Chapter 3

Roy's suggestion came in the form of driving somewhat aimlessly through the city until Andy slumped forward in her seat and gave him an address.

The towncar pulls into traffic without so much as a hiccup in its motion and with the engine idling while they waited for a light, Roy twists to face her. "Kept your old apartment, huh?" He asks it with an amused half-smirk that brought her attention back to him and the question than hopping out onto the street.

"Yeah - uh, wait." Her brow furrowed. "You never drove me to this one. I moved after Runway."

"Miranda had the address book updated in case anything happened." He answered her and she settled back against the cool leather of the towncar.

"Why?"

Roy gave her a knowing look, but humored her question. "She kept an eye on you." He left it at that. Andy didn't know if she should be grateful or demand an answer that actually answered the question.

She focused on him instead. "Fine. Why you then? Why this?"

"Driving you home now, or are we talking about something else?" Roy's expression hasn't changed and she credits the fact that if it was anyone else, she'd probably stormed out. Her gaze narrowed and he picked up on it. "Ah. Something else."
"Yep."

"I'm pretty sure the after-hour bit isn't exactly negotiated in your contract with Miranda..." she trailed off when his smirk turned into a grin. "It is? Really? Huh. Then... how...?"

"Miranda and Elizabeth both underestimated exactly how strong a trigger the first ex-Priestly would be. He wasn't supposed to be there, but this was before she perfected her blacklisting policy. She found out who the 'younger model' was. She managed to call me and we left. I left the gala with Miranda and about ten minutes into the drive, well; those seats weren't yet treated for the transportation of wolves."

Andy arched a brow. "You didn't freak? I freaked. Totally fainted like a southern belle."

Roy chuckled. The light turned; he twisted 'round again and they were off again. "I was in shock. I pulled over into Central Park. Opened her door. She bolted out of there. I then opened the trunk and pulled out one of her overnight bags and set it, unzipped in the back. Grabbed my hidden stash of smokes and sat on the hood to wait."

"You didn't leave?"

"I was on the clock and my wife was seven months pregnant. Breaking the contract with Miranda would have been disastrous. " He did not elaborate further, and Andy didn't push. They both knew what a blacklist from Miranda could do to a person's life in New York City.

"She ever come back?" Andy waited until the silence in the car had been sufficient enough for them to remember whatever story they held as the pinnacle of Miranda's disapproval.

"The next morning. I fell asleep, woke up to terrible sunlight and an cacophony of birds; she requested that I call ahead to clear out her first hour of the day and stop by the house." Roy shrugged. "She didn't tell me anything, and I didn't push. I'm not paid to question."

"She turned into a really big wolf, Roy. A wolf!" Andy stared at him as he waited for another red light. She's exasperated, a little amused, and frustrated that someone else reacted better than she did. "I fainted. You apparently go get the wolf a latte!"

"To be honest, I think I was more scared of what my wife would do if I lost the job than of the werewolf in the back seat." Roy's delivery is flat. It caused the two of them to catch the other's gaze then dissolve into laughter.

He missed the flicker from red to green, but the neighborhood street they were on was empty this early in the morning. He'd catch the next one and by that time, they'd both be composed. Maybe.

Andy swiped at her eyes, then tried to pin him with a glare. "So, after that you two just added in the wolf bits and moved on?"
"I received a revised contract that night. I could be let go with the highest recommendations and a secured job for a visiting editor from London; or I could take a significant raise, better benefits, and merely have to extend my driver details for nights that would end a little more savage than others." Roy shrugged. "Miranda rewards loyalty in the end."

Andy fell quiet at that. Her mind went back to how she remembered Miranda's loyalty. Roy picked up on it, he must have, for the next few blocks were driven with that same quiet from earlier.

"Do you think I should go to Boston for a few days?"

Roy looked at her as he turned right onto a main street that had their towncar lost within seconds between taxis and delivery men and other personal transport. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Closure."

"Closure for what?" She was leery of his response.

"Whatever life you're ready to say goodbye to. You're caught, Andy." He spoke soft and slow, trying to phrase his thoughts in a way that wouldn't harm their own friendship. "This was sprung on me as well, but I don't have the conflict you do. Accepting this only improved my station. I didn't lose anything, or become someone different. You, on the other hand; have your life with Nate that is, itself, in this stranglehold of stagnation. Even without him, you want to be with your old friends and normal again, but you find them difficult to deal with. At the same time, you protect the Pack. You care for your fellow wolves, but you're not ready to take on the mantle of Alpha."

She laughed. It's a hollow, bitter sound in the car. "No offense, Roy, but what do you know about that?"

He smiled. No offense taken. "I am no longer merely Miranda's driver. I am the Pack's driver and there has been many a lonely night driving back where the passenger needs to confess. I am no priest, but I listen. It's a savage, beautiful life that you've been forced into. I think you love it and resent it."

She shrugged. Her attention is on the drive towards her place. "Did she ever offer you... this?" She gestured vaguely through the air.

He nodded. "She did."

"Why didn't you take it?"

It's Roy's turn to shrug. "Wasn't for me. I was happy to help, to be the man on the outside to make sure everyone was safe, but the pack life is not my life." He left it at that. She doesn't push. He pulled up in front of her building. "Take the week for Boston. The full moon's waning and you won't need to run. See if Normal is what you need."

"I can't just leave them..." Andy's knuckles are white with her grip of the handle.

"You can, for a week." He watched her climb out and stand on the curb. Her arms are folded about herself like she was caught in a snowstorm. He offered her the same smile he gave his daughter when they first dropped her off at summer camp. "Trust me, they'll manage without you."

"What if it's forever?" Her voice went to a whisper. She leaned in, desperate for validation for the thoughts swirling through her mind.

Roy doesn't judge. "Then the Pack will adapt and you will be happy."

She closed the door on that. She stayed at the curbside until the town car is once again lost to the endless traffic snarl that wove through the city. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, then pulled her phone out of her pocket.
"Lily? Hey. It's Andy..."