"A fine move, Sister," Kimberly said as they slid forty-five pound plates on the bar in Keith's exercise room. The two, after a long day of stressful discussions, had both wanted to replace the mental stress with physical work and had both quickly agreed to use Keith's workout room while the rest of their family either changed clothes, relaxed, or did work for tomorrow's preparations. "I only wish that you had clued me in on it."

"I apologize, Kimberly. I wanted to make sure everyone was surprised, for maximum effective impact. I knew you and I shared the same point of view, so I felt that bringing you in would have only maybe ruined the surprise," Akiko replied. She had changed clothes from the severe red and black women's suit she had been wearing all day to exercise clothes, relaxing in an Everlast short sleeved sweatshirt and martial arts pants, while Kimberly had opted for yoga pants and a high-necked white t-shirt.

"That's all right," Kim replied. "And call me Kim, okay? Kimberly is too damn long for close family."

"When I was a young girl, my mother called me Aki-chan, but nobody has done that in years," Akiko replied. "I guess I'm stuck with Akiko."

The two women started their routine, alternating sets of squats until the bar groaned with each set of forty-five-pound plates placed on the side. "You know, with that shirt, I would have thought you'd be using the heavy bag we have downstairs."

"You have boxing equipment?" Akiko asked as she settled herself beneath the bar. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yes, there is some in the basement," Kimberly replied as Akiko lifted the weight out of its racks. "Perhaps we could swap some lumps tomorrow if you’re in the mood?"

Akiko grunted through her set and turned to Kimberly. "You'd try and attack an old woman like me?"

"Meh, you have those Asian genetics. You're going to be young and beautiful looking until you're easily ninety or so, then implode. I've seen it on the Internet," Kim joked.

Akiko chuckled and watched Kim cinch in a weightlifting belt before getting ready. “You know, that Edward is quite the presence, standing there behind you in the room. If anyone disagrees with you, you could just have him glare at them."

Kim laughed and backed out from under the bar for safety's sake. "The funny part is, for all of his rough exterior, he's really quite the teddy Bear," she joked. "Now, no more laughing, not until I get this set done."

While the two were working off their stress, Keith, Edward and Melanie had already changed clothes and were discussing options for the next day's meetings. "I think the hardest part of this war will be that it has to be done in a series of surgical strikes," Melanie said.

She tapped the controls on the computer she was using, and Kimberly's screen popped out of the wood paneling where it had been hidden. "Oooh, that's cool," Edward said. He leaned over to Keith, stage whispering. "How often do you watch football on that thing?"

"Super Bowl party, right here," Keith replied, before turning his attention back to his Mate. "Sorry. Surgical strikes, how so?"

"Because the Hunters have connections to the regular infrastructure of the government, certainly more than what the Lockwoods have. We saw that when we took down Yankowitz, my former police lieutenant. And Akiko thinks that the military grade equipment the Hunters got for the attack on the Manor was because they have members in the military and National Guard. If the public sees us just out of the blue start shooting cops, military officers and other sorts of people, we're going to have a fight on our hands we simply can’t win. We have to take them out without the public realizing what is going on."

"That's going to be difficult," Edward said. "While I am sure the Lycans have forces that are trained in such surreptitious activities, the Aklark method of combat is much more direct, as you've seen. They are shock troops."

"Unless the Hunters happen to be living and working with the New England Patriots, I would have to agree," Keith said. "Your cousins don't quite fit in with most other people."

"No, but Melanie and Kimberly have the skills that we’re going to need," Edward replied. When Melanie looked at him surprised, he gestured towards the screen. "You said it yourself, a lot of the Hunters are involved in law enforcement and military. Ironically, so are a lot of Lycans, if other Clans have taken the same approach the Lockwoods did to secure their headquarters. Melanie, you know the ins and outs of police structures. You know how cops talk, how they share information, and how to avoid their interest. You know how to use things like the NCIC and how to manipulate it, I bet."

