Forsaken of Federal Hill

Helen and Luke set out to find a sample of the drug that seemingly every ridden the pack has encountered has been on.

Luke was excited to get out of the community center for two very distinct reasons. One, he hadn’t been going out much lately and felt he could use some time to focus on more werewolf things rather than the depressing news about his career, and second it meant he got to spend some alone time with Helen. She was cute, fun to be around and a werewolf like himself so it was someone to relate to other than Rashid. The others were great and all but Rose was always busy with her work and Rory, well half the time Luke had a hard time following what he was talking about.

He felt like a teenage girl getting ready and couldn’t decide on what to wear which was very uncharacteristic of himself. In the end he wore his designer clothes that he’d gotten through promotions and an image consultant since she seemed to have been a fan of him as a movie star and he also didn’t think she’d want to be seen walking around with some country boy so he sadly tucked his boots back into his closet.

Luke snickered as he snagged Rashid’s keys, he’d left without them which meant that he had gotten a ride from Riley or taken one of the other vehicles May had tinkered with. Taking the stairs two at a time he went to the empty lobby to wait for Helen’s arrival.

Helen really missed Paper Howls right about now. Most people wouldn't expect it from the girl, who seemed like a bookworm who'd never be caught dead in a club, but the girl knew how to dress perfectly for any occasion. Better still she knew how to look good and still be practical in case trouble came up.
She decided on a skirt Ryan had bought her last summer that she knew she could run in if need be. She knew she could be a little more girlie with the top and picked a nice lacy one and some comfortable shes. She wasn't going to be running in them, but she could dance most of the night.
She checked herself over in the mirror again and fussed with her hair one last time. Of course Luke had made the suggestion as part of the hunt, he wouldn't care how she dressed, but she just couldn't let him get caught by paparazzi with her dressed in her normal hunting clothes. That'd be a scandal.
She made her way down the lobby and saw Luke checking his phone. He looked antsy, ready to hunt no doubt. And here she was fixing her hair! So stupid Helen.
"Sorry, not all my stuff is unpacked just yet, took me forever to find something appropriate." she lied. "Ready?" she made her way down the stairs to where he was standing.

As she came downstairs, Luke looked up and grinned broadly. ”You look great, and you always look appropriate. I mean, you look better now but.. .” Once again he was stumbling over himself around her and looking like a damned fool. Luke sighed and reached for his cowboy hat that wasn’t there, so much for that nervous habit. ”I’m ready if you are. I tried to steal Rashid’s car but apparently May has it in the shop so I hope you don’t mind a taxi. I’m sure you’d rather ride in a limo but I thought that might be too fancy.”

Luke escorted her out the door and opened the door to the cab for her before going around to hop in himself. ”I’m hungry, are you? There’s a few nice upscale joints in our territory if you’d like to check them out.”

Helen was thankful for just a taxi ride. Since she'd changed all she ever got to ride in were sports cars and limos. It was weird, but after the first couple times the Disney Princess feeling went away and she just felt ridiculous in them. She wasn't rich, her career path was at best going to be comfortable before she had to abandon it for Father Wolf's duties.
"Haha, must be tough for you, coming from L.A., but nope I'd prefer a cab. Cabbies can be pretty neat and I love to ask them about all the stuff on their dash." that was something her and Ryan loved to do, and for a moment she let the pain of those memories slip from the tight cage she kept them in. Hopefully he didn't notice that, didn't need Luke thinking she wasn't up for the hunt.
"Oh, honey if you're hungry I don't think a fancy restaurant is where you should go. The food should cover the plate for those prices!" she said with a laugh. That reminded her of the place Alicia and Randy had told her about.
"Randy and another friend of mine both recommended some place called the uhm... Stumbleduck Bar and Grill. Randy said they had a rack of ribs there as big as his mouth!" she hoped he got the joke, cuz it had tickled her when the big man described it.

Luke was relieved that she said she preferred a cab but didn't entirely believe her. She'd been riding around in a limo most of the times he had seen her so he could only assume was was used to and like that kind of treatment. ”Okay, that's good but I am going to guess that this one will have something with a Ravens logo on it, like every other taxi in town.” He grinned at her.

Inside the cab it turned out that he was right and he nudged her to point at the Ravens bobblehead that was nodding at them as the cab pulled away from the curb. ”We should get one of those for Nevermore, I think he'd find it pretty funny.”

”Really? Are you sure you wouldn't rather eat something more upscale? I'm more of a bar and grill kind if guy so it's great if you want to go there but don't think we have to on my account,” he said actually hoping that she would really rather go to a more comfortable spot because he’d really rather have a hamburger or a steak that was bigger than two bites.

