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jake,
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It's been a strange week.

A tough one, really, if John's honest, and at least half of that is due to the amount of paperwork he's had to do. There's been an increase in activity since New Year's Eve, since people have had their power swapped, for lack of a better explanation, and it's not that everyone who has found themselves with new powers is bad, it's just that many of them are confused. And most of them don't seem to know what to do with themselves.

Even if they're not purposely committing crimes, it makes for a few more reports than there might have otherwise been, which means more paperwork for John and that's hardly his favourite thing to do in the first place. He's already had to fill out two separate incident reports for people who had accidentally smashed windows in stores without understand their newfound strength. No charges have been laid and both times the person had offered to pay for the shattered window, but it still needs to be written up among many other things.

It's a far cry from where he's come from, that's for certain.

When John leaves the precinct that night, he's weary, more tired than he'd like to admit, but he still takes the long way home, patrolling darkened alleys and the seedier parts of Darrow. It's probably a bad idea, probably one Karen would give him hell for, but he can't just leave it all alone, no matter how tired he is.

It's when he's heading back toward home, passing by a secluded bit of trees that he hears rustling and growling. It gives him pause and he stands there, not far away, his hand on the butt of his service weapon. Then out of the trees pads the largest wolf John has ever seen and he's so stunned, so taken aback by the sheer size of the thing that he doesn't even think to draw his gun.

Which is a good thing, it seems, because within moments the wolf begins to shift into a decidedly human shape.

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John laughs, the sound surprised out of him, if only because he'd never imagined himself being described as smelling loamy. Old fashioned, though, certainly fits and somehow doesn't surprise him.

"No, that's... oddly nice," he says, looking amused. He'll have to tell Karen, just to see what she thinks of it. Mostly to see how hard she'll laugh. If he's not working, most things John does these days are with the goal of seeing Karen smile.

"Does it hurt?" he asks. "The transformation."

"Not...really," Jake said, shaking his heads even though they didn't hurt at all. "If it does, it's really quick because soon enough, I'm a werewolf and preoccupied with other things. First time it happened, it hurt like a bloody bitch."

He can remember how his hands had turned into claws, how he felt like bones were breaking and ligaments were tearing while his body adjusted to its new form. He hadn't cried but it had been the worst pain he'd ever felt.

"It's just -- " Jake frowned and chewed on his lower lip. "I know I shouldn't be turning into that so it feels more strange and wrong than anything. After that, I kind of have a one track mind."

"Find someone to scratch your belly?" John asks in the same low, steady tone he always uses. The only indication he's making a joke is in the slight twitch of his mouth and the way he first glances at Jake and then away once again.

It's a weird thing to be discussing. Even after all this time, Darrow still doesn't make much sense to him in a lot of ways. John understands greed and crime, he understands what causes bad people to do awful things and good people to do unexpectedly bad things. He understands -- and loathes -- the logic and motivation behind war, but he doesn't understand Darrow.

And yet here they are, whether he understands it or not. Jake is a werewolf, at least for the time being, there's no arguing with that. He had seen it himself.

"Ha ha," Jake said dryly, rolling his eyes. "Keep that up, I'll find my way to your apartment and leave a present for you in front of your door."

Werewolves still had to relieve themselves, didn't they? Jake hadn't really been paying attention but even if they didn't, he'd still find something to do to mess up what Jake expected would be a pristine apartment environment. John didn't strike him as the messy type.

"Hopefully there's no one in this city who's actually looking for something like that," Jake said, making a face. "There were some strange types in Brighton. Got off on things like that."

"I've been staying at Karen's and you don't want to make her mad. She's especially strong this week," John answers with a little smile, although he doubts Jake is truly serious about his threat.

At the next comment, he can't help but laugh and shrug. It doesn't surprise him to hear Jake say that and honestly it wouldn't surprise him much if there were people in Darrow who were drawn to that sort of thing.

"Maybe you should be careful about who you transform in front of," he suggests, still mostly joking. "Although given the size of the wolf you were, I think you'd be able to make your discomfort well known."

"I'd rather not transform in front of anyone but sometimes it can't be helped," Jake said, grimacing. "I don't have really good control on things. The guy, Luke, who's been dealing with this for awhile told me I could eventually control everything but it's not really happening right now."

If he tried to just turn his eyes, inevitably something else happened. Sometimes he could stop a full on transformation but other times, he just ended up as a werewolf in his bathroom, freaking out and trying to change back.

"I can just see myself getting pissed in the grocer's because they don't have the beer that I like and ending up a giant werewolf, crashing through the aisles. Kind of freaks me out to think about."

"Luke," John echoes, then is quiet for a moment. It's rare for him to be genuinely surprised by much, but hearing that name does throw him off just a little. There are other people named Luke, he's sure of that, but as soon as Jake says it, it makes sense. He had been the one John had called when he'd hit Spencer's cruiser that night and some of the other officers had talked about how Spencer's husband had been lurking around the scene of the accident the day after.

And it had looked an awful lot like he was sniffing things.

