May sat silently at the dining table as her father looked over the bits of paper she had stolen from Josh's file. From the kitchen she could hear her mum's voice casually talking to Harry about the perfect ham to cheese ratio in his sandwich, while Chad was snoring in the lounge room. Nate sat beside her, straight faced and completely serious as Braydon put his hand to his forehead and slowly dragged it down his mouth looking completely exhausted.

"Well, he fooled all of us May." He finally said, shaking his head before looking at it again in disbelief. "What we do next will have to depend on you."

"Me?" May asked, unsure what he meant by that.

"I don't want you going anywhere him and every instinct I have is telling me to find him now to rip that little son of a bitch apart." Braydon said it so easily he may as well have been talking about the weather. "But, so far you have done more than anyone else and I will listen to what you want to do before making my own decision on the matter."

May wasn't expecting that. Arguments about her being locked in the basement for her own safekeeping, or being sent to her grandparents, maybe even going on a 'holiday' with Rory while he does something business related - yes. Never did she think they'd want her opinion, and actually listen to it. Her mouth opened and then closed, before she looked at Nate. He gave a little shrug and nodded at her to go on.

"Um..." She paused, and meeting Braydons eyes wasn't sure what he wanted her to say. "The stuff in those folders, there was so much Dad. You guys were right, that facility you found wasn't their only one, and if we attack again, it has to be done so that they're all stopped."

"I agree."

"Okay, um, good. I want to hurt Josh so bad. I don't know what I'll do when I see him again." May confessed; a hardness to her tone she'd never heard before. "His name, it isn't even Josh. I think it's Thomas Molloy."

She watched as he wrote that down. "What else May, was there anything else you can remember?"

"They'd marked the shifters on this like, family tree thing in red. The rest of us had green ticks. Dad, who was, oh um, what was it. Manuel Confetti? There was a Carolina too, but she's King now isn't she, not, oh, Corbetti. There was a question mark around her name, and he had a black cross."

"He was her father. He's dead." Was all he said, clearly not willing to go any further.

"There were Winters on there too Dad. I thought you said your family was all gone?"

"They are. They're not my family."

It was then Miranda came in and hearing the end of that conversation, she put her hand on Braydon's forearm.

"No, but they are still your blood." He growled, not looking at her as he stared at the pen in front of him as she continued. "You know about your father spending time in the wild May, about him shifting early and what followed. We have never told you everything that happened once he came home with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Part of the reason why Carolina did, what she did, was because of his Uncle Nicholas."

"His name was there." May confirmed. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I don't like to talk about or for you to know you have relatives that are just, monsters." Braydon confessed, talking slowly as he mumbled through a conversation he clearly didn't want to have.

"If they're in danger too, shouldn't we warn them?" Miranda wondered.

"No. They never came to my aid before, why should I go to theirs?"

"Dad!" May scolded. "That only makes you just like them!"

Braydon went to protest, yet one look from Miranda told him he wasn't about to be winning that argument. It didn't stop him from mumbling under his breath though. "No it doesn't."

"What about where they work from or who is behind their group?" Nate quickly changed the topic. "Anything in there about that?"

"No, it was all on us. They didn't have a lot about your parents though, most of your family stuff was a page or two long. It was mostly about mine, and well, Dads. Some of the photos looked old, and I saw one of Chad when he had to about my age. He hadn't gone into that bearded homeless look yet."

"Heard that!" He called out, before another snort of a snore followed.

"Of course you did." She rolled her eyes. "We have to get Josh to talk, and I'm going to have to be the one to do it."

"May, surely you don't-" Miranda started, yet Braydon cut her off.

"I know. The longer we can let them think we're still in the dark over his involvement, the better chance we have of learning about them." Hanging his head in hands, Braydon once again avoided looking at Miranda, not willing to let her risk him changing his mind. May was his daughter, and like Bianca nearly had for Caleb - he would die for her in an instant to keep her safe. Yet, the risk wasn't going to go away any time soon if they didn't find a way in and in a cruel twist of fate, she was their only option. "Do you think you can do it?"

"Braydon, you're not serious!" Miranda gasped, looking at May and then Nate, she realised that had been where this had all be going from the start. "No! I won't let you!"

"Mum, we don't have any other choice."

"It's more than just us, than Caleb and Mum. It's the pack, it's all shifters." Nate added.

