Author's Note: I originally posted this as part of a chapter in one of my stories (Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits) . This chapter takes place after "Hunter's Moon" but way before "Territorial Issues" and I'd actually written it before I'd finished The Nature of the Beast. So there are some continuity errors that I'm too lazy to go back and fix. Song used is "Animal" by Def Leppard (which I do not own).
Originally published: 9/18/2013
= = =
Hanson walked into the Chapel and froze when he heard the strains of music coming from Jenko's old jukebox. He resisted the urge to growl and ran his tongue along sharpening canines instead. What is it with these guys and Def Leppard? he thought. Well, Penhall's recently developed an obsession with the band . . .
"Hey there, Tom," Captain Richard Jenko greeted the lupine as he noticed the final member of the Jump Street crew had arrived.
"Jenk," Tom replied. "Who chose Def Leppard?"
The hang-on hippie pulled a face. "Penhall. Who else?"
Hanson smirked. "Good point." His eyes swept around the Chapel, searching for his friends and co-workers: Doug Penhall, Judy Hoffs, and Harry Truman Ioki. Doug and Harry were messing around playing air guitar, but he didn't see Judy. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath, scenting the air. Yes, she was here, upstairs. Tom called, "Yo, Hoffs! Wake up!"
The next moment, Judy was sliding down the pole and walking over to the werewolf. "Hanson, I wasn't sleeping. And Penhall"—she turned to the bear-like cop—"what is it with you and Def Leppard?"
Doug shrugged before returning to playing air guitar.
Both Tom and Judy sighed in exasperation. Then, as Penhall keyed in another song, Tom tensed as he heard the first verse:
A wild ride over stony ground
Such a lust for life, the circus comes to townWe are the hungry ones on the lightning raidJust like the river runs, like a fire needs flameOh, I burn for you
Tom's sepia eyes landed on Judy and lingered, sweeping over her. He was feeling uncomfortable, as if the 'wolf inside him was trying to crawl out of his skin. "Gotta go," he rasped, and bolted, trying to fight the urge to transform. It was no good: the now-familiar heat was surging through him, and the more the tried to resist, the more he pictured himself in 'wolf form. Behind him, he could hear the band launching into the chorus:
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa ohAnd I want, and I need, and I lust, animalAnd I want, and I need, and I lust, animal
Somehow he made it into the chapel's basement, still in human form. Trying to relax, he took deep breaths. After a few tense seconds, the heat burning inside him faded away, and he knew the danger of changing was gone—for now.
Soft footsteps coming from the top of the stairs caught his attention and he whipped around, muscles tight once more. Sometimes it was hard to control the bloodlust that came with being a werewolf—and in 'wolf form, it was almost impossible. The person's scent drifted toward him, and far from being relaxing, it made him tense up even more.
"Hanson?" Judy appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He was aware vaguely of the fact he was acting like a cornered animal, but he didn't care.
I cry wolf, given mouth to mouth
Like a movin' heartbeat in the witching hourI'm runnin' with the wind, a shadow in the dustAnd like the drivin' rain, hey, like the restless rustI never sleep
As she came closer, concern written all over her face, Tom could feel his breath coming in harsher gasps. He was starting to burn up again; his 'wolf was too close to the surface . . .
"Tom?" Judy said. "Are you—"
He shook his head and tried to speak, but the only sound coming out of his throat was a growl. Instantly Hoffs knew what was going on and, stepping into his space, she gripped his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "Don't you dare go 'wolf on me, Hanson. If you do, I'll kick your tail so hard you'll launch into next week."
The lupine cop nodded tersely, caught her scent. She was so, so close . . . Again, his 'wolf stirred—but so did desire. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd kissed her—hard—on the lips. He wasn't sure how he expected Judy to react, so he abruptly pulled back. "Sorry," he muttered, averting his eyes.
"I'm not," Hoffs said quietly.
"Yo, guys!" came Jenko's voice from upstairs. "Quit messing around and get to school!"
As the Jump Street team filed out of the chapel, Tom found himself wondering how he was going to sleep tonight. Ah, well. The kids he was trying to get in with had made plans to meet that night anyway. He just hoped he wouldn't lose control and either give himself away or hurt one of them. If they found out he was both a werewolf and an undercover cop, he was burnt toast. Unfortunately, he was working this school solo. Maybe if he convinced Judy to come along for backup . . . That could work. Now all he had to do was talk to her.
-oOo-
After school let out, Tom decided to check in with Jenko, tell him what was going to go down that night at midnight. (Why was it always midnight, anyway? Were these kids watching too many horror movies or something?) First, though, he had to find out more about the meeting. The group he was undercover in belonged to a local punk-rock gang, and he suspected they were dealing drugs. They were also very suspicious, but Hanson was fairly sure his cover was intact.
