Ulrich sighed as he leaned against the bathroom door. Conor had reacted positively to his proposal making him feel giddy and nervous. To finally be able to touch him and make him moan in pleasure. Ulrich tried to calm himself as the shower started running. Right, he needed to plan a date that would only bring Conor closer to loving him completely. He smiled happily as he sat down at the computer and petted the happy cat.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Mai asked from the doorway. Ulrich jumped and got to his feet bowing his head suddenly nervous.

"Sorry, I am William, a friend of Conors." Ulrich told her as she frowned. He hesitated when a familiar presence made its way up the stairs behind her. He growled as his father glared back.

"Ulrich. It's time to come home." Damien told him making his way into the room. Ulrich growled deeper and tried to flee into the bathroom. His father caught him and shoved him down into the carpet as Ulrich's fingers brushed the door.

"I am home, let me go. I don't want to go back! I want to stay with..." Conor! Ulrich fell silent as his father put a quiet collar on him. It restricted his voice box making it nearly impossible to speak. Ulrich tried to fight him as Damien overpowered him. He tied his arms behind his back and lifted him to his feet.

"You have caused enough trouble. We are going home now." Damien told him as he dragged Ulrich away from the closed door.

"I am so sorry if our son has caused you an inconvenience. He is at his rebellious stage I am afraid." Melinda was telling Mai. Conors mother watched him go frowning as he quietly begged for her to stop them. At least let him explain to Conor. "He has been missing for over a month now. Thank goodness someone recognized him and let us know his whereabouts."

"I am afraid we just moved into the neighborhood. If we had been aware of the situation, then we may have let you known sooner. The fact that he lied to me and my son makes me glad he can return home safely." Mai told him bitterly. She wasn't going to help him. She just didn't understand. Damien shoved Ulrich out of the house as his mother finished speaking with Mai. Jasmine sat on the front lawn flirting with one of his brothers as he gave her a check. Ulrich hissed at her as he struggled to break free of his father hold. Damien growled and shoved him head first into the back of the waiting limo. The rest of his family soon joined him and Ulrich sat pinned between his parents as he stared longingly at the house as they drove away. The fucking bastards! They couldn't even let him say good bye?! His Conor. His. And now he was gone forever.

"Oh, shut up you spoiled brat. If you had just done your job, none of this would have happened." Tyson growled from across the way as Ulrich struggled. He had to go back. At least tell him goodbye. "Are we even sure the humans are safe? What if Ulrich has been sharing secrets?" Tyson asked his parent's as they glanced at each other. Ulrich growled at him as he launched himself at his brother. Conor would never betray him! Being mostly restrained left Ulrich at a disadvantaged and he wasn't surprised when Tyson hit him hard enough for him to lose consciousness.

He woke up on the limo floor listening to the gates as they squeaked open. Something inside him broke as he listened to the metal roll along the pavement and he broke into a silent sob. His wolf cried in mourning knowing that they had lost their mate. The man he loved. Someone kicked him in the back and he heard voices arguing though he couldn't hear what they were saying. All he could feel was numb. As if his heart had been ripped out and lost, with no chance of recovery. He wanted his Conor and he knew his family would never allow for him to see the man he loved again. They had won. He quieted as his wolf fell into a slumber, no longer interested in remaining part of their world.

"We're home." Damien told him as he glanced out the window. Most of the pack had heard about Ulrich's homecoming and had come to welcome him home. Hass stood with Marie and Tony as they eagerly waited to greet their friend. Gabriella and Alois had been held for questioning, forcing them to miss Ulrich's arrival. The door opened and the older wolves bowed their head as their Alpha exited from the car. He reached back in and dragged out Ulrich making the pack murmur happily. Tony paused as he caught his first glimpse of the hollow boy. He was nothing more than a shadow of the Ulrich he remembered. His eyes were empty as he followed his father into the house, not bothering to look at anyone or anything. Tony yipped when Hass put a hand on his head frowning after Ulrich.

"You're whining. Not that I blame you, what has become of our precious Ulrich?" Marie murmured as they watched Ulrich's family file into the house, the pack behind them.

