The week flew by, and before she knew it, Ada was sweating her ass off under the September sun, lugging dusty furniture and haphazard boxes into a ground-level, two bedroom apartment painted the same shade of minty-white throughout. It wasn't the worst colour she had seen, but it felt oddly clinical without any personal effects around.

When the truck pulled up earlier—a moving truck, not Cain's silver one—Aidan was already beaming between them. Noah was a little harder to read. He didn't seem hostile, or even particularly angry, which was a big improvement from the last time she saw the pair. No, he seemed almost wary, if anything. A glare fell over the windshield as they parked, and all she could do was wait to see what sort of storm he might be in that day. To her surprise, he was nearly civil. He descended slowly, holding the frame and door for dear life as he eased himself to the ground, pausing to retrieve a forearm crutch. With it, he moved with more confidence.

Ada didn't miss the frequency of which his eyes strayed to Sam. She was too busy greeting Aidan to notice the sidelong stares. When Noah finally met Ada's gaze, his eyes widened slightly, shoulders stiffening. Odd, but whatever.

They dove right into unloading, as the temperature was only going up and they couldn't get the AC going until they were finished bringing everything in. Noah couldn't lift, so he got to work in the kitchen washing dusty dishes wrapped in yellowed newsprint, seated on a tall, albeit rickety stool. That left the boxes and furniture to the three of them.

Sam reminded her right away she wasn't as unassuming as she appeared sometimes. A lot of the furniture was old; solid wood pieces, the kind you didn't disassemble for the move. She and Aidan carried them as though they were Ikea pieces. There weren't many boxes between the two of them, but it still added up to more than what Ada had moved.

"Where did you get all this?" Ada asked in the late afternoon as she filled the sideboard with DVDs and video games. It had to be wiped twice to get all the dirt off, and the dark, varnished wood shone now.

Aidan poked his head out of the washroom, where he was filling the cupboards. "This was all mine. I lived on my own until shortly after we took in Noah the first time. I used to live right in Thunder Bay." He smiled to himself before ducking into the towel closet. "It has just been sitting in storage until now. Except for Noah's bed, that's new."

Their beds took up most of their respective bedrooms, leaving a narrow path around either side to navigate. Aidan's desk was now in the living room beneath the window overlooking the street, perpendicular to the scuffed tan sofa.

It went without saying what Sam was doing. She had beelined for the weathered boxes labelled Books and disappeared into Aidan's bedroom to get to work. Though for her, that work was a hobby.

"Sam?" Ada called over her shoulder, and she heard a slightly muffled affirmation. "Quick question, how are you organizing the books?"

"Alphabetical by author by genre, why?" she said without missing a beat.

Aidan and Ada shared a silent laugh. "Just wondering."

All the while there was the soft clatter and squeaks of dishes being washed, and then dried and put away on repeat. Noah kept to himself unless they spoke to him directly. He wasn't what Ada expected at all. She sometimes felt eyes on her back and wondered more than once what he was thinking about. Holy shit, the threat! That could be it. Maybe he had heard her, after all? It might explain his weird stares. Then again, she could be overreacting. He had been in a deep coma, it was unlikely he even knew she was in the room with him that morning.

Those books could only last so long, and Sam was noticeably less enthused about the rest of the unpacking. They left the bedroom stuff to Aidan and Noah. Ada had absolutely no desire to find a porn collection, or worse. Even the thought made her shudder. It was one thing to poke fun at, but wholly another to find evidence.

So when it was all done, Ada was beyond relieved. She hadn't sweat so much in months. More than anything, she wanted to take a shower, but they stuck around for pizza and beers. Ada took the desk chair, since she didn't feel like squeezing in between Aidan and Noah.

"So, Noah," she urged during a lull. "How is your back?"

He had been pretty quiet, and she wasn't about to let him sulk. She may not like him much, but sulking wasn't good for anybody. He shrugged lightly and finished chewing before saying, "It aches when I walk too much, but it also aches when I sit too long, so it's a bit of a challenge."

"Do you take anything for the pain?" Sam's tone was gentle, but they all knew what she was implying.

"Not even once." He waggled his beer, adding, "Not even alcohol, really. Aidan makes sure I don't get more than a buzz."

