In the past, there were few things that got past Sara. She could sense people on the wind, she could react faster than a blink of the eye to anything as slight as a finger twitch. Heck, with her 6th sense, she may not be able to see, but she could instantly know all movement that was in the recent past and the present. However lately, she feared that she lost her touch. Twice now, she’d learned that her storage units had been used in human trafficking, and to say that it bothered her, was an understatement.

She’d began to petrol her own buildings. Something that she would never have done before. She was driving a big white cargo van that she had recently acquired to help her get supplies from one building to another. The visibility was poor in the van. The same lack of windows that prevented people from looking in also gave Sara many blind spots. She didn’t make a practice of checking for people following her because… Why would someone want to? After all. Sara had friends in high places and deep, dark places.

There were clouds that lay low on the horizon, and Sara leaned forward in the driver’s seat so that she could peer up between the steering wheel and edge of the windshield. The air smelled damp and if Sara didn’t hurry, she would be caught in a light rain. She sighed in annoyance. Light rains were the worst. A complete soaking at least didn’t itch of feel uneven against her skin. Sara had already been meeting the speed limit or matching the speed of the other cars around her. She didn’t need to be pulled over by a cop because she had no license. Heck. She had no ID or way of getting a license. It was just easier just easier to not get caught then to explain herself.

The traffic thinned up a head and Sara felt her foot press further down on the gas. The lumbering white van replied obediently and it’s odometer crept near 65 miles per hour. She could nearly see the tops of her wearhouses over the other abandoned buildings and shredded looking trees. With her tail twitching next to her bucket seat, it wouldn’t be long before she could get in the shelter of one of her worn, tired looking warehouses, and avoid the weather completely.

Human trafficking was high in the city of New York and it was thought that there was a possibility a mutant was involved so Sam being one of the guys that helped police/mutant relations by making all his members go through some training and give them some jurisdiction in the law it was only right Sam offered to help out. Stakeouts after all had been something Sam was particularly skilled in given his background and history.

What Sam didn’t expect was to find someone he counted as his best friends involved. After a few weeks in checking out some warehouses he started to notice a trend a certain mutant cat-woman happened to frequent a majority of the ones that he had been looking in on. ”Sara you better not be involved…” was all Sam could say to himself to keep him from ruining the time he spent on the stakeout. A week had passed now and he decided it was time he’d change up his tactics. He already had a few other officers investigating and trailing other nefarious looking people that had been seen around the area it was only right he’d give his friend the benefit of the doubt and make sure she wasn’t involved.

The first thing Sam noticed from his rooftop perches was that Sara was driving a white van around, why she was driving and simply not running Sam didn’t know. She was the fastest person Sam knew and defiantly one of the toughest so why the van. That was the first reason Sam didn’t confront her directly. The second was because well the last thing he wanted to do was strain the relationship between them with false accusations. Though if she knew Sam was following her he doubted she’d be much happier.

Certain precautions were being taken to prevent her from spotting him with any of her normal, well normal sense for her. Sam made sure to ware the same clothes whenever he was out in the warehouse district in hopes to mask his normal scent something he knew Sara would have no problem picking up if he was close enough which is why he kept a safe distance down wind of her whenever he could. Hopefully she wouldn’t spot him keeping an eye on her.

Poking his head out from over one of the warehouse roofs Sam focused his binoculars on her as the wind shifted causing the temperature to drop, it was going to rain he could taste it on the air which meant that it would be even better for him to hide from Sara. She was looking out through her windows shifting her gaze in her blind spots. Sam smirked and then shifted himself oblivious in the shifting of the winds causing him for a moment to be upwind of her.

”Turn around every now and then I get a little bit lonely when you don’t come knocking around…” muttered Sam under his breath barley audible as he started to sing along to his stakeout music.

Why have a van? Why not have a van? Sara found that there were few jobs that she could do with her business with out the cargo van. While she was strong in her own right, she couldn't move as much materials or moving the property of late playing clients without it. She was WereCat. Not WonderCat. For the moment, the back of her van held four sacks of cement, a box full of tools, and the rest of the space was taken up by 9 large panels of plywood that that had to be laid in at an angle and took up what ever other space was left in the back of the vehicle. She couldn't see out the back window if she'd been trying.

Her tail flicked again next to the bucket seat as she drove onto the warehouse property. Her property consisted of an open field a portion in woods, and the warehouse itself. She followed a dirt road off of the main one and backed the van right up to the front of the warehouse's large side door. Most of the content of her van had to stay dry and the oncoming rain was already trying to upgrade itself from mist to droplets. If Sara wasn't so intent on getting her building supplies inside her Warehouse dry, she would have noticed Sam sooner.

