A Brand New Day

[Grimm]

[glow=white,2,300]Katie Holmes

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A lamb among wolves

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Standing in the center of Tooley's bar, wearing a pair of w wholly blue jeans, a black tank top, and a simple pair of tennis shoes, Katie Holmes was getting ready for the night shift. The bar was technically open, but very few people came into the bar this early in the day. No, she was there, cleaning up. Eric had gotten into some trouble the night before and she had had to leave the bar early, causing several very unhappy people because she had had to close up the bar to go get her son.

"You know the guys were pissed when I left last night," she called over her shoulder, before glancing up to find her five year old son sitting on the bar top, dish rag in one hand and a beer mug in the other. As punishment for making her leave work early, Eric Holmes was having to clean up beer mugs, which seemed to bother him more than getting a spanking. Seemed the strong smell of alcohol bothered his wolf nose even after they had been run through the dishwasher twice.

Shaking her head at her son, she walked over to the little boy and ruffled his hair. Leaning against the bar next to Eric was a mop that she intended to use against the floors, but at the moment, her goal was a portable radio that was behind the bar but it seemed that it was missing. "Guess Tooley took it home," she stated, looking at her son. She noticed that he was backed away from her a little and instantly reached up behind her neck. The normally long, cascading flow of brown and red tipped hair was pulled up, the red tips now dangling at her ears. "Sorry,"

[/color] she stated, unclasping the silver chain and slipped her wedding ring off of it.

Rolling the simple black band around in her hand, she looked at ring longingly. Oh how she missed her husband but before she got to deep into her depression, she felt Eric touching her hand. Sighing, she slipped the ring on her ring finger and the silver chain into her pocket. "Finish cleaning those mugs an you can go,"[/color] she stated, grabbing the mop and starting at the back of the main floor, with her back to the door.[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[glow=white,2,300]Eric Holmes

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A wolf in human's clothes

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[Âłíșōñ]

Damian had heard through the grape vine that his wife now worked at a local bar named 'Tooley's'. What a strange name. He shrugged to himself and stood outside the front door. It was pretty early for people to be getting drunk off their asses so he didn't think anybody would be here really. Just his wife. But then another scent drifted into his nose. A little boy? Yes. But was it Eric? He would be five now. It had been so long since Damian had seen anyone he knew. He wanted the first two familiar faces he would see to be his wife and his son. Would he be able to do this though?

He had to do this. He had to see them. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door with all the courage he had. He looked up and there she was. Katie. His wife. His mate. His true love. And sitting right next to her on the counter was Eric. His son. Damian stood in the door way overwhelmed. Katie? Eric? He could barely speak so it came out in a hoarse whisper. Tears whelled in his eyes from all the joy. He had known there was a possibility that he would never see them again. And now he was.

[Grimm]

The scent of an unknown werewolf flooded the bar and with his entrance, Eric jumped off the counter and moved toward his mother. When he bumped into her, he stopped, lip lifted in a growl eyes flashing in uncertainty. The scent that was pouring off the man caused memories flooding his mind but he wasn't sure what was going on. "Mama?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the male, allowing his mother to do what she needed to do.

Feeling Eric bump into her legs, Katie looked down at him, not really sure what was going on. He was getting faster because she hadn't even heard him get off the counter, but then a new voice caused her to look up. There, standing just inside to closed bar doors was the one person she never thought she would see again.

The mop feel to the floor and her hands went to her mouth. "Damian?"

[/color] she whispered, hands lowering to grab onto the bar top as her knees gave out. Just as the tears welled up in his eyes, they welled up in hers and she stepped around her son and ran to her husband. Five freakin years!! She hadn't seen her husband for five years!!

Everything seemed to slow in her mind as she ran to Damian. Behind her, Eric watched the whole scene, not really sure what he should do. If his mother was this happy and she was about to cry in public, this man had to be her husband, his father, but he had only been two months old when he had disappeared. What was he suppose to do?[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Âłíșōñ]

Damian wrapped Katie in his arms, letting the tears flow. As he cried he stroked her hair, holding her close to his chest. This was happening. This was really happening. He kissed the top of her head still crying. He had never been this happy in his life. He was finally seeing his wife and son after five years. Five years. He was shaking from the sudden shock. This was unbelievable. He was holding his wife again. He was holding Katie again. Damian rested his cheek on the top of her head, rejoicing in the feeling of her warm body in his arms again.