"No. How can you even say that? You think because she's not one of you, that she can just be sacrificed on the off chance no one works out what she's actually up to? I'm not letting her put herself in that kind of danger, Braydon, it's our baby girl!" She yelled at him as her voice broke. "We've lost Caleb, I am not losing mine!"

"Caleb's alive Mum. I am the best chance of getting him back! I'm not a baby, I'm seventeen and-"

"She's right." Everyone froze, too distracted to have noticed Bianca had come home. She stood leaning against the doorframe for support as Cody and Chad stood behind her. "May isn't doing this."

"Oh Bianca!" Miranda was at her side in an instant, looking back to Cody. "How did she get discharged so soon?"

"She's healing really well already." Cody tried to sound happy, but clearly he wasn't.

Neither of them looked well. Cody just looked tired, while Bianca still looked pale and sick. Her eyes were puffy, the dark circles around them not helped by the bruising that had yet to run its course while numerous cuts and grazes still left angry red marks all over her neck and arms. She kept one hand on her side, the bullet that had landed there the one that had required her to go into surgery and Miranda guided her to one of the chairs that Nate instantly pulled out for his mother to sit on.

"Bianca, let me do this. I know I can." May urged. "How else can we get him home?"

"They wanted him May." Bianca sighed, swaying slightly as she closed her eyes. "I heard them say it. They had his picture on their tablet, it wasn't the patrol gone wrong as those assholes were already waiting. Somehow, they knew he was out and not here and I tried. I tried so fucking hard to stop them and-"

She had told herself when she demanded to be released, that she wasn't going to cry anymore. Now wasn't the time and yet her home felt wrong, ruined even - now that her son had gone. Maybe coming back had been the wrong thing to do, but she couldn't stay in that place any longer and not when stupid ideas like letting May be sent to the slaughter were being thrown around. Had everyone lost their minds?

"Mum?" Leanna sobbed as she came running from the kitchen with Harry.

The tears came whether Bianca wanted them to or not as she gently embraced her children. She wouldn't fail them like she did Caleb and looking over at Nate, she didn't see her happy, go lucky boy. Pent up anger radiated from every pore, as he narrowed his eyes at her. It didn't stop him from joining in on the group hug too, but the change in him had happened. Even May was different and it terrified Bianca in a way she had never experienced before. May was right, she wasn't a baby anymore. That innocence had just been taken from them as it had been for her, and Braydon - without warning and way too early in their lives for them to have to deal with it. Parents were supposed to protect their young - wolf or human, and she had failed.

"We know Josh is behind this Bianca. I was there last night, before- I was with him and I found this." She reached over and grabbed the papers from her dad. Bianca glanced over them, yet little registered. "Let me go back and see what else I can find. Dad agrees. There is so much more going on than what we know and this way we can even the playing field and stop them once and for all."

"You mean well May, I understand how this would all seem like a good idea, I do and I want to agree. But-"

May heard enough. They were wasting time and standing up, she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but also that there was little chance of stopping now.

"But nothing. I am doing this and right now you are in no position to stop me!" May rarely yelled and never like this at anyone that wasn't her parents or Chad - even then it didn't happen often.

She was right though, Bianca was in no position to stop her. Everyone else was though and as she stormed out the room, Chad was the first to follow. Making it to the front door, May knew she couldn't just walk right up to Josh or Thomas or whatever the hell his name was and demand an answer, but on principle she wanted out of the house. Too bad that when she opened the door, she nearly slammed into the person standing there preparing to knock.

"Jason?" Chad asked from behind May as his hands landed on her shoulders to steady her.

"Chad, nice to see you. Been awhile!" Jason grinned, glancing down at May. "Wow, you've grown since the last time I saw you!"

"What are you doing here?" Chad asked cautiously, as May thought about his name being in Josh's file too. It didn't make much sense for him to now be standing on Bianca's doorstep though.

"Andy called me, got something for her." He held up a black briefcase and peered over Chad's shoulder. "Hello!"

"Jason! You're here early." Miranda slipped past Chad and gave her old boss, and friend a hug.

"Well, it sounded urgent. Have you been crying?" Lowering his voice, he leaned in close to Miranda yet kept his eyes on Chad. "If you're in trouble, and need assistance to get you and your daughter out of here, cough twice."