It wasn't until she'd slid the large barn like door open that she felt the wind change directions. Sara was heading back to the driver's seat of the van, to back the car into the building when Sam's smell hit her nose. Pausing at the open driver's side door, Sara halted. The mist was growing heavier and for the moment, Sara had forgotten about the task at hand. Instead she was looking around on the ground, running her tongue over her bottom lip. Ears dropping back to rest on her hair.

She supposed that she should have expected this sooner or later. A while ago Pluto had found her working in one of her other warehouses. Another mutant had dropped in on her when she was with a client to kill him. Both incidences were linked to human trafficking. One was children but Sara still believed that she could handle the situations.

Cold Steel worked as a crime fighter. His presence shouldn't surprise him. "Sam," Sara called out projecting her voice over the area. "I'll leave the door open. Come in or stay out in the rain. Up to you." Sara said. She hadn't spotted him but his smell had become too strong with the change of wind for him not to be present.

It only take Sara a moment to hop back in her van and back it into her building where a row of pallets waited for her to store her building materials until she could get them under ground in the hidden storage units where they would truly stay dry until she could use them. She'd pull the panels out first.

Even over the faint sound of his headphones he heard her voice, ”Damn!” Sam said under his breath blaming the cause of his discovery to the change in the wind. He should have used a blanket or iced over his body both would have given him a better chance, either way he figured he’d ask Sara when he saw her. Throwing down the binoculars in his duffle bag Sam zipped them up and hopped down from the roof that gave him a perfect view of Sara’s warehouse where she was as far as Sam knew still there waiting for him. Did it mean he’d not keep an eye out? No he was still looking over his shoulder with his sixth sense just in case there was any surprises he didn’t want sneaking up on him.

It took a few minutes but once he got to the open warehouse the rain started up harder than the mist. Well if it came down to a fight between them at least nature was on his side, much good it would do him Sara was like a sister he actually enjoyed spending time with she was the last person he wanted to fight. ”Skeptical Sam is skeptical.” he said finally when he walked into the warehouse satisfied that there was no one else around them. ”you smelled me didn’t you?” knowing that to be the answer because he knew his hushed singing didn’t give him away.

”How’s it going?” Sam asked her setting the duffle bag down and walking over towards a wall so he wouldn’t leave his back unprotected. He wasn’t acting too out of the ordinary but to those who were trained like Sara she would have picked up he was slightly on edge no matter how he tried to act like his normal self.

”Heard you owned a few buildings, had to see it for myself…” Sam said looking around the place with his eyes and his sixth sense.

Sam appeared in the door way of the warehouse, and Sara was pulling out the plywood panels then laying them so that they rested on edge, tilted, against the side of her van. She could care less about scratching the van’s paint and it showed on the vehicle’s sides. There were several scratches, chips and small dents were she hadn’t been too careful with her building materials. Besides. She was in a bit of a hurry. Rain finally made itself known on the tin roof of her warehouse, giving her all of the more reason to want to get home and curl up with Roxy. She didn’t want to be in the rain, and she didn’t want to face Sam right now even if she had missed their visits.

”you smelled me didn’t you?”

“I figured it was a game and you wanted to be found.” Sara lied but rather than trying to cover the lie up, she did her best to act as if it were a teasing joke. Adding a shrug for joking emphasis. “In normal conditions, I could recognize your sent even it if was a month old.” But this wasn’t normal conditions and the fact was made more apparent by the second. Not only did Sam keep a distance from Sara, he placed his back against her warehouse wall. He also had a duffle bag that he carried with him today. Normal Sam might have given her a hug, preached to her about the x-men. Maybe cracked a few jokes.

”How’s it going?”
”Heard you owned a few buildings, had to see it for myself…”

“It’s not much. Running a business takes space and it beats getting shot at over stealing trivial things.” Sara shrugged again. She found that she couldn’t help but stare at the duffle bag that Sam had carried in with him. Curiosity mixed with annoyance at the way Sam was acting right now made her want to see what was inside. Call it friendly spite.

With a glance at Sam, then back at the duffle bag, she moved forward to pick it up and investigate it. “You weren’t waiting long, were you?” Sara asked one question, but there was another one she left obviously unsaid.

How did you even know that I was here?

She smelled him, that was the answer he wanted to hear however a month old Sam sometimes forgot how keen a tracker she was in another situation Sam would could think of so many ways she could help him on the X’s or for the police. That was however a discussion for another time if they got another time to discuss things. Sam was still on edge and he didn’t want to let his guard down right now.

Nodding his head as she explained her ‘business’ Sam made note of every detail of the room the wooden panels and everything else she was unloading from her van. A second later he noticed her stare at the duffle bag he had brought in. it was then he answered, ”Not too long,” Sam shrugged, ”You can look in the bag if you want.” Sam said nodding to it there wasn’t much in there some binoculars, a handheld police scanner a radio and some hearing enhancement equipment all slightly above police issued most of which he had purchased himself and had for some time.