Then he remembered the little boy. Eric. He opened his eyes and looked at him. He opened one arm in welcoming for the little boy. His son. Damian had barely ever held him. Had barely even seen him. And now he was so close. He wanted to hug his little boy. Eric. He spoke softly and lovingly. There was no mistaking the love in his voice. This was his son. The little boy his wife and him had had together. Eric looked so much like him, but so much like his mother. He awaited the little boy's action. Would he come to this stranger who was his father? Or would he remain watching his parents embrace from afar?

[Grimm]

Oh it was so good to be back in his arms once more. Of course, she felt his tears dampening her hair and she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. Her hands grasped his shirt, refusing to let go though it seemed he was interested in letting her go either. Like him, she was shaking, from the shock of seeing him again and the happiness at having him back. When she felt his cheek on top of her head, she did her best to press even closer to him.

From his position close to the bar top, Eric watch as his mother and father were reunited. It was a little strange and any normal five year old probably would have been bawling their eyes out but Eric had always been a little tougher. Yet, when his father spoke his name, even he broke a little and there was a slight tremble to his lip. With one large arm open to him, Eric ran up and jumped, grabbing onto his father and followed his mother's example and held on, refusing to let go.

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[Âłíșōñ]

Damian smiled and held them both close. The feeling was uncomparable. Nothing was like it. He squeezed them tightly before letting them go all to soon, but just to hold them at an arm's length. He looked them both over, and saw that they were both so different. Especially Eric. He had grown so much and he looked so mature. So much older than five. He smiled so wide again and sniffled. Wiping his eyes, he shook his head.

He licked his lips and then smiled again. How have you been? How are things with everyone? How much has changed since I left? Am I still Beta Male? Did someone take over? He had so many questions and so little of the answers. He needed to know everything he had missed. He needed to know everyone he never met. He looked at both of them and brought them in for another long hug.

[Grimm]

When Damian started to pull away from her, her fingers tightened but she ended up letting him go. She knew questions needed to be answered and she had quiet a few questions. Before he started asking anything, she was able to get a good look at him. He still had his beautiful black hair and his skin was just as alabaster has it had always been, but there were a scars that weren't there before he disappeared. They bothered her, but she understood it came with the territory of being a werewolf.

And the questions just came one after the other. Shaking her head, she smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. Looking down, she patted Eric's head "Eric, why don't you take your father over to the bar top and I'll get some food started," she stated, already refixing her hair and moving behind the bar top.

Reaching up, Eric grabbed his father's hand and tugged him toward the bar top. Grabbing onto the cushion of the seat, the young boy pulled himself up and positioned himself on the bar stool and waited for his father to sit next to him. With his mother in the back kitchen, she wasn't answering Damian's questions so Eric took it upon himself to answer them for him. "Mama's missed you, she cries herself to sleep some nights," he stated, hearing his mother gasp in the kitchen and then her head appeared around the corner. "ERIC! He didn't mean that," she stated.

"We've been fine, Damian," she stated, placing pancakes and bacon before the two boys. It was good that she had already had these things started before Damian had come in. If not, she probably wouldn't have had anything feed her husband and son. "The pack is growing. Eclipse is still the Alpha Male but a lot has changed. The Hunters have slowed down but there still are wolves being killed," she stated, head snapping up when he asked about his old Beta Male position.

"Eclipse had a female step forward and showed signs of a good Beta Female. Luschka now holds the Beta Female position and she's really good at it," Eric stated, already chewing on the bacon that had been placed before him. A pancake quickly followed the piece of bacon. Katie nodded from her position behind the bar top. "She's really sweet and Eclipse chose well. He needed help when . . . you disappeared . . . The Hunters started pushing really hard but now the humans are starting to lose interest in hunting what is being produced. More and more wild wolves are being killed," she stated.

