Rome scratched at the front door whimpering, hoping someone would open. She had been stuck in her leopard form for 2 days now. it had taken her that long to get to the house without being caught by the vermin hunters in the area. Rome was becoming scared that they might not recognize her in her form but hoped that they opened up soon or she was going to get caught. scratching at the door louder rome prayed that someone heard her. car lights hit the front door and rome dashed into the bushes accidentally hitting the doorbell in the process.

The day had been a slow one. Jack had been called out that morning to a hostage negotiation to advise on a possible tactical forced entry of the building, but had been left disappointed when the guy had given himself up. You just didn’t get the same quality of criminals these days, but as a result it had given him the afternoon off.

He used the time to do a little shopping and had even bought the groceries David had been bugging him for. The cupboards were now stocked with cans, packets of sauce and a whole host of other healthy food types. If you opened the fridge you could even find vegetables in the bottom drawers. David was gonna shit a brick we he got home grinned Jack to himself as he lazed in front of the television watching jeopardy while chomping down on the lasagne he had freshly cooked himself.

To his annoyance the doorbell went midway through a bite, and during a question about some Aztec god he actually knew the answer to. “What is Huitzilopochtli.” He mumbled through a full mouth as he pushed his plate to one side. He approached the door silently in his socks taking a deep breath as he went.

“Oh so the wanderer returns.” He said sarcastically before he’d even opened the door, surprised to find no one there. The bushes just by the door were quietly rustling and if Jack looked closely he could just make out the spotted fur between the leaves. “Jesus lady, if you wanted us to put in a cat flap you should of just asked.”

Rome entered the house darting past jack's feet. a the cat flap comment rome covered her nose with her paws and whimpered. Being stuck as a leopard was not her idea of fun. Glaring up at jack rome realized her nose was all cut up. Really wishing she could get out of leopard form. even if it was only to shower, rome laid herself out in the most submissive position she could and whimpered at jack.

Jack closed the door as Rome speed past his feet into the living room, and sank down into a submissive pose at his feet.

“Oh for gods sake.” Sighed Jack as he looked down at Rome whimpering at him. It was a truly pitiful sight but heart wrenching all the same. “Come on.” He said leading Rome to the spare room she had been staying in until she had disappeared two nights ago. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter.

“I’ll give you some privacy to change yourself back and then you can tell me where you’ve been while I look at cleaning those cuts up.”

As jack tried to close the door Rome placed her body in between the door jam and the door. Growling rome hoped that he got the idea that she was stuck.
Walking away from the door jam, the fact she had been on the run for two days had finally caught up with her and she fell down onto her stomach with a frustrated growl. This what not how she wanted jack to see her. she had to get back into human form!

Jack looked down at Rome with a confused look on his face when she’d blocked the door with her body and began growling at him. “What the hell’s wrong with you,” Snarled Jack in return as Rome slumped down in the middle of the floor, the air vibrating as she continued her low growling.

“Hey if you wanna change right there in front of me I won’t compl….Oh!” He exclaimed, as sudden comprehension of her awkward situation finally dawned upon him.

“Ok, now that’s gotta suck.” Biting at his lower lip as he tried to figure out what to do with a full grown leopard in the living room. “Right, fine. We better take this into the kitchen, this can get messy and David will kill me if he loses his deposit over a ruined carpet."

At Jacks comment rome growled a little louder agreeing with his statement, this did suck! Rome slowly get back on her four feet and walked slowly into the kitchen laying down in a heap on the tile floor. just being back in the house was nice. After getting chased from the club to the middle of the city by vermin hunters just being able to lay down was nice.
Looking up at jack expectantly and then at the phone. She was wondering if he was going to call david or not.
Neither really bothered her, she would love to be in human form but as long as she got to rest she didn't care.

Jack turned his head to follow Rome’s eyes to the phone on the wall before facing her again with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders. “Sorry darling, I haven’t got a clue where David is. He just takes of sometimes, and with his crazy aversion to mobile phones it’s pretty much impossible to find him without putting out an APB.”

In a fluid motion Jack lowered himself down to the floor, his legs crossed beneath him so that he was merely a foot away from Rome in her leopard form. If she choose to attack him now, defending himself would be extremely difficult. He and Rome hadn’t exactly got off to the best of starts so he had postured himself in a way that extended his trust. “We can wait for David to return or I can see if I can do anything for you.”

Rome growled at david stupid adversion to cell phones, one would think he would be smart enough to know they are nice at times, times such as this. Rome gave a puzzled look when he said APB, not knowing what it meant at all but assumes it was like a missing persons.
as jack sat down rome was tempted to pounce him, just to see his reaction but decided better of it. knowing he would take it as an attack. Not touching anyone was really starting to wear on rome's emotional state and as bad of a start as they had rome wanted to be close to him. Crawling on her stomach rome placed her head softly on jacks leg, i more content smile gracing the leopard features.
when he mentioned waiting for David her only response was a growl. With her luck David wouldn't be home until tomorrow. Hoping that Jack understood this she looked up into his eyes through her orange leopard eyes.