Helen nodded in agreement about the bobble-head, and asked the cabby about a few of the other items. His name was Ranjit and he had a very pretty wife.
Then Luke's concerns about eating began to confuse her. What did it really matter where they ate?
"You're the one who's hungry Luke, I'll go where ever you like. I was just saying what I'd heard from Randy. But I can eat somewhere fancy if that's what you'd like. I've got money." well, a credit card she didn't pay for, but still. "Oh except there's gotta be meat. I can't do vegetarian. I mean, I was before but now..." now the bloodier the meat the better as far as she was concerned.

”Oh, no I’d much rather eat a nice rack of ribs at a grill than try and cut a tiny piece of veal into even smaller bites at a five star joint. Really, all those agents that used to try and impress me always would take me to these crazy joints, trust me I’m tired of eating fish eggs.” Luke was struggling to keep up his normal confidence and this was not going nearly as well as he hoped it would. “The Stumbleduck, please Ranjit,” he told the driver and off they went.

The restaurant had a real homey feel that Luke immediately liked and it apparently turned into a full fledged bar at night. He wished he’d discovered this place sooner, because it seemed more his taste than the big city clubs that he’d been hitting since he came to Baltimore and there was no one here to tell him that showing up there wasn’t cohesive to his “style”.

Luke jumped out of the car and opened the door for her, all the polite things that his ma had hammered into his head and they headed to the bar area where they could seat themselves. He ordered himself a domestic beer and tried to start a decent conversation while they waited. ”So, what did you do before you started this ‘lifestyle’?” he asked, since it was pretty obvious what he did before but she was still kind of a mystery to him.

The place had a really fun atmosphere. The decorations were fun, signed pictures of the occasional Baltimore athlete. Randy and Alicia had been right. Luke ordered himself a beer and she debated on if she should have a drink. Just one would be out of her system long before the clubs. She decided on a margarita for now. Just one drink.
Then Luke asked her about her old life and she felt uncomfortable. She didn't like digging up old wounds, but he deserved to know a little bit.
"Well I was working on a degree in early childhood education. I wanted to teach Kindergarten sooo bad. I was way into health foods, drove my boyfriend crazy. Chili fries were always my weakness though, I'm totally ordering some." she thought about Ryan again. How would he feel about her sharing chili fries with Luke? Not that it mattered anymore.
"I did charity work when I could. Really, I wasn't all that exciting before the moon came calling. Not that I am now either, but I guess some people would be jealous of my life now. Like I'm some paranormal romance novel character. Except getting shot really hurts, and sometimes you kill people you don't mean to." she shrugged. Their drinks came and she took a sip.
"What about you? Were the tabloids right? Or is there more to Luke Mason than work and the high-life?" she assumed there had to be. No way all he did was work and go party. He was a person before Hollywood.

”Oh, you have a boyfriend?” Luke couldn't help feeling more than a little disappointed, but it made sense that a cute girl like her wasn't single. ”I think teaching kindergarten would be easier than getting this p-- group all on the same page. Plus, who doesn't love kids? I always thought I'd inherit my mom's ranch and raise a family there. Now, I'm not sure I can go back to that quiet life.” Luke didn't realize that it could have easily sounded like he couldn't go back to the country after Hollywood, but his mind had been on the hunt and the life as a werewolf. Herding cattle and raising sheep just didn't seem the same to him anymore.

He laughed when she mentioned the tabloids. ”Hey, you're the one on my fan site, you tell me what my life is like. Sometimes I read about parties I can't even remember going to, not saying that I didn't go and just get so messed up I couldn't remember but sometimes not,” he shrugged, he didn't think she'd be impressed by anything else he had to say. Was writting hunting songs impressice? He didn't think so. Or how he thought his guitar lessons helped kids learn new passions besides drugs, not really swoon worthy.

"No... I guess I don't. I forget sometimes. He uh... after I changed I couldn't.... It helps me sleep knowing he's safe." she said soberly.
She was glad for the subject change.
"I've never been on a ranch, that sounds like soo much fun. I love horses! Well.... the idea of horses. Not a lot of those in Miami." she realized how dopey she sounded and took a long sip of her drink.
She felt really bad for him as he explained his drinking problem. She couldn't imagine the pressures that would make someone drink so hard.
"Well, I never liked to read those stories. What good is tearing a guy down besides a few dollars? Doesn't help his fans any. I wish people wouldn't do that. That's why I love being what we are, to me it says right on your soul who you are, at least in the shadow it does." she said, trying to lighten the mood.
That was when her chili-fries came and a huge grin crept onto her face when she saw the mountain of food.
"Oh I'm going to need help with these." she giggled adjusting her napkin.

Rashid swatted his head after his jog, he completely forgot to send the info forward. He pulled out his phone and sent a text Luke's way.

"Toxic. Red Scorpions are pushing the stuff local. Tread carefully.
P.S. come home late fucker."