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[Âłíșōñ]

Damian sat next to Eric at the bar top. His son was so much like him when he was younger. He smiled and as he took off his trenchcoat Eric told him something that really disturbed him. Katie had been crying herself to sleep some nights? He frowned and looked at Katie when her head popped around the corner. He looked at Eric and tried to smile. I did too at times. But I was determined to come back. I was determined to see you both. He ruffled Eric's hair a little and chuckled. Listening to Katie speak, he nodded thoughtfully. It was good that Eclipse was still Alpha Male. That meant he would still be welcome. Hunter activity had slowed down which was also a good sign. The occasional wolf being killed was inevitable though.

When Eric told him that a fae had become Beta Female he nodded. It was only fair. He had been gone for many years and he defenitally didn't expect Eclipse to wait forever for his return. Who had known if he even was going to return? He smiled in despite of this information. His son spoke so well. He was so intelligent. Defenitally like Damian and Katie. He shrugged then and spoke resigned. I guess it's only fair for me to step down officially and take on another role in the pack. I'm not going to remain Beta when a fae is already Beta Female. It would just be strange. It is rightfully her poition now and of course she would want her mate to be Beta Male.

He looked at his food and smiled up at Katie. She had always made the best food. Digging into the pancakes he ate quickly yet he savored every bite. It had been so long since he had eaten her cooking. It was still as amazing as it had been five years ago. If not, better. Thank you honey. It's delicious. Just like I remember. He smiled at her lovingly. He watched her for a few seconds, smiling, before he turned his attenion to Eric. How about you, my boy? On a scale from one to ten, how much do you like your mother's cooking?

[Grimm]

Katie was relived to hear that Damian would step down as Beta Male. Not only did it mean that she wouldn't have to constantly worry about him being around female werewolves, it also meant that he could be home more. "I'm sure Eclipse still has your old room at the big house, if you wanted to move back in. He's pretty much been begging Eric and I to move out there so he could keep an eye on us," she stayed, watching her son chow down on his food.

When Damian spoke again, her head turned to him and she smiled. It was good to have him back. "I'm glad you enjoy it . . . Eric normally just eats and eats and eats. Eclipse says its normal for a werewolf pup to eat so much . . . "

[/color] Her sentence kind of tapered off as she realized how often she was using Eclipse's name. Yet, there really wasn't a way around it. Damian had disappeared and she had had no way to provide for her two month old son and work at the same time. Eclipse had stepped in. It had been odd at first, she would often run from him crying having thought Damian had come home, but after the first year, it was normal to see the Alpha Male in her home. He had even started crashing on the couch when the steel mill had had him pull a double or more and he couldn't make it back to the den.

When his father started asking him questions, Eric looked up at him, piece of bacon hanging out of his mouth and then looked away, basically sucking the piece of meat down and looked up to find a strange look on his mother's face. Yeah, she didn't normally watch him eat, and he knew why. "I like it, but Mama says I eat like a wolf,"[/color] he stated, ice blue orbs focusing on his father. Before his mother could stop him, Eric asked the two questions that had bothered him for years. "Where have you been? Why didn't you come back home to me and Mama?"[/color] he asked, hearing his mother suck in a breath, making a hissing noise. He didn't look at her cause he knew the questions would bring tears to her eyes. Instead, he sat, waiting for the answers.[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Âłíșōñ]

Damian smiled half heartedly. They wanted answers too. He was okay with that as it was bound to happen. He nodded and took a deep breath. I've been as far away as I could lead them. And that was pretty far. It was Russia actually. There were twenty hunters and I knew that if I came back before they were all dead, you wouldn't be safe. I needed to make sure that I wouldn't be bringing anything bad back with me. I need you two safe. And, back then, the safe place was not with me. I killed them all. We're safe for now. But next time, I won't be leaving. I'm not Beta Male anymore.