Anyway, he was heading out to his Mustang when he saw a couple guys perched on the hood. Tom tensed, then relaxed when he saw they were members of the gang he'd infiltrated. He said, "Hey, guys. What's up?"
"You up for tonight in City Park?" Jake Wheeler asked, shifting one of his jean-clad legs so it dangled over the edge of the hood. His right arm was draped over his right leg, which was drawn up to his chest, and he had dark, tan skin, black hair, and black eyes. He sort of reminded Tom of Johnny Cade in The Outsiders—maybe it was the physical resemblance.
"Yeah, sure," Hanson replied. "Where exactly are we meeting, again?"
"Parking lot next to the swimming pool," Matt Bower said. Like Jake, he reminded Tom of a character in The Outsiders, maybe Two-Bit—or perhaps Dallas Winston. Both boys were lean in a panther kind of way and walked along in a slouchy way. If this was the sixties, they'd certainly be greasers.
Tom nodded. "Good to know. Now get off my car."
Maybe it was something in his eyes, or maybe it was just because he had such a strong aura, but whatever the case, Jake and Matt hopped off the Mustang's hood. They stood silently, watching the 'wolf as he drove off. At least he now knew exactly where to meet them, and he could pass it on to Jenko.
-oOo-
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Jenko said with a frown after Hanson asked if he could bring Hoffs along.
"Why not?" Tom stopped pacing and stared at his captain. "If it's because I'm a werewolf—"
"Tom, it's the full moon tonight."
"Coach, that's just urban legend. I can shift at will; the moon has nothing to do with it." Well, that wasn't exactly true. On nights of the full moon, Hanson felt more restless than normal, and it was easier for his lupine to take control. "And besides, I'd never hurt Judy. She actually helps calm my 'wolf down." Tom shuddered a little and pulled a face. "I could never eat people, anyway. We bite only to kill—for food—or to turn a possible mate—and I would never do that." Hanson wasn't sure why he was trying so hard to reassure his captain. He just knew Jenko had never really been comfortable with his changed status.
Jenko looked like he was about to say something but closed his mouth when Judy walked in. She greeted, "Hey, Tom, Jenk. What's up?"
Hanson didn't even bother checking Jenko's reaction as he turned to Hoffs and invited, "You wanna come help me out tonight on my case?"
"Yeah, sure," Judy replied. She shrugged, adding, "I have nothing to do anyway."
Tom didn't need to be a werewolf to know his captain was seething on the inside. "Great," he said to Judy. "City Park at midnight. You want me to pick you up?"
"Sure," said Judy after a moment's consideration.
Tom couldn't help smiling. Tonight was definitely going to be interesting.
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa ohAnd I want, and I need, and I lust, animalAnd I want, and I need, and I lust, animal
The two undercovers arrived right on schedule and exited Hanson's Mustang. Already Tom could feel the effect of the full moon as it shone down on him: he felt restless, itchy, the animal inside him eager for release.
Stop, he told himself firmly. His lupine settled, but Tom could tell it wasn't happy about doing so. Without really thinking about it, he reached for Judy's hand and clasped it, wanting reassurance. How was it she could soothe the beast when none of the others could?
"Hey, Tom!" Matt called out when he spotted him. "Over here." The pale-blonde senior was waving him over, his almost-white hair glowing silver under the light of the full moon.
Hoffs and Hanson walked over to the red '87 Mustang, Tom tensing as Matt and Jake's eyes cast appreciative looks over Judy. He let go of her hand and slung his arm over her shoulder in a possessive gesture, drawing her up against his side.
"Who's this?" Jake asked, his eyes still lingering on Judy.
"Judy." Tom couldn't resist sharpening his canine teeth a little, curling his lip in a warning. "She's mine."
The two eighteen-year-olds must have seen the silent warning, because they backed off. After a few heartbeats of awkward silence, Judy piped up, "So, what are we doing here?"
"We'll wait until the others get here," said Jake. "It shouldn't be too long."
Tom glanced up at the full moon shining bright light down on him. Again, he felt edgy, restless, wanting to give in to the 'wolf inside and shift. Uneasy, he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Look, can we go into the trees or something? I don't like being out in the open like this."
Matt eyed him, then the full moon high above. When his gaze turned back on Hanson, there was suspicion in his hazel eyes. "Scared of the full moon, Tommy? What, you believe in werewolves or something?"