He felt a selfish bit of relief when she said that she no longer had a boyfriend, but if the change was the only reason she’d left that meant she probably held the guy in high regards still. Rashid would likely laugh at him if he knew how their pseudo date was going right now and he’d probably have every right to. He didn’t know about loving what they were, his change had pulled him away from the future the thought he had and landed him where he was. Luke guessed it wasn’t so bad, and sometimes getting away from the pressures of hollywood was a relief but it wasn’t something he liked to talk about.

The chili-fries came just in time and he was more than happy to help her eat them. ”I don’t think I could ever tire of chili, they do cook offs back at home but I bet Rashid could set one up as a fundraiser for the center.”

About halfway through the fries and his second beer Luke felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. ”Huh, it seems the strip club panned out for those guys. I almost wish I’d have gone just to see the look on his face when those women crawled all over him.” He showed her the messages with the information on it. Despite his enjoyment of her company, his instincts immediately kicked in again to follow the hunt. ”Looks like we have a name, so let's get done here and put our noses to the ground to see just how far out this Toxic has spread.”

They finished eating quickly and set off to the nearest club. Luke was right, Roland would not have fit in here at all. But the music was good and they made their way onto the dance floor.
Helen started dancing to the beat and then turned to Luke. She knew his ears would pick up her words despite the sound but she still leaned in a bit.
"So, did Hollywood teach you how to do this or do I have to?" she teased.

Luke winked at Helen and placed another margarita in her hand, the first of many. “Let me show you how a real Hollywood Playboy does this.” He slipped an arm around her waist and suddenly he was that well-known party boy going from crowd to crowd making friends and having a good time. Of course he made sure to pull Helen along with him and make it clear that he wasn't interested in any of the women but he did let a few girls con him into a selfie or two for appearances sake.

“This is going to be in the tabloids tomorrow,” he grinned at her as he pulled her onto the dance floor again, waving at a kid who was sneaking a photo of them.

By the end of the night, too many beers and many clubs he'd managed to get three samples of the drugs and the name of one of the party goers dealers. It was clear the stuff was beginning to circulate into more crowds than the regular drug addicts.

Stumbling out of the last club he grinned a sloppy grin at her while their cab pulled up. Luke was pleased at how well their first hunt together went and he was forgetting his earlier misery about his failure to get his foot back into Hollywood. ”I would call that a victorious hunt,” he boasted, wrapping his arms around her and planting a big kiss on her lips in his drunken exuberance.

This really was Luke's element and he was impressive at it. He moved around from person to person, having conversations about absolutely nothing and drinking like a fish. He seemed sniff out the right crowd at every single club and they all wanted to hook him up with free drugs.
She quickly realized her role was to keep squealing fan-girls away while he worked and fell into the role of his "girlfriend" or what ever the tabloids were going to call her, because he was right, she was going to be in them. And gosh but she wished she'd dressed nicer and hadn't eaten a whole plate of chili fries beforehand.
The alcohol helped her care less about that, silencing her worries and helping her play her part in her packmate's hunt.
She had to help him stumble out of the last club and the thrill of their success made her want to shout! She wanted to howl her triumph to their Mother above. They had the drugs, and a dealer's name! And they had a pretty good time doing it she thought.
As she waved down a taxi, look was beaming at her.
"I'd say was too--mmm" and suddenly he was kissing her. For a moment she was stunned, a swirl of emotions tore through her and she let him do it. Then, she sobered up and pushed him back, gently but with finality.
She didn't let there be time for any awkward silence. She knew he was drunk and excited, he slipped up and forgot what was going on. Who she was and why they were out, she wasn't going to make a big deal out of it and neither should he.
"Come on, Rashid's probably still up waiting for us." she said, grabbing the door of the cab for him.

Okay, so maybe he was a little drunk and not thinking straight but for a second he swore she kissed him back. Then it was all business again and he was staring after her as she got in the cab. Luke silently kicked himself as he followed her, of course that was the wrong thing to do and she'd never shown any interest in him besides pack dealings. Groaning, he followed her to the car, trying not to hang his head in shame.

a familiar voice asking where to put a smile on her face.
"Ranjeet! Back to the Outreach please." she tries to ignore Luke's bad mood and keep the atmosphere light, but he seemed intent on making it awkward. It wasn't fair, she wasn't going to let a wonderful night end on a sour note no matter how embarrassed Luke felt. That's when the idea hit her; brownies.
"Hey, drop me off here Ranjeet." she said, reaching into her purse for some money. She turned to Luke.
"I'm gunna pick up a few things, why don't you tell Rashid the good news and I'll catch up with you boys soon." she smiled warmly at him, trying to say it was okay as she stepped out already building a shopping list.