"I'm not the only person, but yes, I can do a lot of that," Melanie replied. "But what about Kimberly? I mean, besides being a kickass helicopter pilot among other things. Distract the Hunters with drop dead hotness while we sneak up on them?"

Edward laughed and shook his head. "As much as I agree with your sentiment of my Mate, I was actually talking about her computer skills. I can do a little, but nothing like what Kim has told me about. From what I have gathered from snippets of conversation and what I've overheard the past day and a half, many Clans have Lycans with advanced computer skills. Maybe we could use that to our advantage.”

"Yes, many of the wealthier Clans have at least one computer hacker among their ranks. It's actually been quite easy to recruit them when we want. It seems that a lot of them want to be Lycans," Keith said, stopping when Melanie started laughing. "What?"

"You’re surprised that a computer techie, who’s most likely either skinny and severely sun depleted or overweight and nonathletic, wants to be a Lycan. Where even the first generation turned Lycans all tend to be, if not taller, at least lean and muscular. Hell, even the tailor I met is just about the most athletic looking suit maker I've ever seen," Melanie replied. "Long life, super powers, great looks, maybe even potential to Mate with someone like you or Kimberly.... yeah, I have no idea why anyone would be attracted to being Lycans."

Edward tried to repress his laughter with a poorly muffled snirk before he too joined in. Keith looked from his Mate to his Brother in blood, then just shook his head. "Okay, okay. I got it."

"You should check your Lycan privilege, Keith," Edward added, sending all of them into gales of laughter. There was time for planning later, but sometimes laughter was more important.

* * *

Akiko woke up, turning over in the bed that had been delivered just that morning. It had been over six weeks since she had been able to get a full night's sleep, and she knew exactly what the reason was.

"Nioclas," she whispered bleakly into the darkness of Kimberly's guest bedroom.

The blackness around her, broken up only by the faint glow of the city lights through the gauzy curtain that covered the window, spoke no reply to her. Wiping at her face, she could feel the warm tracks that had greeted her every time she woke up from sleep recently. Tears were the only reply she ever got from her dreams, that and the ache in her heart and her arms from missing her Mate's presence.

For thirty-eight years, they had been in each other's thoughts. Every moment, every thought was shared between them, and they grew to the point where they would go whole days without ever even speaking, yet having a constant conversation between them. Kensuke, their son, had once complained to them that trying to study for his high school tests had sometimes been impossible because of the constant static bleeding in from their Link.

Then her heart and soul had been torn apart, due to a twenty-five millimeter round tearing her Nioclas from the earth, fired from a kinbushi armored vehicle. She had felt the pain and numbing shockwave as the slug tore through him, sending him flying backward to land on the soft forest ground behind him. She felt as his mind first lost coherence, then faded off, without even a final moment of clarity to say goodbye. It was only later, after the battle was over, that she realized she had also lost her son, her mind was so numbed by the horrors of the attack.

Sitting up, she sighed and wiped at her face. Still, regardless of her personal pain, there was her duty to Clan Thornblood. She was their Alpha Female, and she loved them, each and every one. She loved their tiny territory that straddled two states, which a hundred years ago had run thick with real wolves. A land of mineral miners, cattle ranchers, and recently alternative energy ventures, she knew every inch of her territory. It was the only thing keeping her going.

That, she thought, and my new family. It had surprised her at how open the Waldwycks had been to her joining their admittedly peculiar group. It had caused her to reevaluate a lot of her ideas, which she had to admit was pretty difficult to do at seventy years old. But even their structure was nearly ridiculous, the beginning of a bad joke. Two Lycans, a human and a Bear walk into a bar.....

Shaking her head, she climbed out of bed. She knew that at least for the next hour or so, there would be no returning to sleep. She remembered that Kimberly had yet to remove the books from a built-in bookshelf in the living room. When Akiko had glanced at them earlier, she saw that most of the titles were older, and when she had asked, Kimberly had said they were Lady Valeria's. "Mom had bouts of insomnia sometimes," Kimberly had explained, "and said she enjoyed the books. Refused to use a tablet or anything either, said she preferred the smell of real paper."