”Probably wondering how I found this place or knew you owned it huh?” Sam asked curiously his body still backed up against the wall but his eye fixed on Sara incase she made a quick move towards him. Scenarios quickly ran through his head as to what her first moves would be, due to them being friends Sam assumed she tried to knock him out with a hit to the gut knocking the wind out of him forcing to double him over then she’d hit the back of his neck. Counter on his part would be icing over the neck and his stomach. A few other scenarios ran through his head as he eyed her hoping it wouldn’t come to any of that the odds of him coming out on top now that he was visible was slim.

Sam was sad he was thinking about actually fighting her, she was one of his best friends however it wouldn’t be the first time someone close to him betrayed him. In fact a good majority of his ex’s had a habit of trying to stab him in the back, if Sara was one of them he was pretty sure she would have succeeded.

”A lot of people don’t know much about my past but those that do have a tendency to forget I have a unique ability to discover things and people that don’t want to be found.” Sam paused and then shrugged slightly figuring it was best at this point to come out and tell her seeing as she already caught him lurking off in a distance, ”Tell me your not involved with any of this Sara.” Sam said taking a step forward straightening his back.

Sam gave her permission to go through his duffel bag but it didn't change a thing. Sara would have picked the bag up and looked through it anyways. Though she wasn't sure if that was from curiosity's stand point or if it was just to make some sort of point. "Good." was her only reply to Sam at first as she proceeded to open the bag and check inside. The binoculars were what she found first, and for a moment, she looked through them at Sam. Running her clawed finger across the focus seeing as Sam had been at a distance away compared to how far away the two of them were now, it took a moment of fiddling to get Sam in focus. Mean while He'd guessed at the real questions that Sara wanted to ask.

”Probably wondering how I found this place or knew you owned it huh?”

"The question had crossed my mind." Sara replied. Sam was still acting strange even if they were being civil and she wondered what he might have heard was going on, off of the street. Sara was sure that no matter what it was he knew, or would find that, that he wouldn't be happy with her. She might not be participating personally in crimes, but she was aiding them in a way, with her business. That didn't mean that she would lie either. Not to Sam right now anyways.

”A lot of people don’t know much about my past but those that do have a tendency to forget I have a unique ability to discover things and people that don’t want to be found.”

Board with the binoculars and wondering if she could guess where Sam had been watching her based on the amount she'd spun the dial, she held eye contact with Sam for a moment. It seemed her business might be coming to an and and she wasn't sure if she wanted to fight it or not. The binoculars were placed back in the bag and she pulled out the police scanner. Sara flicked the police scanner on, leaving the volume on low so that it wouldn't disrupt Sam and herself too much. The police scanner was placed back in the bag as well and she considered turning the radio on as well.

”Tell me your not involved with any of this Sara.” [b/]

She exhaled forcing the tension out of her shoulders. "With what Slick?" Sam was going to have to be a little more specific with what it was that he was asking. Sara catered to the storage needs of many different kinds of people and businesses. Though maybe she could give Sam a little information. "I run a storage business for individuals who require a secure storage area." Sara confessed to Sam. "Some of my clients are people who I used to steal for." Surely Sam would remember finding her running from a gunman in the middle of work years ago. "I only keep the property and a monthly fee. I normally don't get involved much beyond that so, Slick, you'll have to be a little more specific." and Sara might see if she wanted to do something about it.

She was being stubborn, or rather being Sara. Sam’s eyebrow lowered slightly as she casually played with his toys first the binoculars then the scanner. Both of which he didn’t focus on till she set the scanner down still turned on. He looked from the scanner back to Sara who gave him a little information on her situation and her business.

”Been informed that lately there had been a lot of illegal trafficking and killings going on in these parts.” Sam let the knowledge sink in waiting for some sort of reaction before he continued. ”People are getting killed over this, kids even.” Sam frowned slightly his tone going a little more authority figure than he would have liked but this was a little personal.

”Police officials discovered a small shipment of people in shipping crates a few days ago in several locations, and they suspect half a dozen more.” he paused for another second before the air tempature dropped again, ”I’m asking as a friend first Sara. Are you involved with this at all?”

Sara did take note of Sam's expression as she set his toys on the Warehouse floor. Police scanner still on. She wasn't really sure how she should be handling that. she'd never really been the best person to deal with an authority figure. Maybe it was best to go back to what she was doing.

”Been informed that lately there had been a lot of illegal trafficking and killings going on in these parts.”

She kept silent for a the time being. Her right ear twitched in annoyance. She hated this conversations. She knew about the trafficking, and the killings. Heck. As far as she knew, she'd killed the ring leader in that nightmare. She was pretty sure that she'd taken care of it and Sam was late.

