LONDON CALLING

Jack listened to Khaat then laughted outright, " oh she knows him oh so well, he'll bite, hes arrogant and self absorbed." Jack said " he'll spill the beans with little effort don't you worry about that." Jack heard the last part and nodded " yep, he'll be in human form, but he looooves the sound of his own voice." Jack folded his arms across his chest as he waited to see how this would play out .

Jess and Kaden listened to Khaat talk about how they would get James to talk about his assosiation with Gelding. " is he that vain he would just out right tell you?" Jessie asked and Jack nodded.

"yep thats my brother, instead of talking or working to get what he wanted he'd take it regardless if it was his or legal, always been that way, look at what he did to me , merly a boy and he turned me then left me to die." Jack told them making Jessie and Kaden gasp at his words.

"He's completely right," Khaat said. "His ego is the biggest part of him. It's far bigger than any part of his anatomy."

"That's because he's a crazy buggar," Marcus quipped. "But you do realize that means you have to find him and draw him out and taunt him into getting pissed off enough that he rants at you and spills all the delusions in his pea sized brain."

"Well, yes," she said matter of factly. "That's the whole plan."  Brian rolled his eyes at the simplicity of her remark compared with the extreme danger of the plan.

"James kills for the sheer fun of it," Brian said. "I don't know that Jack and Marcus are going to be enough. He has countless killings under his belt. You might need more than Marcus and Jack."

"First, I am not entirely defenseless," she said. "I am my father's daughter, after all. I have had some training myself. Second, I trust Jack and Marcus completely...."

"That may well be, but James is just plain bigger than Jack..."

"Jack is lighter and quicker and far better trained," Khaat argued.

"If you want to go with her, then go with her and consider it settled," Robert told Brian.

"If anyone is going to lay hands on her, it's going to be me," Brian said.

"No one is going to hurt her while I'm around," Marcus said. Brian looked at him, not saying a word. This was the same Marcus who had come to have a strong, platonic love for Khaat. It was not a romantic love, but Marcus would defend her with his life, Brian was absolutely positive of that. So was Khaat. And they also knew Jack had the same love and loyalty to the entire Lupin family.

"You're sending the wrong backup," Edward told Robert. "Werewolf slayer, remember? If you want some extra backup against a dark werewolf, Brian's the wrong man. I'm the one you want. I'll go with you. Jack and I can handle a nutter like James, if you can protect the lady, Belby."

"With my life," Marcus nodded seriously.

Jess stood listening to them talking and sighed looking at Kaden who smiled and nodded " okay guess Im coming with you as two weears are better than one..I think" he said and looked to Jack before moving from Kaden and closer to him. " we might not be as big as James but we both have more brains." Kaden chuckled " hey, we do some where?" he looked at Jack who lightly puntched his arm while chukaling to himself.

" just bring him back safe" Kaden said " I'll stay here and look after those here with the others, I think I've have enough excitment for one day." He continued to prepare dinner with Kate.

"Then let's go. I don't know if he'll show up much before dark but we can try," she said. "We'll meet at the intersection of Diagon Alley and Knockturn."

"Knockturn Alley," Marcus sighed. "Not the best part of town, but you're right. That and the catacombs will be the most likely spots in London to find him."

"Exactly," Khaat said. She and Edward and Marcus all apparated out for London and made their way through Diagon Alley to the crossroads of Diagon and Knockturn. The entrance to the section of the catacombs where James had last had his lair was here too, but Khaat didn't know if James was down there anymore. James had been quiet for a number of years, and if he hadn't hooked up with Gelding, then almost certainly Fenrir had. And she didn't know who was worse. James was bigger, but Fenrir was bloodthirstier. That appeared to be more or less established fact by anyone who had had the unfortunate circumstance to know them both.

"What do you think the chances really are that James has hooked up with Gelding?" Khaat asked Marcus and Edward.

"I hope none," Marcus replied, "but it would answer a great many questions about how two unplottable locations had been found and plotted. If we obliviate that piece from them, they'll have to start all over again to try to find your place and your dad's. Maybe Jack can manage to do that if his brother or Fenrir either one show up."

"I really don't want to see Jack have to try to tangle with Fenrir," Khaat said. "Fenrir would make James look like child's play."

"Except that Fenrir has to be a bloody old buggar now. He has to be in his eighties if he's a day," Marcus said.

"Don't count him out. Wizards still live longer than muggles," Edward replied.

Jack and Jessie ported to knockturn alley and stood with the others " hey I can handle some old wearwolf" Jack said but Jessie sighed shaking his head at his words.

"have you not heard the saying , with age comes wisdom?" he said where Jack shook his head " he'll be smarter knowing some things he can't do." Jack shrugged and Jessie went back to listening then motioned to Edward and at his words to Jack who now he rolled his eyes.

"we'll deal with it whom ever turns up, fenrir or James." Jack said " were the brawn, remeber."

"I'm only worried enough to stay alert," Khaat told them.

"Very wise," Marcus said. "Lets stay tight together. I do think you're right, though, Khaat. I don't think he'll show up here until it gets dark. If we want to see him before that, we might need to go down to the catacombs to his old lair. If we do that, we'll be sharply outnumbered."

