Lone Wolf

It was one of those nights where being in the woods was a bad idea. The full moon cast an eerie shadow through the trees and gave her the uneasy feeling she was being watched. Quickly glancing over her shoulder, Keegan continued on the path before her, trying to find the correct way to her car. As she walked, she swore she heard something move in the darkness behind her and her hand immediately flew to her hip where her 40 caliber Glock 27 was concealed under her black coat.

Taking a deep breath, Keegan picked up her pace until she could see her car glinting through the trees. Breaking into a sprint she nearly closed the gap from her to her car when a large black dog stepped out of the shadows in front of her. Her hand quickly flew to her hip and the dog snarled. Quickly drawing her weapon, the dog charged, knocking her on her ass, sending her gun out of her hand and down the path. As she mentally checked her body for any fractures, the dog stood over her, growling as it neared her face.

Keegan laid there quietly, hoping the dog would give up and leave. The animal got closer to her face and when it did, the creature bared its fangs and Keegan closed her eyes, waiting for the bite that would end her life. Instead, what she felt was the wet, hot tongue run across her cheek. She cautiously opened one eye and saw the menacing dog sitting on her chest, tongue lolling out of its mouth. It's ears moved forward when Keegan began struggling to sit up.

"Alright Derek, you can get off me. You are starting to crush me!" She swore she could hear the dog laugh and she glared though the dark, "I mean it!" The dog gave her a crooked smile and gently got off her lap.

"Thank you!" She brought her hair over her shoulder and began to pick out the leaves.

"You are too dramatic, Keegan."

She rolled her eyes and looked over to the man sitting on the ground in front of her, "Seriously Keegan, did you think you're going to take down anything bigger than a mountain lion with a .9mm?"

"I can handle myself, thank you!"

Derek sighed and quickly stood up. Holding out his hand, he helped her off the ground and began brushing off her back. When he finished he placed his arm around her shoulder. Keegan laughed and shook her head at his state of dress, "You must be freezing!"

Derek looked down at himself, "Hey, it could be worse; I could be naked."

Keegan blushed, "How could that be worse?"

She knew he had rolled his eyes, "Well it was smart thinking on your part. Those fictional Animorph characters wore tight clothes during their transformations, so why shouldn't it work for me?"

Laughing, Keegan replied, "I didn't think it would work!"

He leaned over and kissed the side of her head. They found her discarded weapon and Derek escorted her to car. He watched her as she placed the firearm in the glove box, "You were really going to shoot me, weren't you?"

Keegan sighed, "Derek, I couldn't tell if it was you or a real wild dog. If I had known it was you, do you think I would have even drawn my weapon?"

She saw him shrug in the soft moonlight. Suddenly, Derek let out a low growl and in milliseconds was by her side, ushering her towards the black '67 Chevy Impala. "Will you be fine getting home?"

"What's wrong?" She searched the dark for whatever had startled him but her senses were not as keen as Derek's.

Derek lightly sniffed the air, "Cops. Come on, let's get you out of here."

He grabbed her wrist and led her into the car. Jumping into the driver's seat, Derek put the car into drive and slammed on the gas pedal, sending the tires screeching through the quiet forest. They drove in silence until they hit the city limits of Beacon Hills.

"What are the cops doing in the woods at this time of night?"

Derek ignored the question and kept driving, he continued to stare out the windshield until Keegan began clearing her throat and repeated the question. He sighed, "They... they found a body in the woods a few miles from where you were. And no, it wasn't me."

"Who could it be then?"

Derek shook his head, "I have no idea and it makes me very, very nervous."

The ride became quiet until Derek pulled into the Kennedy's driveway, "I'll see you in a few minutes." He leaned across the bench seat and gently kissed her cheek. Keegan felt color come to her cheeks and sat there a few moments after Derek disappeared into the darkness. She exhaled deeply and exited the car, slamming the door behind her and slowly walked up the porch steps before entering her house. Shutting the door behind her, her father called out to her from his office, "Keegan is that you?"

"Hey Dad." Keegan smiled sleepily at her father.

He gave her a small smile, "So, how's Derek?"

Keegan shrugged, "The usual. He scared the crap out of me tonight."

Her father shook his head, "You two.. should just.. date."

Keegan blushed and rolled her eyes, "Please Dad. Let's not go there."

He smiled, "Well dear, I need to get back to work. These building aren't going to build themselves. You have a goodnight!" He gently kissed her forehead and went back into his office, closing the door behind him. She climbed the stairs and turned on the light to her room. She startled herself when she noticed Derek laying on her bed and she quickly closed the door to her room. Derek immediately stood and came around the side of the bed, pulling her into a tight hug.

She inhaled deeply taking in his forest scent and sighed. The chuckled and bent down, planting a kiss on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Keegan broke away from him, "Let me change. I am still covered in leaves and a little damp." He nodded and retreated to the opposite side of the bed. Grabbing her clothes, Keegan changed into more relaxing clothes; a tank top and a pair of running shorts, in the corner of her room. As she stripped down, she could feel Derek's eyes on her, making her uneasy. Taking a deep breath, she finished changing and threw her dirty clothes into her hamper and made her way back to where Derek laid on the bed.

As she began to lay on the bed she noticed Derek was staring off out the window. Raising her eyebrows, unnoticed by Derek, she followed his gaze and was surprised and upset by what she saw. Across the way, Keegan could see that her neighbor's son and his friend were watching them from his room. She scowled, knowing they couldn't see her from that distance; but she could hear Derek's hackles raise and heard a faint growl come from his mouth.

Keegan ran to the window, flipped off the two boys and pulled the string to the blinds, shutting them. She turned back to Derek, trying to calm the man down; but he was already up from the bed and standing by the door. "Are you okay?" She watched him closely, holding up her hands to show him she wasn't going to hurt him.

Derek shook his head, "I'm sorry Keegan, but I need to leave. I'll stop by tomorrow morning. Goodnight." He let himself out of the room and seconds later she watched as a big black dog ran across the street and disappeared into the woods. Keegan sighed deeply and sunk into her bed. Rolling over, she grabbed her pillow and pulled it into her chest and inhaling Derek's scent. Minutes later, she was out cold.