Considering I am a werewolf, what do you think? Tom didn't say that out loud, though. He just walked past, Judy close behind. Some nearby trees provided welcome relief from the moon's glare, and Tom sat down, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. He asked, "Where's everyone else?"
"Bathroom break." There was a sneer embedded in Jake's reply. "They're probably done right about now."
Sure enough, three other punk-rock teenage boys melted out of the shadows. Tom recognized them instantly and pointed them out to Judy, saying who was who and who did what and when and why. She just nodded, and the werewolf could see she was wondering why they were all here. Occasionally her hand would brush his, and that point of contact would burn up. Sneaking a glance at his partner, the memory of the kiss he'd given her flashed in his mind, causing blood to rush to his cheeks. What had possessed him to do that? Yes, he loved her, but . . .
"Yo, Tom!" Matt's voice broke into his thoughts. "Come over here. Bring your girl, too."
Warily, Hanson got to his feet and walked over. "Now are you going to tell me what we're doing here?"
Four of the boys looked at Matt, who smiled in a way Tom didn't like. Nervously, he lengthened the tips of his nails, turning them into claws. (It was actually kind of cool, the way he could pull on certain components of his werewolf form while he was human. It certainly helped in situations like this.) "Simple," Matt replied. "It's just a little initiation."
Crap, Hanson thought. I don't like where this is going already.
"Like what?" Hoffs asked, suspicion heavy in her voice.
"You two run. We try to catch you." Matt pulled a black handle out of pocket and flicked a switch, sliding out the blade. He jabbed at Hanson's abdomen, and without thinking, the 'wolf lashed out, his claws leaving deep scratches on the teen's arm. Matt and the gang stared in disbelief at the wound, giving Tom and Judy plenty of time to flee into the patch of woods not far from the lot. Then, as the gang recovered, Tom could hear pounding footsteps as they followed.
The chase was on and again Hanson could feel the animal inside him rising, desperate for control. After all, the hunt was now his nature—but this time, he was the prey.
"I hope you have a plan," Judy gasped as they sprinted over a tiny bridge and along a path, ducking branches in their way.
"Split up," Tom said. "I'm going to shift, draw them out."
"Got it." Judy kept going, while Tom reversed directions and took a path that led up the hill, shrugging out of his clothes with each stride. He formed an image of a dark brown 'wolf in his mind, felt energy ripple through him, burning hot . . . and just like that he was on all fours, effortlessly racing up the slope. Abruptly doing an about-face, he crouched low and crawled on his belly to where he could see the gang, thankful for his thick pelt. His clothes would leave a trail, but he couldn't worry about that now. Especially since the gang was coming.
Huh! Oh, cry wolf baby, cry tough
Gonna hunt you like an, uh, uh, animalGonna take your love 'n' run
From his vantage point, the werewolf could see the five boys skid to a halt, looking around in confusion. Finally Matt ordered, "Spread out! They must have split up."
The gang did as their leader ordered, with Jake adding, "They can't have gone far."
At that, Hanson grinned a wolf grin. If only they knew just how close he was . . .
Three of the boys started on the path he'd taken, while Matt and Jake took Judy's trail. Tom tensed, a low growl rising in his throat. If either of you hurt Judy, you're going to wish you'd never been born.
One of the teens suddenly caught sight of Hanson's jacket and picked it up, motioning for the others to follow. Tom could easily hear them puzzling over why he'd ditched his clothes and decided it was time to make his exit. Quietly he bounded down the wooded hill, sending dirt and pieces of shale falling down ahead of him. Let's just see how tough you think you are . . . His tongue swept around his muzzle in anticipation.
A startled cry cut through his werewolf instincts. Judy! Tom's ears swiveled back, locating Judy, and he scrabbled back up the hill, bounding along the rocky ground. The three boys pursuing him would probably never guess that he was now in werewolf form, and it didn't matter anyway. Even in human form, he retained the speed, senses, and skills of a 'wolf. It definitely came in handy right now, and before long he could see the two creeps, walking steadily toward Hoffs. Tom bared his teeth, snarling low. This was gonna be fun.
"Tom!" Judy tried to scream, but the word came out in a hoarse whisper. "Where are you?" She'd tripped and fallen, her ankle caught in a bush on the lower path.
Jake sneered, "Looks like you're ours now."
At that, Tom leaped and landed in front of Judy, blocking her from the two seniors. Stiff-legged, he faced them, hackles raised, and growled, showing off sharp fangs that gleamed in the moonlight. The message was clear: Touch her and you're dead.
"What the—?" Jake's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his skull. Both him and Matt took a couple paces back.