He looked at the two of them and smiled, wiping away another tear. But I'm here now. And we're together. That's all that matters. He picked up his son putting him on his hip, and walked around the bar to Katie, holding them both in his warm embrace. There are no words to describe how much I've missed you. How I felt each day I was away. Each moment. It was agonizing. He held them both close, loving the feeling of their warm bodies, small compared to his, against his large one.

[Grimm]

Words couldn't express how happy Katie was when she heard Damian explained himself to their son. Even though she had always thought that he had been off protecting the pack, there had been a few of the bar drunkies that had been against her in thinking her husband would return. Things were looking up!!

As he walked around the bar with their son on his hip, she felt a shiver run up her spine. Even as a young girl, she had known something was up with Damian, but like most of the humans in Eden Town did their best to ignore the werewolves that walked among them, if they even knew about them. The predator that lurked behind her husband's eyes caused her to grin and shake her head before folding into his embrace. It was good to be back in his arms.

Before long, Eric began to kind of wiggle. She may be willing to stay in Damian's embrace all day, but the boy had the energy of all young pups and would want to run. As if speaking about the wolf brought him on, Katie watched as Eric shifted forms, clothes ripping and his shoes hitting the floor. He wiggled in his father's grasp while Katie stepped out of the way of flying paws. "Eric Holmes! You could have just asked your father to put your down," she stated, shaking her head as she moved away from the two males and went to pick up the dishes. Eric's energy reminded her that she needed to get back to cleaning.

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[Âłíșōñ]

Damian laughed as Eric transformed into a wolf pup right in his arms. Still laughing, he placed his son on the floor and watched him for two seconds. Then he turned to Katie. Walking over he wrapped his arms around her from behind and slowly trailed soft kisses up her neck. He yearned to kiss her, to love her right now, but they weren't alone. He chuckled softly to himself and leaned against the counter. Need help?

[Grimm]

Once free of his father's arms, Eric tore through the bar, looking for an escape to burn off all the energy, but Damian had closed the door when he came in and it seemed that being in wolf form didn't allow him to escape. Instead, he ended up playing with dust bunnies that his mother had swept into the middle of the room and left behind. He twisted and turned, throwing the little clouds of dust with his paws and snapping at them with puppy jaws. Growling and snarling, he looked like any other puppy, just in case someone walked in and spotted the wolf pup.

Shaking her head as she stood behind the bar, Katie watched her son. She jumped a little, not use to having someone that close to her, but she instantly leaned into her husband's embrace and kisses. She shivered a little, feeling his kisses at her neck, his arms around her. "You just being here has helped a lot, Damian," she whispered, knowing her son would have heard her, but that wasn't really the reason she whispered. She truly missed her husband, like any married woman would.

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[Âłíșōñ]

Damian smiled and gently stroked Katie's cheek with his thumb. He had imagined their reunion a million different times in a million different ways--but he hadn't know it would have felt like this. He was too happy for words. Words could not describe how he felt. Nothing could compare to the feeling of being with his family. Katie's cheek was still as baby-soft as he had remembered and it still felt just as warm as it had five years ago. I'm glad... He trailed off with another crooked, perfect, and blindingly white smile.

[Grimm]

She couldn't help but lean into his touch. If she had been anything other than a human, she would have been purring or rumbling her affection. Instead, there was hardly any other noise except for Eric's claws clipping on the hard wood floor. A deep sigh escaped her as she looked up at the big, werewolf softy that was her's. "You've been gone a long time, sweetheart . . . It's just good to have you back," she stated, reaching up and placing her hand on his.

"Taică?"

[/color] she heard, turning her face to see their son standing in the middle of the bar, face a little dirty from playing. "Can we go running?"[/color] Eric asked, eyes slightly softer than normal.

Taking in a deep breath, Katie knew this was coming. Eric had wanted to run as a wolf more often now-a-days and with Eclipse having to deal with leading the pack alone, the Alpha Male didn't always have time to play with the little pup and with her not being a werewolf, she wasn't much help to him in that sense. Looking to Damian, she smiled at the big man and patted his hand before waving him off. "Go on you two. I have to clean the bar and Eric isn't going to be much help if he's wanting to run through the forest,"[/color] she stated.[/size][/blockquote][/color]