"Let's walk," Khaat said. She started to walk through Knockturn Alley, taking her time, looking at faces. Edward's wand was drawn, and Khaat was depending on it and on her necklace to help them identify if there were any werewolves in the alley other than Jessie and Jack. Khaat was trying to use her seer's abilities to help her identify anyone suspicious, and as they neared Borgin and Burkes, she saw a woman look her straight in the eye and then tried to dash quickly to get to Borgin and Burkes to get inside and avoid her. Khaat dashed ahead, grabbed the woman and slammed her back against the brick wall.

"Where is he?" Khaat demanded, as Marcus came up beside her and held his wand to the woman's throat.

"He'll kill me!" the woman fairly shrieked, panic stricken.

"And we'll kill you if you don't tell us," Marcus said.

"I don't know. I only run errands for him," she said.

"And so who is your contact?"

"Eve. I only know her as Eve," she said.

"And where do you meet her at?" Marcus asked.

"The White Wyvern," she said. Just what Marcus didn't want to hear. A dark arts pub in a dark arts street. He'd been to the Wyvern, and he thought the place was largely disgusting. No one who was worth much ever went there. Marcus glanced at Edward who nodded, apparently buying the woman's story.

"And what are you doing for her today?"

"Potions ingredients. Got her some potions ingredients," she said, trying not to stutter."

"Take us to her," Khaat told the woman.

"No...no, I couldn't..."

"I said take us to her!" Khaat demanded, as Marcus jabbed his wand into the woman's neck.

"I don't have much patience. Make up your mind. Either she kills you or I do," Marcus said. The woman nodded, just wanting to get away from them. Marcus took hold of the woman to hold her as a hostage.

"Let's go," he told her firmly. Khaat looked back at Jack and Jessie. She didn't know if they'd been to a Knockturn pub before, but there was a first for everything.

Jessie looked at Jack and nodded " you ready?" Jack asked him and Jessie nodded taking out his wand keeping it next to him as they walked. His eyes scanned left and right as they moved. When they mentioned the white wyven Jessie groaned softly rembering the last time he'd been inside.

"problem?" Jack asked and he shook his head.
"nope just the last time I was in there I ended up in a dumpster" he said making Jack chuckle.

"Well could have been worse, might have ended up in a bug jar." he said as they continued down the alley. both men walked side by side ready for a fight behind Khaat and Marcus making for a formidable site as they both seem to move in unisen.

The moment they stepped into the White Wyvern, Khaat's pendant began to glow a bright, eerie shade of green, and Edward's wand shone like a spotlight and began to sing.

"Shut it," Edward said quickly, wrapping his hand around the tip of his wand. Khaat was grasping the heart shaped emerald around her neck just as quickly. She looked at Edward for some explanation for the extreme reaction of his wand and her pendant. "Don't panic, but by the looks of it, there are several dark werewolves here. So much for not being outnumbered," he said in a very soft voice.

Their young hostage was hesitant to try to move. Khaat had figured out quickly which one Eve had to be. There was a woman with red hair sitting in a booth across the room, and she wearing a mystic's cloak and turning over tarot cards slowly, one at a time, on the table. Khaat walked over to the table and took it upon herself to sit down with the woman who didn't look at Khaat at first.

"You're out of your league here, Lupin," the woman said to Khaat. "If you're smart, you'll hurry home to Daddy before you overstep yourself any further."

"It isn't you I'm interested in," Khaat said. "Where's our alpha? I don't fool with lackeys." The woman was clearly offended at being called a lackey.

"Careful," she told Khaat with an even tone. "Push your luck too far, and none of you will leave here alive, not you, not your boy toy, your fossil, and not your dogs. None of you have no idea what you're dealing with."

"He's already here," Edward said quietly in Khaat's ear. "Give me a moment, and I'll you where he is. We're being watched."

Jack growled at being called a dog Jessie touched his arm and shook his head. " control" he said softly and Jack backed down "you'll have your chance." he spoke softly as he looked behind them his eyes trained to catch the slightest of moment thanks to the marine trainning he;d had.

"if thats the case then maybe you should fetch..your alpha witch." he said softly to the woman as he lent down from behind. His wand touching her juguler vein. " I don't think you want to find out just what happens when I cast Antonin Dolohov's curse this close, and yes I have done it once before." he said his tone steady, soft but yet filled with malice towards her, his own auror giving off a strong dark tone he'd learned from his freind how to do. "Now tell the lady what she wants to know."

Khaat heard the sound of several people apparating in all at once. It made the air crackle and spark with electricity. She saw someone apparate in behind Jack and level a wand right at his head. And at the same moment, someone also grabbed her and dragged her backwards away from Marcus.

"Miss me, Sweet Cheeks?" she heard James' slimy voice hissing in her ear. She had thought perhaps James would go for Jack, but he hadn't. She saw the man who had grabbed Jack was a huge, hulking giant of a man, and she didn't think he was entirely under his own control. He was dressed in jeans and an American muggle football jersey. It began to add up in her head. This was a muggle who had had apparently no knowledge of the wizarding world until James had snatched this poor soul and turned him. Now this innocent muggle was completely under James' control. He looked even bigger than Jack, if that was possible, and she didn't see any empathy in him. If he were given the chance, she was sure this once innocent muggle would surely kill Jack.

"James," Khaat said, with an equally slimy tone, "you've certainly come down in the world if this is all the best you can do. And who is this hussy you've taken up with?" She glared at Eve.

"Jealous?" he laughed.

"You wish. We need to talk," she told him. "So call off your slaves."

"You first, Lovely," he laughed, knowing she couldn't afford to do that, not here. "And you still can't do better than Pee Wee over there?" he was deliberately getting in a very intentional dig at Jack.