"No, Jason. Could you be any more dramatic? Things are just a bit, crazy at the moment."

"Crazier than me about to walk into a house of shifters with one who'd like nothing more than to rip me apart?" He joked.

"Oh you have no idea. May, inside. Now." Miranda ordered and with Chad still holding her shoulders, May reluctantly followed them in.

For all the years that had passed, Jason was still Jason. Years earlier when he nearly managed to ruin Miranda's relationship with Braydon, her move to another company had been the best decision for everyone. It allowed them to occasionally be professional partners in certain business deals and of course, to establish a much healthier friendship. He had never settled down and created a family of his own as she had, his playboy reputation only maturing as he did, which since he dyed his hair and wasn't ashamed of the odd botox injection to keep those lines on his forehead away - he was doing very well. Despite this, even now Miranda found herself amazed at how she had once idolised him as her perfect man. Their future was something she could no longer imagine and even when she had as a naive nineteen year old, somehow what she had now just didn't compare.

Miranda sat Jason down in the living room as Braydon appeared; the second he had heard the other mans voice he knew his day really couldn't get any better and as Miranda fussed over him - offering him coffee or maybe tea, the growl was unstoppable. Somehow Miranda had found in it herself to forgive Jason for his role in trying to keep them apart. After May was born, and he visited their home for the first time Braydon found a certain level of tolerance for him still being in their lives. That did not extend to having to see him today and looking at Miranda for an explanation since clearly she was expecting him, there wasn't one to be found which only annoyed him even more.

"I'll be right back with some coffee." Miranda smiled at Jason, grabbing Braydons arm to drag him away with her. "Do not start this growling shit. Remember what happened last time, you ended up as Wolfy and had him cornered against the staircase! So much for keeping your existence a secret and not telling him!"

"Why is he here Miranda?" Braydon snarled instead.

Miranda ignored him. "I'm not talking to you while you're being like this. I had planned on telling you, before I found out you're okay with my daughter being in danger!"

"Your daughter? Our daughter! Is that what this is about? I do something you don't like so you're rubbing my nose in it by bringing him here? What next, is Carolina going to join us for dinner too!"

Spinning around to face him, Miranda poked Braydon hard in the chest and he knew he had said the wrong thing as her eyes burned into his. "Yes Braydon. That's exactly what I did and do you think she'll enjoy a fucking roast chicken!"

"Did you two want to maybe go outside?" Cody interrupted, reminding both of them they weren't in their home and the house they were in, was full of people - shifters, who despite their angrily whispered words, had probably still been heard by everyone.

"No. We're not arguing anymore." Miranda told him. "Coffee?"

Braydon huffed, tired and frustrated as Miranda chose to ignore him again. Stopping her after she put the milk away, he took one of her hands in his and kissed her knuckles. "I'm sorry for being growly. I know you're mine and Jason isn't a threat. I'm tired, I'm stressed, I'm worried about May too and please, tell me why he is here."

"He has some tech I want."

"This is about work?" He asked amazed.

"No. Come on, I'll let him tell you about it." Miranda sighed, picking up the mugs to take back into the living room.

Almost instantly everything else was forgotten as May watched the interaction of those around her - awkward was an understatement. She'd seen her father angry plenty of times, but this was different and as he stood to one side she realised that he wasn't angry with Jason at all. It was more along the lines of that he didn't seem trust the other man and that explained why her father was in full stalking mode; barely blinking, tense and Jason's comment about being ripped apart seemed like a possibility if he did so something Braydon deemed wrong. It only made May question more about the past and about what had really gone on compared to the PG version she had been told. Then there was the little dispute she'd heard in the kitchen and looking between her parents, neither of them seemed willing to take it any further.

"So is he here Miranda?" Braydon growled, before coughing once at the look she gave him. "I mean, why do we get the pleasure of Jason's company."

May looked at Jason who seemed equally amused by the show her father was putting on as she was. She rarely got to see them so out of their comfort zone. With everything that had gone on, they'd still been in control, clear headed and frustratingly calm. It was almost a relief to see them frazzled by something even if she hated them fighting with each other.

