.

"That's awesome." She said sincerely about her award, any hard work was impressive but it was particularly nice to see women being recognised in a male dominated industry.

It was also clear to her how proud Marina was of her friend, Maxim too even though he seemed less obviously enthused. Their pack was clearly very close, and she admired and even envied them that.

She leaned forward to look at Marinas phone, "that's cool, I'll check it out sometime." It seemed the polite thing to say, though she was interested.

Not that she could do anything without her phone, it had been confiscated with the rest of the stuff in her bag. She didn't know where it was, but right now she was safer without it.
 
Marina grinned and took her phone back when Madeline had time to see Bella's profile, tucking it away in a pocket. "She'll come out of her cave some time!" She said with a laugh, and turned eagerly at Oscar's call to jog into the kitchen. "Food time!"

"You should maybe wait here," Simon said as he and Maxim got to their feet, giving Madeline a small smile. "It gets a little crowded." He was used to it, but she was clearly still nervous and he didn't want her to get overwhelmed.

He was going to promise to bring her something, but as he moved away from the table Oscar was already walking out of the kitchen with a plate, full with pot roast, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, a bit of salad, and a roll of bread on top. He set it in front of her with a gentle smile and let her have her space afterwards. "There you are, dear. No need to catch any stray elbows tonight."

The chatter rose a bit louder when Aether came back with three children in tow, each of them goggling a bit at Madeline but distracted quickly enough with bugging their father about dinner. While everyone chattered a bit in the process of working around each other in a small space he got them plates with portions catered to their tastes, the smallest's girls plate piled higher with mashed potatoes than the others, and got them all settled at the coffee table, in sight of the dining area but with cartoons playing quietly on the television to distract them from their newcomer.

Aether, the youngest of the pack that was not one of Oscar's children, was less easily distracted. He watched her as he settled at the table, eyeing her proximity to Simon until Maxim kicked his foot beneath the table and startled him out of it. Besides a frown at his alpha for the reprimand, the younger wolf didn't protest but did at least turn his attention to dinner instead.

"Do you want anything besides water, Madeline?" Simon asked, doing his best to ignore his friend until they could talk about it more privately. Madeline wasn't going to hurt him, so Aether didn't need to be so on guard. "We have juice, or lemonade, or I think there might be iced tea in Max and I's fridge?"
 
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She made no move to follow them, nodding at Simon's suggestion. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way, or draw any more attention to herself than she already had.

When Oscar approached her with such a full plate, she blinked a little in surprise. "Thank you." She was absurdly touched by his kindness, clearly not used to it, the gratitude clear in her expression.

Though the food looked and smelled amazing, she was hungrier than she'd realised, she would wait until everyone else started eating before she did.

She was aware of Aether's gaze, but she did her best to pretend she hadn't noticed. She didn't feel like being confrontational, besides she understood where he was coming from.

She didn't sense danger from him anyway, just a bit of hostility and Maxim seemed to have him well in hand. She shook her head a little at Simon's question, "Oh no thanks, I'm fine."
 
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