David had spent the night looking for any sign of leopards. He did not want to meet the Monster of the City without any kind of back up. Jack and him were good and could hold their own against almost anything but vampires were an entirely different animal. Pun only slightly intended. So instead he spent his fruitless search for anything that smelled of leopard. Blind faith and confidence could only take you so far the rest of the time he was going to have to lean on Jack for his abilities. They could find someone if they both used their gifts in the ways they were intended. He was going to make sure he had a talk with Jack before the night was up. He pulled up in the driveway and suddenly the scent of leopard hit his nose.

“Well that is interesting I leave them alone for a moment and I swear I feel like I am walking into a crisis. Oh well I am not getting any younger.” He spoke to the air and headed inside. He opened the door and announced to the house. “Honey I am home, what did we break this time?” He followed the pungent scent of leopard stronger than it should have been to the kitchen where both his second and a fully grown leopard was on the floor. “Ah Rome I presume and since you’re here and Jack is looking a bit flustered I imagine it’s because you are stuck.” He walked slowly over to Rome and kneeled down placing a hand on her head and petting her like one would a house cat.

“What do you think Jack? Think we would have to put a pet deposit down for her?” He smiled and turned back to the cat letting his power reach out to her in a soft warm trickle. “Well Jack I have never tried to call a leopard before, I am not really sure if it can be done across species lines. We can try but its most likely going to hurt like hell and leave you tired. The other option is we can try to talk you through how to change back and pray to anything listening that how we shift and how you shift are one and the same. Option three we can see if you return by yourself or we can let Jack lean on a few contacts and find a leopard that can help. It’s your call Rome.”

He looked back up to Jack and let him see exactly how nervous he was with the task of trying to call the leopard. David made sure that Rome would not be able to see it and kept his scent carefully controlled. It was never a good idea to let the patient see the Doctor sweat.

Rome looked up at the sound of the door opening and let out as much of a laugh as she could in form at his question. When he walked in to room she looked up boredly. As he placed his hand on her head she couldn't help but lean into his touch but promptly stopped as he mentioned a pet deposit.
Listening and weighing her options she figured the easiest would be having one of them try and tell her how to change. she was purposely not thinking about if changing for them was different. Looking up rome blinked twice but noticing that David was looking she nudged his elbow with her nose twice to indicate her choice.
Laying her head back on jacks leg rome hoped neither man would be to mean about her being stuck or seeing her naked after her change back. thinking positively rome waited for one of them to tell her how to try changing back.

“Oh thank the heavens.” Sighed Jack in relief as he heard David’s car pull up in the driveway with the sound of crunching gravel. Jack’s plan to restore Rome to her two legged form had involved his bear proving it’s dominance over the smaller animal in a metaphysical battle of wills. The whole process would have proven quite uncomfortable for Rome, so Jack had been preparing himself for the ensuing biting that was sure to follow.

To say that David’s timing was impeccable was quite the understatement. “Hey dad, look what I found. Can we keep her?” Grinned Jack at David as his fingers absentmindedly scratched behind Rome’s ears.

Jack listened with Rome as David explained her options, nodding in agreement at her choice. Once she had learned to change without the aid of others, life would be much simpler for her. “Ok boss, lead the way.”

David could not help but chuckle at Jack’s comments. “No Jack you can’t you remember what happened with the last pet you brought home. It was oh I will walk her every day and feed her every day and do you remember what happened to her? I ended up taking care of her. Not until your older young man.” He chuckled again then felt the brush of Rome’s head indicating she wanted option two. He took a deep breath then looked back down at Rome.

“Okay this is how it’s going to go your body remembers how it’s supposed to be. It’s an instinct ingrained deeply into both you and your beast. Try and close your eyes and envision your body flowing like water into your human form. It will want to go back to it all you have to do is give that thought power.” He placed a hand on the cat’s shoulder and let out some of his warm power to help fuel the transformation. If she was stuck in this form it meant that she did not have the power or that she feared the change more than anything. David’s power was there to help ease the transformation and he used some of his power to take the pain of it from her and into himself.

“Now, take a deep breath and change Rome.”

Rome was listening intently to David, to her something seemed wrong he wasn't talking about it hurting at all. He was sugarcoating it for her and she knew it. But as much as the pain weighed on her mind so did being stuck like this. Trying to picture what he was talking about was the easy part for rome.

Feeling david's warm hand on her shoulder rome did as he said and took a deep breath and imagined she was under a waterfall. As she felt her bones move, pain came, feeling one's bones reshape was not that much of a pleasant experience. Rome let out a whimper but as it escaped her mouth it sounded human, which slightly startled Rome. Feeling a warm liquid cover her body rome opened her eyes just to close them again.

Her face felt like it had gone through a blender and probably looked like it too. trying to move her legs to curl up hurt, Rome to realized that she had probably pulled a few muscles. With her head still on Jacks lap Rome let out her tears, tears of joy and tears of pain.

whoever said being able to change shape was fun was seriously messed up in the head.