"Let's go find out, shall we?" Hass asked as he walked after them. He had been prepared to give Ulrich a piece of his mind. They would fight it out and then everything would be alright between them. That's how it was supposed to be. Hass growled as Damien took his son locking him away in one of the caged rooms. The caged rooms were made for out of control wolves or even prisoners. Ulrich wasn't out of control; he was the opposite. Damien removed the bindings and left, leaving the door open so that the pack could freely talk with him. Ulrich sat in the corner and stared at the wall, making no effort to engage with anyone. The packs excitement quickly turned to worry and confusion.

"What's wrong with him? What did you do to him?" A member accused as Damien simply snorted at him.

"Nothing. He has done this to himself. He will come around in time." Damien told them sure of his son's rebellion scheme. If only he had known.

Two weeks had passed as Tony hid behind a wall watching the shadows just inside the open door. He wasn't as strong as Marie and Hass, and Alois and Gabriella hadn't been seen since they brought him in. Rumor had it that they had both known Ulrich's whereabouts and purposefully lied to the pack. Tony whined softly as he inched closer to the cell door. Ulrich still sat in the same corner looking like a dead man waiting to die. He refused to eat or sleep and suffered beatings from his pissed brother. His mother had tried talking sense into him while his father simply tried to order him to do his bidding. Ulrich ignored them all as he slowly wasted away. Tony inched into the room sitting across from the boy he had admired so much.

"They say you are not eating. Mien freund, bitte. You are hurting us." Tony told him in his thick German accent. Ulrich didn't respond, making Tony growl frustrated.

"Let him be. He isn't the man we knew." Hass told him from the door way. Tony surged to his feet growling at Hass's chest, unable to meet his eyes.

"This isn't right! We must do something to fix this!" Tony told him angrily as Hass snorted.

"Like what? The bastard clearly doesn't care about any of us. Why should we care about him?" Hass asked as Tony stomped his foot.

"Because he is our freund! Friends shouldn't have to ask for help when they are so clearly in need of it." Tony told him as Hass growled and turned away. He didn't know how else to help the shadow of a man his friend had become. Tony growled and left hurrying away.

"He really looks up to you, you know. We all did." Hass told the dark room going his own way. There was nothing he could do for Ulrich now. He stalked to his room and sighed when he found Marie sitting at his computer. "What are you doing?" He asked her as she paused in her reading to glance at him.

"I am reading your unread emails. Who is SDS?" She asked as Hass sighed sitting on his bed. He rubbed his face before he answered her.

"Shady dip shit. Some stranger that started emailing me a couple weeks after Ulrich disappeared. Ulrich apparently broke into his house." Hass told her though he hadn't been communicating frequently since the jerk had started ignoring him.

"From these emails I get the feeling they were a little closer than a break in. Can I email him back?" Marie asked intrigued as Hass grunted.

"Knew he was a shady dip shit." Hass growled as Marie chuckled. He listened to her typing as he thought about Ulrich locked away. His computer dinged as Marie wiggled around excitedly, like a wolf on a hunt. She typed some more before waiting. Ding. Hass sat up as Marie seemed to be enjoying herself with her new email buddy.

"The smell of your jealousy is cute but un warranted. Are you sure this is a boy? They seem eager to know of Ulrich's wellbeing. Like a dumped girlfriend." Marie purred as Hass got to his feet. He rested his chin on her head as he stole the mouse reading through the newest message.

Please I just want to know if he is alright. I haven't heard from him since he left and I am worried about him. He doesn't have to call me, but I would like to hear from him.

Hass grunted as he searched through the old messages before pulling up the file with the picture attached.

"You like snooping. They sent me this photo, what do you think?" Hass asked as she looked it over. There was nothing manly or feminine about the picture, but that was one hell of a cat.

"I can't really tell though I get the vibe that it's a male. Alois probably knows who this is." Marie told him as Hass grunted. A knock on the door pulled them away from the screen and Hass went to open it. Antionette waited on the other side looking concerned.

"I am sorry to bother you. But have you seen Tony? I can't seem to find him anywhere. He hasn't been home and no one has seen him in hours." She told him as Hass grumbled.

"I last saw him trying to talk to Ulrich, he left one way and I went the other. I haven't seen him since." Hass told her as she nodded concerned. "Look, he might just be out for a run. We can help you look for him." Hass told her as she smiled gratefully and left.

