A new member,

Jack looked at Angus and then he smelt him before he saw him. A pungent smell , one he'd never forget. "Hello... Brother" he said his tone one of hatred towards the other man.

"You hurt one hair on his head and you'll answer to me" he said his voice and stance changing slightly to one of a part transformed were. His nails and his height grew until he was slightly shorter still than James. " you hurt my friend." he said in a deep gravely voice. His hand touched his medallion hoping some backup would come from Paris might.

" so how you want to do this." he asked Angus.

Robert and Kate and Khaat and Brian all received the extra signals. Brian sat up, with all intentions of trying to go.

"No, you can't go," Robert said. "I'll go. I'm the best suited to go. Kate and Jess, this isn't good. Use the shields I taught you and make sure nothing that isn't of us enters this house. Get Abbey and bring her down here in case you have to abandon the house. Go to Paris if you need to, and we'll join you there if we have to, but protect Brian and Abbey and yourselves."  

Robert stood up, drew his wand, and took hold of his medallion to go to wherever Jack and Angus were. He arrived to find himself in the sewer, standing beside Jack. Another person arriving sounded. It was Khaat, still in her black skirt from work, her wand drawn. Four more men from Paris arrived, standing with them.

"You're annoying, Jackie, as usual. Well, well," James said, looking at them all, "look what we have here. I told my new friends there would be plenty, and I was right. But this is interesting."

He walked over to Khaat. He'd never seen a woman like her. He didn't understand it but at first glance, he was utterly captivated by her. He touched her hair, and it felt like silk in his large fingers, and it shimmered like gold in the wand lights all around them. He could smell her perfume, and behind that, he could smell her--her human scent. It filled his senses. He looked into her face. She didn't seem to be afraid of him for some reason. She should have been. Especially now. She needed to be.

"I changed my mind," he told the spiders, not taking his eyes off the woman. "You can have the big one too. Leave me this one." Robert raised his wand. They were going to have to fight their way out of this one.

Jack growled at James " and you were always the pain in my ass" he said only turning his head slightly at the sound of aperating beside and behind him. " Robert, meet James...my Brother and bane of my life." he said he watched as James moved to Khaat and fondled her. This made him angry and he growled.

"Take your filthy hands off my boss's wife" He said taking a step forward his hands flexing reading himself for a fight. He gave a deep throaty growl at James now wanting to tear his limbs off. Jack looked at Robert then back to James.

"I'm going to tear you apart, I have wanted to do it since that night you bit me and made me." he said

"Simmer down, Jackie," James said. "I'll get to you in a moment."  He glanced at the spiders as they started to check over Angus, Jack, Robert and the others.

"What is this? You bring us a werewolf and a couple of young ones? That's it? We don't want the old one," One of the spiders said, deciding against Robert. "He's liable to be tough."

"Oh, you have no idea just how tough I can be," Robert said sarcastically.  James wrapped one strong arm around Khaat, and it startled her, she moved to fight, and he struck her in the back of the head to stun her. She fell limp, and he started to drag her off.

"Jack! Now! You've got to stop him!" Robert ordered, firing his wand at one of the spiders. "The rest of you, let's get rid of these things." One of the spiders started to try to wrap Angus up in silk quickly.

"I don't think so," Angus said, firing his wand. "I don't look good in silk." He tossed the piece of pork a short distance away. "Fetch!" he shouted,  and it drew off some of the spiders, who went after it out of curiosity.

Jack growled as he heard his brother " don't call me that" he said " only my friends call me that, Jamie" he made a point of taunting him to get him to let Khaat go from his grasp. " you and I dear brother have unfinished business, let do it , right here right now and leave the woman out of it." he took a step closer to James.

With James next move Jack jumped forward pushing James against the sewer wall with such surprise that he dropped Khaat " can't hold him for long, get her out of here" he shouted to any one who could hear all the while keeping one arm against James throat.

He could hear the others fighting and went to swipe James across his face. As he did his claws left deep red cuts across his cheek. " that's for our parents" he said but felt James own cut across his chest, the pain radiated across his mid section but he ignored it .

Robert saw he was clearly being ignored by the spiders. They were underestimating him. He nodded to Angus who picked up Khaat.

"Go," Robert told Angus, who ported out with her. "Let's clean this up and go home," Robert told the rest of them. "Jack, finish this." He and the others focused on driving off the spiders, giving Jack a wide berth to deal with his brother.