In that, Valeria and I are quite similar, old fashioned I guess, Akiko thought as she pulled the nightshirt over her head. She had always slept in the nude, and only wore the long shirt in case Edward was up. While she was certain he wouldn't try anything untoward, there was no need for undue embarrassment. There was, after all, a difference between nudity for the purpose of changing form and nudity for walking around the home.

Making her way down the hallway, she stopped suddenly when she heard a soft giggle that transitioned into a moan from the living room. "Edward...... don't stop," Kimberly barely whispered, followed by a rustling sound that Akiko was sure was the young couple rearranging themselves on the sofa, or perhaps on the soft rug that surrounded the fire pit.

Akiko quietly backed up, not wanting to disturb them. She remembered what it was like being newly Mated, and while Edward was not her type of man, she wasn’t one to judge in that regard. She had broken more than a few expected rules when she'd Mated a Westerner of Eastern European blood, after all.

Going back to her room, Akiko lay back down on her bed. Suddenly, a scent came to her nose, and she realized that she'd grabbed one of Nioclas' old t-shirts for her covering. It still bore his scent, and while a wave of sad nostalgia swept over her, on the heels of it was a sense of calmness as she closed her eyes.

* * *

"Good morning Sister," Kimberly greeted Akiko the next morning, knocking on the door frame of her room just as the sun finished creeping over the horizon. "I hope I’m not waking you too early."

Akiko blinked her eyes and looked around. For the first time in six weeks, she felt refreshed after going back to sleep and hadn't woken up before sunrise. "No, not at all," she replied, sitting up. She realized she was still wearing Nioclas' old shirt, and wondered if the familiar companion had helped. "I slept well."

“Good,” Kimberly replied. "Edward has already gone upstairs to have breakfast with Keith and Melanie. Would you like to join us, or are you going to have breakfast with Thornblood allies?"

Akiko smiled. “Are you not also Thornblood allies? And my new family. You’re right, though. I think this morning would be best if I mingled with some of the other Clans. If anything, my bodyguard must be bored out of his mind. He has nothing to do, and he's not the most social of Lycans."

Kimberly tilted her head. "I've noticed that. In fact, I've never seen him speak even."

Akiko chuckled. "Because he can't. Owen Tchernova was born mute. He can only communicate over the Link, which he and I have attained to a limited degree after so many years working and living together. He's quite a brilliant man, actually. He and his Mate are good friends of mine, and I hope you have a chance to meet them when you come to Thornblood Hall."

"I would enjoy that. However, in the meantime, do you think Owen would enjoy dinner with our new family? That is, if you don't mind acting as his mouthpiece. I'm sure everyone else wouldn't mind."

Akiko shrugged. “I’ll ask him at breakfast. I’m sure he’d love to. In fact, the two of you and Edward might enjoy talking. To make up for his lack of voice, Owen has become the Thornblood equivalent of you, an expert hacker and computer specialist. That's his job when he's not acting as my bodyguard."

Kimberly smiled. “Then if what Keith and Edward discussed with us last night before bed was true, he's going to be very valuable in our war. Well, I’ll leave you to dress, and see you at the meetings." Kimberly turned to leave, only to stop when Akiko reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Thank you, Kim. You’ve made me feel welcome here,” Akiko said quietly. "I'll see you at the meetings. By the way, what are you wearing?"

"Same as yesterday. Business suit with a skirt, Lockwood coloration to my blouse. You?"

Akiko smiled. "I was tempted to wear the same as you, except for a Thornblood colored blouse, but that might be a bit too much. I guess I'll go with my normal wear."

"Next time then. I'm sure by next Gathering, everyone will be more comfortable with the Lockwoods and Thornbloods being close allies. I'll see you after breakfast. We'll get the rest of our plans worked out, and we'll have plenty of time to visit each other to work out fashion tips then. I'll be honest, some of your looks are pretty damn sexy. Maybe a blend of both our styles could work?"

"I'd like that. A unique style for a unique alliance."