"I knew Spencer," he says. "Luke's husband. We worked together now and then. I didn't realize... but then, it was none of my business."

He shakes his head and sets it aside, looking at Jake again. "You change when your emotional state becomes volatile? Is that common?"

Jake winced at the slip, hoping Luke would forgive him for essentially telling his secret to someone that only peripherally knew him. He trusted that John wasn't going to go screaming it from rooftops but it was still a risk because who knew what could happen here and what sort of things could happen to make John say something.

"You're asking the wrong bloke that," Jake said, deciding to just move past what he'd done. "I just know it's happened to me a few times. Nothing bad, nothing that might have risked anyone else but..."

He shrugged. "What's that old saying? You wouldn't like me when I'm angry? Guess that point really applies when I'm like this. Good thing it takes a lot to make me angry."

"You were aware enough not to attack me," John says thoughtfully, watching as their apartment building comes into view. "Are you conscious of yourself as still being a person while you've changed?"

Given his admittedly limited knowledge of folklore, he would have thought a werewolf would attack blindly. That seems to be the way they're always written, the suggestion that they're monsters and little else prevalent in nearly all the stories he's ever read or seen.

But Jake hadn't attacked him. He'd come out of the trees and then changed, leading John to think he must be at least partly aware of who he is and the difference between right and wrong.

"I know that I'm not typically a werewolf when I do change," Jake said, trying to parse it out as best he could. When he was a werewolf, Jake was far away but still there. He didn't have control but he was there and he could recognize people if he wasn't too far gone in his transformation.

"It's not easy to explain," Jake said, wincing. "It's like I'm there but I'm not the dominant personality. I'm aware and I have recognition but I'm pretty sure if this wolf wanted to do something, it would overpower whatever control I do have when I'm changed."

So, he could recognize John and since he wasn't hungry and John hadn't done anything to him, it was easy to change. If John had been someone else or had maybe tried to attack him, things would be different.

"I wonder if that changes. With experience, I mean," John says, digging for the apartment keys in his pocket at the same time. "It must. If not, it seems like this place would be in significantly more danger than it is."

And while John has seen some odd things in Darrow, while he's even been told there are vampire attacks every so often, he has yet to hear of a werewolf bursting out of the wood and biting someone. There's nothing more than Jake's information for him to go on. He supposes he could go speak with Luke, but John has a feeling that's not the sort of information people often willingly pass around and so he has every intention of just keeping that bit of knowledge to himself.

It would be good to know, to have information, but not at the expense of someone's privacy and comfort.

"Probably but I'm a bloody shit werewolf right now so I'm not gonna be able to really tell you," Jake said with a lift of his shoulders. He knew that, with time and training, maybe he could be an okay werewolf but Jake kind of didn't want it to last that long. He didn't want to be given powers that he had trouble controlling and he didn't want to have to relearn control in a totally different way.

"Right now, I'm just focusing on not hurting anyone, yeah?" Jake said, sighing. "Most people that know have been pretty understanding and that's a bloody surprise. Or -- that came out wrong. I'm just not used to people being so willing to help. This happened in Brighton, I'd get some wide eyes and some supportive words but that's about it. They'd push me out into the wild on my own and hope I didn't eat myself alive."

Ryan wouldn't help him. His father wouldn't. Simon wouldn't. His mother was too sick. He'd be alone.

"But this entire city is different," John answers. "Had someone told me this in New York, I never would have believed it either, but here, it seems... well, it's still strange."

But they're still walking side by side and John is still letting Jake into the apartment building they all share as if nothing at all has changed. In New York, he knows this isn't how he would have reacted. In New York, it was often a shoot first and ask questions later sort of scenario.

"Strange, but not impossible," he says as they enter the lobby.

"Not impossible," Jake echoed because that was the truth. After this whole thing, Jake wasn't going to say anything was impossible in this city. In Brighton, werewolves were for the telly, changing into another gender was for books, and staving off death was for dreams.

Here, it was all a reality and if Jake allowed himself to think about it, he might end up a gibbering idiot. It was a lot to adapt to and while Jake thought himself good at rolling with things, Darrow put him through his paces.

"Hopefully temporary too," he added. "Let's all pray that this is temporary."

"You'd learn how to adapt," John says. "It might not be easy, but you would."

Jake is capable. He isn't stupid, he's good at his job, John thinks he would manage to work it out. It's true that it's a little more extreme of an example than most people have to adjust to when their lives change, but John has also discovered most people can adapt to things they would never expect. And Jake isn't alone here. They're walking together right now, after all, and it's a strange thing, John still isn't entirely sure what to make of it, but he would be here if Jake needed him. If it turned out to be something long term.

"Want to come upstairs?" he asks. "Karen is there, I'm sure she'd be glad to see you. I can get you a beer."

Jake thought about it for a second before deciding that he had time and it would be nice to just sit and not worry about what he'd turned into. So far, everything Luke had told him had happened and he'd been able to control things decently enough (save for a few flubs here and there) so he didn't think being around people would be dangerous.