It was hard to tell if there was any malcontent hidden there or if he was simply stating facts. It sounded remarkably like the latter. Ada must have pulled a face, because Noah's gaze fell on her.

"I'm serious. I barely feel the withdrawals anymore. It's not so bad."

Ada squinted, unconvinced. "And him?"

She wasn't really sure how to refer to the wolf inside him. This way seemed to work, he got what she meant.

"Not great."

She admired his honesty for a moment before it sank in. "Are you handling it?"

"Ada, h-"

Noah held up a palm to stop Aidan. "She's right to ask. I'm handling it enough. We have backup plans for just about everything, and I'm not going to be putting myself in risky situations without absolute need. I'm not happy about it, by any means, but I understand why I have to live like this." He glanced to Sam for a moment, and with his next works, they shared a knowing look. "It's still an improvement from what I was living like."

Ada could tell there was more to it than that, but he wasn't lying about being all right with it. If she had to guess, he probably had a few reservations about the whole situation, but likely had more benefits than setbacks. She imagined plumbing and hot meals were a welcome change.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, drawing her away from the conversation completely. She slid it out as casually as she could manage, pulling up the text. 'Captain won't budge. Call me.' She wrote back that she was busy and would call later, but immediately received, 'Now.'

"Back in a sec', work thing."

She had to walk between everyone to get to the door and all eyes followed her passage. She pretended not to notice, sucking in a deep breath as she strode to the other end of the small parking lot, away from the windows. The line rang only twice.

"Ada?" En lieu of a greeting.

"It's me. What's going on?" There was a dull breeze out here just strong enough to tease her with relief from the stifling heat.

He sighed, deep voice rough and tired. "I've been on him all week but he just won't listen. Budgets, you know how it is right now. I can't get the go-ahead to get another warrant."

"Then what am I supposed to do about them?" she snapped. No, she didn't get why a guaranteed arrest was not in the budget.

"I don't know yet. I'm trying to think of something. I'm up to my tits in vandalism reports right now. In the mean time, keep your head down and stay the hell off social media." Hillebrandt kept his voice low. Was he even supposed to be talking to her?

She scowled at the pavement. "That's it? Hide? You want me to just keep hiding?"

"I don't know what you want me to say, Ada. I've done everything I can right now." From his tone, she got the feeling he was trying to brush her off.

"Well it's not enough!" She couldn't keep the sentiment in.

He started to say something else, but she mashed the end button and threw her head back as a hot wave of tears pooled in her eyes. She blinked hard against them.

After a few moments she swiped them away with the back of her hand and fought to regain herself so she could go back inside without suspicion. She didn't know why she wasn't telling them about this. It crossed her mind more than once. But for some reason, it just didn't feel like the sort of thing she could really share. How could anyone relate? How could they help? Even if she wanted to, she couldn't ask any of them to do something about her siblings. This was her problem through and through. No one knew Charles and Jocelyn like she did, except maybe each other. No one could manipulate them the way she could. Ada may have been the younger twerp, but she wasn't completely walked on. They were her problem, and now, her problem alone.

When the tears were under control, and she felt cool again—present weather excluded—she went back in and gave Sam an easy smile to assuage her concern. It seemed to work. She returned to her seat and tried not to stew in the broiling pit within. It was only a matter of time before Jocelyn tracked her down. She had a knack for that sort of thing. When she had her heart set on something, she got it. Charles may be the one in her face, but Jocelyn caused her just as much concern.

Noah slipped out around sunset; Ada didn't notice he was gone until the bath water creaked on. Aidan didn't seem concerned, so Ada put him out of her mind. She had never seen Aidan drink before, and he became rather boisterous. He was pretty fun when he wasn't stressed out. She was sure he was stressed about something, but for once, it wasn't the dominant feature in his life.

"Wait, I just remembered something!" cried Aidan between cheery laughs. "Oh, I totally forgot about this. So, get this, Cain has a boyfriend."

Sam's face lit up, not in surprise, but recognition. "Is his name Antoine, by any chance?"

"Yeah, how did you know that?" His elation barely slipped at the surprise.