"Well if we are not hunting one thing it's another. First one to find him wins." Marie told him as she stopped to kiss his cheek.

"Wins what?" Hass asked as she smiled seductively at him.

"How about the same thing if you lose?" She purred as she hurried away. Hass smiled and quickly stripped. Like hell he was going to lose.

Tony stared at the ice cream behind the frosted glass as he listened to his headphones. He had been so upset that he had just started running without thinking. He had his favorite playlist of musical numbers on repeat, but not even singing in the rain could remove the dread that filled him. Life was supposed to be better in America, but without Ulrich it wasn't much different than his German pack. Though at least this pack didn't bully him, they just simply ignored him. He had felt included with Ulrich around.

Tears slid down his cheeks as he quickly tried to wipe them away. He just wanted the same thing Ulrich had wanted. To be accepted for being himself. The packs always just assumed the pups would grow up with sports scholarships and go to business school. He wanted to be an actor. He wanted to perform on Broadway. When he told his parents, they simply told him that he really wanted something else and that acting was just a flight of fancy. Someone stopped beside him, grabbing an ice-cream out of the freezer. They paused for a second before touching him with the cold bar. Tony squeaked and glanced at the blond boy with his hidden blue eyes. He quickly wiped his face dry and removed his head phones.

"Sorry, was I in the way?" Tony asked as he shuffled away. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. The boy shook his head as he pointed at the old man behind the counter.

"Gramps just wanted to know if you were still alive. He says you have been staring at the ice cream for over an hour." He told him making Tony blink surprised. He pulled his phone out of his pocket accidently dropping it, catching the head phone wire and pulling it out of the jack. The phone hit the floor blaring music from the old musical Newsies. He quickly grabbed his phone shutting it off while trying to hide the color in his cheeks.

"That's my cigar." The old man behind the counter hummed as Tony got quickly to his feet embarrassed. "That brings back so many memories. I didn't think young kids like you would be into such musicals. Such a shame. The wife loved them." He told him as the other boy frowned.

"I don't think I know that one. At least that song wasn't familiar." The boy told him eating his ice cream. Tony shuffled nervously before putting the phone in his pocket.

"It was from the musical Newsies. My school recently had that as their production and I found I really liked the music. I really liked Seize the day." Tony told him as he shifted nervously. His accent was thick and heavy as he tried to calm himself. Conor glanced at the old man as Mike got up from his stool and started dancing around humming the tune to a song Tony knew. Tony smiled as he watched him as the old man grabbed the other boy and pulled him into a dance.

"I don't really know this dance." He told the old man as he laughed.

"Ah, a pity. A young lad should love to dance. Tell me son, I haven't seen you here before. What's your name? I'm Conor and that's mike." The old man told him as the blond boy frowned at him.

"I'm Conor. He's Mike." Conor clarified as the old man shrugged.

"That's what I said." He told Conor as he waved at the nervous lad. Conor rolled his eyes, but smiled softly.

"Tony. I don't go far from home often." Tony told them bowing his head. Conor watched him quietly before he pulled out a second Ice cream and offered it to him.

"You look like how I feel. Sweets help with that." Conor told him as Tony took it quietly.

"I am lost and don't know what to do. I am worried my friend is going to kill himself and that if he does I will no longer belong there." Tony told them as he took a bite of Ice cream.

"Are you the reason the young man is suicidal?" Mike asked as Tony shook his head.

"I don't know why he is acting the way that he is. No one does. He will not respond to anyone and is slowly wasting away. I want to help, but I don't know if I can." Tony told them as he sniffled. Conor put a hand on his shoulder and smiled sadly.

"There may be nothing you can do. That doesn't mean you should give up. Want to come over to my place for a little while? I am in the process of moving again so things are a little crazy, but if you aren't ready to go home I don't mind the company." Conor told him as Tony thought about it. He nodded slowly as Mike approved. They left the store and Tony followed him back to his place. No one was home and Conor led him up to his bedroom. "Oh, I should probably warn you about..." Conor paused as he looked at Tony's expression. It was the first happy look he had seen on his face as he stared intently at the fluffy cat.

"Can I touch it?" Tony asked almost begging.