"Well Braydon. It's actually a good thing I called him if you're all insisting on stupid plans that leave our daughter at risk!" Miranda answered challenging him. When Braydon looked away, submitting to her, she continued with less attitude. "Jason's company developed a new, unobtrusive GPS implant. The government rejected the tech they had paid him to develop a few years ago now, but, and this isn't supposed to cause a fight, after some minor improvements and a little redevelopment, it is very popular for people's pets. In particular their dogs."

All three of them thought this over and it was Chad who spoke first. "Trackers?"

"Pretty much. I only thought of it last night after Caleb." Miranda paused. "I wanted to talk to you all about them, at least for the pups until this nightmare is over."

"You want us to be tagged like pet dogs?" He asked slowly, like he didn't quite believe it.

"Essentially, yes. They're practically undetectable. Only last month I saw the presentation regarding this kind of tech and the ways it could be used that didn't violate any human right laws or support conspiracy theories on being monitored by a big brother type government." Miranda looked at Jason, who seemingly unbothered by the death glare Braydon was giving him sipped his coffee. "Of course you can so the pros and cons of this kind of supervision, yet as I said. While this nightmare is happening, the pups at least should be implanted."

"This is violating-" May protested yet Miranda interrupted her instantly.

"Yes. But if we had thought of these earlier, we could have found Caleb already."

No one could argue with that.

"We haven't actually tested them in humans before. Pesky regulations and what not." Jason took over, opening the briefcase. He pulled out a small test tube and settled in the foam base, a microchip could be seen. "They don't hurt, well all our test subjects don't seem to mind. They're easy to remove and have a ninetynine percent success rate when locating the wearer. We've worked with marine biologists who track the migration of sharks and whales with these. One day, I think society will embrace them. I mean look at what can be done via your phones and tablets already. This isn't much different."

"If I do this, you'll let me see Josh?" May asked Miranda.

The look on her mother's face said no, yet somehow she managed to nod; her voice barely a whisper as she answered. "Yes."

Bianca limped towards the group, and Nate helped her sit in the single chair by Jason. "How many do you have?"

"Six. If I'd taken anymore, I would have raised suspicions."

"Do it."

"What about when we change, will it be affected then?" Nate asked. Miranda had sold them on it the second she said if it had been thought of earlier, Caleb would already be found, though he stayed quiet on the fact Caleb would never let himself be monitored.

"I haven't tested this on humans or shifters, so I can't tell you that." Jason's brow creased slightly as he thought it over. "We'll have to put it somewhere that doesn't, ah, change too much?"

"I'll go first, then we can see what happens." He volunteered.

No one argued and so, deciding on the underside of his upper arm, Jason wiped the area down before inserting the chip. Nate winced slightly, likening the pain to a sharp, unexpected papercut. It didn't even bleed and moving off to change, returned as his wolf. Getting out the scanner, Jason turned it on and after a few seconds the red locator appeared over the house on the map. Running it past Nate's leg, there was a tiny beep before the screen changed to show Nate's name.

"If we fill in the data, it would come up as a complete profile." Jason was clearly proud of his product as he showed the others the screen. "So, I think this proves that it works?"

"Fine, let's do this." May patted Nate's head and sat in front of Jason so he could chip her too.

"So do I want know what kind of trouble you're all in?" He asked, looking over at Miranda as he finished with May.

"No." Braydon answered.

"We're being hunted." Bianca said at the same time.

Jason nearly dropped the syringe as he went to take another one out. "What?"

"It's true. We don't know who they are or why they're doing it." Miranda told him.

"If you need my plane to get somewhere safe, it's yours." He told her instantly. "Do you need security, I just walked right up to your house. That can't be good if people are, hunting, you!"

"We've got enough security. The fact you didn't see anything tells us they're doing a good job." Chad tried not to growl, and just managed to hold it in.

"What can I do? I want to help!" He insisted turning to Braydon. "Leave the past where it belongs, I've got resources Miranda doesn't. I know people in high places, including contacts from the military from the work I've done."

"You've done more than enough by helping keep our kids safe." Miranda assured him.

"He could be onto something." Cody finally spoke. "These people are trained and we need all the help we can get."

"Seems convenient though doesn't it?" Braydon glared at Jason.

"I'll stop you there before you say something you regret. I care about Miranda too Winters, and I want her safe. Trust me on this, I'm on your side." Jason told him honestly.

"Do you trust him Mum?" May got up and went to stand before Miranda, who looked at Jason before turning to Braydon.

"I do. Cody's right, we need all the help we can get."