Her grin spread as she said, "Remember the day your dad showed up? Well, after they left, when I was cutting my hair, I overheard him on the phone. I tried not to listen but I heard him say something about getting out for a little while, like away from us, and that he would see him later. I forgot all about that."

"Is this the first you've heard about?" Ada asked Aidan, curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. If he's always known he's into men, he's never told any of us." His grin hadn't faltered. "I already knew him, but Cain introduced us properly this time. They work together at the bar."

"That's cool. How long have they been together?" Sam nodded along with Ada's question.

"He didn't say, but I think for a while. I had a hunch last fall that he was dating but never got an answer." He stretched deeply, groaning as a few joints popped. "I honestly don't know what he's going to choose. I'm not going to pressure him, though. It's his call."

Relief crossed Sam's face, though at what, Ada didn't know. "Maybe we can convince them to visit sometime."

"Yeah, maybe come fall. Those two are pretty much the only ones that work there. Cain keeps it pretty low staffed ..." he trailed off, connecting the dots they all saw. "Huh, I should have seen this sooner."

Sam snickered behind her fingers. It wasn't long before Ada really began to feel the strains of the day and the buzz wasn't enough to keep the drowsiness at bay for long. She called them a cab just before nine. They weren't busy, so they wouldn't have to wait long. As Sam was saying goodbye, Noah emerged, somewhat more relaxed. He gave a small, polite smile. Ada hung up and gave him a nod.

"Call if you need anything," Sam was saying, stepping out of a hug. "You too, Noah." He just nodded.

Ada made sure Sam's doors were locked while she got in the cab—which was actually a maroon minivan with vinyl signs; got to love small towns. Ada's job wasn't far, and she could walk there on her way home to pick it up. She hurried to join Sam and they were off before she had even buckled in.

Tropical beaches, quaint streets in photos too perfect to be real gave Ada an escape from the mental roller coaster she couldn't get off of. She didn't look at any one place for very long. As nice as it would be to simply move overseas and change her name, she doubted she could convince Sam and would feel guilty trying. She wouldn't be able to convince her without explaining why, and once she knew why, she would put herself in harms way to help Ada, too. While she wanted her help, she didn't want her to have to keep worrying and taking unnecessary risks. So no, this scrolling was not true planning, but rather a halfhearted attempt at quelling the urge to run further.

A small jolt rushed through Ada as Sam's silent shadow fell over her a moment before her hands rested on Ada's shoulders. She tilted slightly to peek up at her, feeling her arms encircle her shoulders as Sam leaned down to her ear.

"What are you reading?" she asked in a sweet, happy tone. She had been more cheery the past few days, since they helped Aidan and Noah move in.

Ada shrugged lightly beneath her elbow. "Thinking about a vacation."

"Spain? Neat, I've always wanted to go there. What made you think of this?" She pressed a quick kiss to Ada's cheek.

"I was thinking we deserve one," she said, and meant it. "Maybe over the winter, or something; just a thought."

"I like the sound of that." Sam straightened and Ada twisted to meet her smile. "I don't know when I'll be allowed to take time off again, though. I'm pretty sure Kathy is going to hold this 'medical leave' against me."

"We'll figure it out." Ada closed all the tabs, and with them, down went the barrier she had formed against her stress and worry.

For a while, as Sam's problems last winter had started to really ramp up, she had been able to forget about Charles and Jocelyn, to pretend her family life was normal, or at least not so problematic. Hillebrandt had assured her he would come up with something. That was the culmination of their meeting in January. It was an empty promise, she knew it then, too, but even so, it had given her something to cling to. Between that and all the bullshit going on with Noah and the pack problems at the time, those two had been further from her thoughts than ever before. She had thought the normalcy and routine would be a welcome change. She didn't count on having her lifeline essentially severed; because what good was Hillebrandt to her without the support of the entire police force?

None of it was easy to ignore, but she did manage to shut some of it away, enough that she could enjoy the afternoon in the back yard, listening to the world go around them in the shade of the covered back porch. The garden was in full bloom, roses and lilies perfuming the subtle breeze. The tomato plant was sagging against its supports under the weight of the massive fruits. This wasn't the time to be worrying; maybe if she said it enough, it would sink in.