Hanson's instincts were screaming at him to attack, but if he bit anyone—assuming they survived the pain—they would become a werewolf. That was the last thing he wanted, but some lupines he knew wouldn't be as less willing to take risks. After all, he himself had been turned by accident while working a case back in October.
As luck would have it, the other three gang members came jogging up, one of them holding Tom's clothes. A dark-haired boy—Tom thought his name was Scott—reported, "We lost him, but we found his clothes all over the place . . ." His voice trailed away as he saw the menacing werewolf, and the blood drained out of his face.
"Ohmigod," Matt breathed, eyes flickering from Hanson's clothes to the full moon to the dark-brown werewolf snarling defiance at his gang. "Tom's a werewolf."
You got that right, bub, Hanson thought, slinking forward, tail brushing the ground, his growling intensifying. Now let's see how you like being prey.
Faces pale, all five punk-rocking drug dealers turned tail and booked it, screaming bloody murder. Thankfully, Scott had dropped Tom's clothes, so when the teens were long gone, he shifted back with a shimmering blink and dressed, keeping his back to Judy. When he was done, he turned back. "Man, that was fun. You all right, Jude?"
She tried to move her leg and winced. "My foot's stuck."
"Here, let me." Tom crouched down instantly and started working at the gnarled branches of the bush. As he worked, he asked, "Do you think we have enough to bust them? I mean, they didn't hurt you, did they?"
"They would have if you hadn't shown up when you did. Thanks for saving my butt."
"You're welcome, and I had fun. I think the fact it's the full moon actually helped. They'll think my transformations are lunar-controlled." He gave one more tug on the branches. "There, that should do it. Try pulling your foot out now."
Judy did and stood up gingerly, testing her weight. She said, "I'll be okay, Hanson. Too bad we can't bust them tonight."
"Jude, they were going to rape you." Tom's voice was a low growl. "We can bring them in on that and my drug case is pretty solid."
"We don't know for sure what they were going to do to me," Judy argued. "Wait a few more days to bust them—you'll have plenty of chances. Besides, tomorrow they're just going to think they imagined it or something."
Tom hesitated, since she had a very good point. "Okay. Let's just go home for tonight—and don't mention any of this to Jenko. He'd have my tail if he found out."
Judy glanced at him, startled, and he added, "It's a figure of speech. I didn't mean it literally."
"Oh."
In any case, Tom was glad when he pulled up to Judy's apartment twenty minutes later. She shut the passenger door, then leaned in through the open window and teased, "You gonna walk me in, Hanson?"
He shrugged, thinking, Why not? The werewolf opened his car door, shut it, joined Hoffs, and let her lead the way inside, all the way to her apartment.
I gotta feel it in my blood, whoa oh
I need your touch, don't need your love, whoa ohAnd I want, and I need, and I lust, animalAnd I want, and I need, and I lust, animal
Hoffs opened her door, slipped inside, then paused and looked back at Hanson, who fidgeted and said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." He turned to leave, but Judy's hand shot out and gripped his wrist. Puzzled, he looked at her, only to see . . . what was that in her eyes and on her face? She smiled and suggested, "Or you could stay in tonight."
The memory of that morning flashed in his mind again, and, ignoring the angel on his right shoulder that was warning him against giving into temptation, he stepped inside, hearing the faint click of the lock as Hoffs shut and locked the door behind them. Right then, he didn't care about the consequences; he needed her kiss, her touch. Come to think of it, so did his 'wolf. They both wanted her. And on nights when the moon was full, it was so much easier for his lupine to take control of him—not that it mattered in this case.
Each touch sent his blood stirring, their kisses stolen like fire. Dimly Hanson was aware she was leading him to her room, but he was too far gone in want, need, and lust to think much of it.
And I want
(And I want)And I need(And I need)And I lust(And I lust)Animal(Animal)
And I want
(Take me)And I need(Tame me)And I lust(Make me)Animal(Your animal)
They left their clothes where they'd fallen on the floor and tumbled onto the bed. A spark of gold spun in Tom's dark eyes, his lupine rising inside, wanting to finish what the human side of him had started.
No! Sickened with himself, he abruptly drew back, breathing hard.
"Hanson? What's wrong?" Hoffs reached up with one hand, brushed aside the bangs that had fallen into his eyes. As always, her touch soothed the beast, relaxed him. He muttered, "Nothing," and again bent his head to hers, his claws lightly tracing random patterns along her body.
They were gentle with each other's various wounds obtained over previous cases but weren't deterred by them and made love for what remained of the night until morning.
And I want
(Show me)And I need(Stroke me)And I lust(Let me be your)Animal(Animal)And I want(And I want)And I need(Oooh-ooh-ooh)And I lust(Animal)Animal