Angus arrived at the house, feeling Khaat starting to come around. He lowered her into a chair.

"I think she's alright," Angus said. "I think she's just stunned. Robert and Jack are fine so far, and they have a good amount of backup. I expect them shortly. I'll get Khaat an ice pack for the back of her head. She's probably going to have a headache.

Jack looked into James eyes but just as he did James swung and threw him to the other side but Jack countered using the momentum to throw himself back at James while the others took care of the spiders.

Jack tried to pin him again but failed the second time as James was ready for him. Now seeing the spiders lay dead Jack let his guard down and James saw it launching himself at Jack he made him hit his head against the wall. Stunned Jack stumbled backwards giving James time to disappear.

"Damn it!!" Jack called out " clean this up please " he said and ported back to Brians home " Is Khaat okay" he asked blood trickling down the side of his face.

"I think she'll be fine," Angus told Jack, putting an ice pack on the back of Khaat's head.

"Give me a second, and I'll check," Brian said, trying to right himself.

"You should stay where you are," Kate told him. "I'm sure Robert will be here in a little bit."

"I'll be alright," he insisted, getting up and going over to Khaat. He lifted her face and looked at her. "Khaat," he called gently. "Look at me." It took her a moment, but she finally looked at him.

"Brian?" she questioned.

"You took a bit of a knock on the head," he said. "Alright?" She looked around to get her bearings and then remembered the enormous werewolf fixated with her.

"I'm fine," she said quietly, noticing his bandages. "You? What happened to you?"

"I'm fine," he soothed. "Just a couple of bug bites. Nothing major. Rest your head for now."

"Leave them!" Robert ordered the others. "Go! I'm coming." The rest of the me all left and Robert fired one last spell at the spiders. "Arania Exumai!" It blasted the spiders and sent the remaining ones fleeing away. Satisfied, he ported back home.

He looked around to try to take a head count.

"We're all here, then, right? Everyone alright?" Robert asked. "Or relatively alright? What are you doing up, Brian?"

"Tending my wife," he told Robert.

"We can do that if she needs it. Go sit down. Good work, Jack. Well done. Now, go patch yourself up, and then we'll try to make sense of all of this."

Jack looked at Robert and nodded calming himself down so he would look normal again. Moving to the kitchen he went to the sink and washed away the blood. He felt a hand resting on his shoulder turning he saw Jess who looked at his head.

"You'll live" she said making it heal to a scar. " She said and he nodded taking her hand he pulled her into a hug. " I'm safe , your safe and so are the others, relax" she told him " and you got a well done from Robert, that's a very good start."

Jack lent down and kissed her deeply, leaving his forehead resting on hers he sighed "Thank you" he said softly then they walked back to the living room. " Hows Khaat and I can only Apologize for my brother." he said " but I don't think we've seen the last of him, hes fixated on Khaat."

Brian had been only about half listening, doing what he could to make sure Khaat was alright when he keyed in on Jack saying his brother was fixated on Khaat.

"Wait a minute. Say that again? He's fixed on Khaat?" Brian was alert now to the conversation. "Oh no, no, no. I'm not having any of that."

"You might not have a choice for now," Robert said. "He looked like at her like he'd never seen a woman before."

"That does not make me feel any better," Brian scowled. He looked at Khaat. "Did he hurt you?"

"He's the one who clubbed her in the head, Mate," Angus said.

"He's got a funny way of showing affection, then," Brian said, reaching over and taking Khaat's hand. Khaat didn't want him to be upset, but she didn't seem to have any control of that at the moment. She didn't relish Jack's brother touching her hair either. "I'll take care of him, Khaat," Brian told her quietly.

"No," Robert said, "You won't. He's bigger than Jack--taller and more muscular."

"Can't be. Jack's big enough as it is. If this guy is bigger, that would make him freight train sized," Brian said.

"Yeah, pretty much," Angus said. "That's about right. I don't think any one of us could possibly take him but Jack--in a brawl, I mean. Wands do tend to even things out, but still, you're outmatched with him, my friend. Jack, your brother does seem to be a bit...different. He was willing to feed us to the spiders and he's never even met us. What was that all about? Got a clue? Does he always hate strangers? Or is it something about us in particular?"

"It may well be that he hates us because we've taken up with Jack or simply because we're human," Robert said. "Or both. I'm sorry you were put in the position of having to battle your own brother, Jack, but, still, you more than proved your worth to us. I haven't a single complaint. That was a job well done."