"I agree." Bianca sighed.

"So it's decided then." Jason breathed out a sigh of relief and as Leanna and Harry came in, they were soon chipped too.

Before long, he was gone with a mental list of people he could call and Miranda prayed her gut instinct was right on this one and Jason was someone they could trust. If he wasn't, well she wasn't sure if Braydon would ever forgive her for not taking his side over Jason's. Not only that it would mean that she had just put the pups in even more danger.

_______________

May walked down Josh's street on high alert. It didn't help that to make everything look legit to anyone watching she had to not only sneak out of her own house, but then walk across town to get to his. Checking the time, it was barely eight o'clock and after assuring him she was fine from missing school that day, sent him a message asking him to go outside.

"May, is that you?" He asked, completely confused.

"Hey." She waved.

"What's going on?"

May grinned and wrapped herself around him as he closed the distance between them. "I snuck out."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"Why not?" She pouted. "It's pretty cold though. I don't think I thought this through."

"Come inside then." Josh guided her towards his house, unsure what was going on with May. He hadn't expected this. She didn't even seem that upset about her stupid Caleb missing - as far as she knew, he could could be dead. "You've seemed differently lately. Wanna talk about it?"

"It's like you said last night, I shouldn't let them all treat me like such a pushover. I'm tired of being the good girl and perfect daughter. You know my friend Caleb?"

"Yeah?" Josh led May upstairs, ignoring the look from his mother as they came in. Thankfully she stayed quiet, and he focused on May. "What about him?"

"His Mum was in a really bad car accident last night and no one can find him. Apparently thats my fault because we a bit of an argument on Sunday and he was acting all weird since." May sighed, turning to Josh as he closed his bedroom door. "I think it's drugs. Horrible to say, I know, but blaming me for his mood was the final straw. I had to get out of there."

"Wow, that's harsh." He agreed, relaxing slightly.

"I didn't know where else to go. Tiffany has been so busy with Rob lately, and I know she was seeing him again tonight and didn't want to third wheel it."

"I don't mind at all."

"So, this is kind of my first time sneaking out and-"

"No it's not." Josh grinned, so normal and relaxed. Surely it had to be a joke or mistake that he was able to sit around and happily chat away while plotting who knows what for her family. Then again, wasn't that what she was doing?

"Ah, yeah it is."

"You snuck away from Chad to hang out too. You Miss Winters are becoming quite the little rebel."

May's stomach churned as he flirted with her. She'd been so sure she could do this; psyching herself into doing what ever she had to in order to find Caleb. Now she was back to wanting to go and hide in bed; let the adults fix everything and go back to her uneventful life. Her eyes moved to the desk, the images she'd seen frozen in her mind as well the gun. Was it still there, did he miss those pages she took and looking at him now, she didn't see someone who could horrible things to other people.

"I am aren't I?" May smirked. "So what do people who sneak out do? I feel so, not like me. I've always wanted to see what it was like to graffiti something."

"Slow down there babe, first night out, let's not go crazy and try getting ourselves arrested."

"Oh right. Too much, okay, so what did you have in mind then?"

"Well, I've got my cousin in town and a few old friends from where I grew up passing through. I was going to head over there when you arrived, did you want to come to?" He offered.

"Okay." She agreed.

"Great!" May sensed the anxiety that followed Josh as he moved to the wardrobe to get out a jacket. That wasn't exactly the kind of thing she wanted to notice when he was going to be taking her some where unknown.

As they left his room, she passed his desk and brushing her hand along the edge, managed to stick the tiny bug Connor had brought over that afternoon for her to try and place in his house. Another went on the stair railing and following him to the kitchen, she paused by the mirror to check her reflection. Adjusting the frame slightly, another was pressed on the underside of the corner. Tanya was asleep on the sofa in the lounge, the tv on mute as they went by and grabbing the car keys, Josh held a finger up to his lips as they snuck back out the front door.

Getting into the car May realised she had done it she couldn't hide her smile she looked at Josh - almost blurting out how proud she was of herself. It had been so easy too and then when she remembered he was driving her somewhere to meet his 'friends' and cousin, that rush ended and she'd never been more thankful for a tiny piece of plastic in her arm that made her feel like her parents were still with her.

____________

Oh hey Jason, long time no see! What do you think - is he legit?