"I guess if he will let you. This is Cake. Cake meet Tony." Conor said as he introduced them. Tony approached Cake cautiously like a kid sneaking into the candy store. He crouched in front of him as Cake simply mewed at him.

"He's so cute!" Tony exclaimed as he stood quickly, grabbing the cat and spinning around. Conor watched him worriedly as Tony wandered around his room talking to his cat in German. He heard the door close, down stairs and frowned. She was home. He left Tony to happily chat at his fluffy cat that seemed to be handling the attention quite well. Mai paused to look at him before sighing.

"You can stay pissed all you want. I wasn't the one who got himself suspended. What were you thinking, Conor? You hit a girl, in the face in the middle of school!" Mai growled at him as Conor hissed back.

"It's that damn bitches fault. She ruined everything..." Conor told her as she slammed her purse down.

"No, you lied to me about your friend. For weeks Conor. She did the right thing whether you like it or not. That boy needed to go home." Mai told him as Conor turned away angrily.

"You didn't even let me say good bye. He was my first friend, him and Pizza both and you just threw that away." Conor told her bitterly as she flinched. She paused when someone came running down the stairs. She frowned at the little blonde boy as he ran around with Cake on his shoulders. He was small like her son with an oval face and freckles. He paused when he saw her and blushed.

"Forgive me, schone frau. I didn't mean to get lost in my excitement." He told her nervously as he hid behind Conor.

"Tony, this is my mother. Mom this is Tony. A friend." Conor told her as she glared at him. Tony glanced between the two of them muttering something in German. Cake mewed and Tony lit up scratching the cat's ears.

"You like cats a lot, don't you?" Conor asked him as Tony blushed.

"They are cute. I always wanted one, but my parents refused. I was hoping after we move here to America they might change their minds. It has been almost a year and I still haven't convinced them." Tony pouted as he cuddled the fluffy cat. A phone went off as Tony dug into his pockets. He ignored the call waiting for it to go to voice mail. The caller left a message that Tony listened to as Conor and his mother argued in the kitchen. "Excuse me, but I need to get home and check on my friend. Thank you for allowing me into your home." Tony told them as he hugged Cake.

"It's raining outside, do you have a jacket?" Mai asked as Tony shook his head and glanced out the window.

"You can borrow one of mine." Conor told him waving him upstairs. Tony followed and put the cat down reluctantly. "Here this should fit you ok. It also has a pocket on the inside for your phone so you can listen to music. I'll have to try and watch Newsies before we meet again so I know your music better." Conor told him with a friendly smile. Tony smiled nervously as he left bowing to the two of them. He hurried to the bus and made his way home. He went to Ulrich first determined to find a way to make him well again. He stopped at the edge of the room and when things seemed unchanged he charged inside, standing in front of him.

"Ulrich." Tony told him before getting nervous. What should he say? Ulrich paused and turned to look at him blinking lazily. Tony smiled at him before squeaking as Ulrich launched himself at him. Tony stood still as Ulrich held him breathing him in deeply.

"You went out on an adventure." Ulrich told him hoarsely. Tony nodded quickly unsure what caused Ulrich's reaction. Ulrich released him to look at him with his sad blue eyes. He never let go of the jacket and simply stood there shakily as Tony waited. Finally, Tony decided to tell him about the adventure to see if he would do something else.

"I took a bus ride and got lost. I met a nice old man named Mike and his grandson Conor. They fed me ice cream and then I went over to Conors house and met a fluffy cat named Cake. The cat was super nice. I had to leave because mother called me, but I would rather have stayed there." Tony told him as Ulrich watched him carefully.

"Do you like cats?" Ulrich asked as Tony blushed and nodded. Ulrich smiled as he sighed. "I am cold, can I have your jacket?" Ulrich asked him as Tony nodded quickly, taking it off and handing it to him.

"Are you hungry? I can go grab you some food." Tony offered eagerly as Ulrich nodded. Tony smiled relieved and left, heading for the kitchen. Ulrich watched him go before burying his face in the jacket. Even with Alois and Gabriella locked up, you still found some way to get to me, Ulrich thought as he as he tried to surround himself in Conors scent. He laid down on the bed too weak to continue standing as he made his resolve. He was going to fight and take back what was his. Conor, I'm sorry I am so late for our date.