"Yeah, okay," Jake said, nodding. "I won't take up too much of your time and I promise I won't changed in your apartment. Nearly did that at my own place and though I managed to pull myself back, I was a little worried about my windows for a spell. That'd be hard to explain, that I punched a window out because I couldn't control my werewolf change."

John shrugs easily, pressing the button for the elevator before he says, "I can replace a window."

It turns out Karen isn't in the apartment -- probably gone back to hers, he thinks, at least until he calls -- but she's left Bear behind and he can immediately tell something is different with Jake. He heads straight for John as he always does, nudging his nose against John's fingers, but then he catches the scent of something he's not expecting and he freezes. For a moment John can tell he's trying to decide whether or not to growl, but then he sees Jake, too, and his tail begins to wag cautiously.

"He can tell something's different," John says, fascinated by Bear's reaction.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very calm?" Jake asked as they made their up to John's flat. "And I've known a lot of calm people but you're very calm. I'd wonder if you weren't a robot or something if I didn't know any better."

The last part's a joke but the rest isn't. John is a calm, collected and unflappable person. Jake envied that a bit. He didn't think he had a bad temper but he knew he got worked up and could explode if poked.

Jake stopped cold at the sight of Bear, not wanting to rile him up if he'd pegged Jake as an intruder. "Should I --- should I go?"

"I've been told," John confirms with a small smile, although he's still watching Bear. There's no danger, he listens to John with the kind of attention very few dogs can ever display and he's not an aggressive animal to begin with. If John wants him to attack, he will, but he obviously doesn't want that in this situation.

"No, he's fine," he says. "He's friendly. I think he's just confused."

Bear's tag continues to wag and John whistles at him and says, "Sitta." Bear immediately sits, but his tail is wagging harder now and he presses his nose in the air toward Jake, sniffing enthusiastically.

"Sorry for any confusion, mate," Jake said in Bear's direction, slowly holding a hand out so he can be checked out. He wished he could ask the dog how he smelled considering he had it had to be different if dogs were reacting to him now. Usually, they glanced at him, maybe trotted over to give him a sniff but it wasn't ever like this.

"Hopefully you don't go around pissing all over John's apartment trying to mark your territory. Place is yours, I promise."

"Bear knows better than to do something like that," John answers with a small smile in the dog's direction before he heads to the kitchen to get two bottles of beer out of the fridge. The dog is still sitting still with the exception of his wagging tail, though John can tell he really wants to go to Jake.

"Doe Maar," he says to Bear and the dog takes a few steps toward Jake, rubbing his nose against his hands. He's a well behaved dog at even the worst of times, he's well trained and listens to John without question, but this is certainly a different situation, one he's never been in before. And still he doesn't do anything but sniff Jake's hands and wag his tail.

"Here," John says, offering Jake one of the beer bottles. "He's alright."

"What language does he understand?" Jake asked him, letting Bear sniff his hand and stroking his head when the dog seemed to warm up enough to him. He kept his movements slow though, not wanting to startle Bear or himself into something chaotic.

With his free hand, Jake took the bottle with a grateful nod. "Thanks, mate. This is all so surreal, you know? Weirdest thing that ever happened to me back home was waking up with a bunch of shit painted on my face after a night of drinking. Nothing like this."

"Dutch," John answers. "He's a Belgian Malinois and in my world, at least, there's only one man who trains them for military service. When I first met Bear, he was in the possession of Aryan Nationalist who wanted to kill me, but had no idea what sort of dog he had."

It's a good memory and John smiles fondly, rubbing a hand over Bear's head. The dog had behaved so well for him that first day and every day since.

"I've seen some strange things, but this entire city really seems to take the cake," he agrees. "There are no werewolves where I'm from either." If there had been, he's sure the Machine would have found them.

"I think your dog's had more action than I have," Jake joked though he might have been serious. He'd been just a rookie when he'd ended up in Darrow, barely having gotten his feet wet in the Brighton PD and though he'd been with the Darrow PD longer, the crime here was very different. It existed but not in the same form or with the same frequency as it did in Brighton.

"Most I saw of werewolves back home were the movies on the telly and when kiddies dressed up like them at Halloween," Jake told him, shaking his head. "Costumes were mostly shite but they were cute anyway. Nothing like me when I'm...well, you know."

They didn't end up bare arsed naked afterward either. Thank fuck because that would have been a lawsuit in waiting.

"Bear's done a lot more than most people realize," John agrees, giving the dog's ears another gentle stroke before he nods toward the bed in the corner of the living room. Bear gives Jake's fingers another friendly nose before he circles the room to look for his toy, then goes to lie down with it, chewing contently on the corner of the bone.

Taking a seat on the couch, John sets his beer bottle on the table and gives a soft laugh. "It's a very different world than this one. There are things I'd seen at home that most people wouldn't believe, but nothing like this. Sometimes I feel like this place brought me here as a mistake."

He doesn't know any vampires, he's never been to another planet. For all his training, John still mostly considers himself a normal man and he thinks Jake probably feels the same. They're regular men in a world filled with supernatural creatures and superheroes and he'd like to think they're both still doing their best, but it's hardly easy.