”People are getting killed over this, kids even.”

Sara had taken a few steps back towards her van when the statement about the kids halted her. Tail whipping back and forth. She'd thought that only grownups had died. not kids too.

”Police officials discovered a small shipment of people in shipping crates a few days ago in several locations, and they suspect half a dozen more.”

Her jaw was tight and the muscles in her sides of her cheeks flexed. Visible even through her fur.

”I’m asking as a friend first Sara. Are you involved with this at all?”

Somewhere in the process Sara found herself standing aty an angle that she didn't have to look straight at Sam. Arms crossed over her chest. "No. I am not involved with the trafficking. In fact I had thought that I had put a stop to it." Kids were getting killed. Was Sara really that far out of touch when she thought that she'd been in control?

Sara said she wasn’t involved, momentary relief came over Sam before he realized fully what she said. Having half a mind to create a snowball and whip it at her Sam’s words got a little forsty, ”The hell you mean you thought?” Sam asked walking closer to Sara no longer scared of her or what she might do the initial threat had passed his fears of actually fighting Sara were no longer present. ”You knew about this before!?!” Sam asked actually forming an snowball over Sara’s head and letting gravity take it down. If it hit or not Sam didn’t care he turned away from her and then picked up the police scanner.

”This is a serious issue, people are getting hurt. You should have come to me for help!” Sam said knowing full well she could take care of a situation on her own. There was no need however, Sam was more than happy to help her after all they had been through together she was like the furry sister he never wanted but at times was glad he had. ”What warehouses were they working out of before?” Sam asked wondering if Sara already cleared them out and tracked down everyone involved.

”The police have a few leads and they want me to investigate a few locations off the books. I might need some keener senses.” Sam asked forming a snowball in his free hand and tossing it underhand towards her, ”You feel like helping out?” the snowball he tossed to her was for the one he might have hit her with before. Knowing Sara she was either going to get him back later for the snowball or now. He’d rather have it happen now opposed to later when he might actually be in trouble.

”The hell you mean you thought?”
”The hell you mean you thought?”
Sara shot Sam a glare. Was he kidding? How could he not think that she could handle things? Sara was scary when she wanted to me. She would have glared at him longer but the snow ball that had been formed in the air above her fell, taking her by surprise. It crumbled as soon as it hit her head and she was covered in a powder that became damp as soon as it hit her fur and it’s individual snowflakes joined the rest of the misty droplets. Sara shook free of most of the snow running her hand over her hair and flicking the majority of it moisture away from herself. “I said thought. There’s been more than one group doing this.” She said angrily with part of the anger directed to Sam as she was caught in the moment.

”This is a serious issue, people are getting hurt. You should have come to me for help!”

“You don’t think that I know that?! I’ve survived and done things a long time on my own. Years. I don’t need help from anyone, even you.” Sara was starting to cool off but not quick enough to stop her from practically spitting out the last few words. “I thought that I had it handled.” Sara repeated. Flicking a a renegade clump of snow off of her arm in sam’s direction she couldn’t help but see that Sam was forming a second snowball and her eyes narrowed on him for a moment.

”What warehouses were they working out of before?”
”The police have a few leads and they want me to investigate a few locations off the books. I might need some keener senses”
”You feel like helping out?”

There were few things that Sara could say to that. It was also obvious that Sam was trying to extend an olive branch of some kind and there were more things, people, at stake than just her pride. Sam had thrown her a snowball and she caught it, but instead of throwing it back at him, she squeezed it, letting it crumble while her eyes were still narrowed on him. “You’re not getting off of the hook for that snowball that easily.” Sara told him. “But I could at least point you in the right direction of the warehouses that I know.”

The rest of her cargo van was unloaded quickly onto the pallets. Mean while she filled Sam in on the other two incidences. The locations of the warehouses used by the kidnappers, names that she knew including Donovan Moore, but conveniently left out the fact that she killed him, though the way that she spoke of him, one could assume that she’d taken care of him one way or another.

If it was anyone else Sam would have been either hitting them or arresting them Sara didn’t get either as she told him there was more than one group doing it. He wanted to yell, scream or throw more snowballs but he didn’t. Sam exhaled and put his fingers up to the bridge to his nose and shook his head. She didn’t throw the snowball back but she was willing to help him now and that made all the difference.

Once she filled him in on what she seemed to know Sam called in some of the information but stopped short when she mentioned the lead suspects name, ”Donnie we think skipped town.” Sam said simply enough because even with the current information they had Donovan Moore seemed to drop off the face of the earth there was no sight or sign from him. Sam looked to Sara and his nostrils flared at the woman while she continued to unload the van.

”Last time you saw him? Donovan Moore, I mean.” Sam asked due to her tone moments before setting him on a trail of suspicion. For all he knew Sara was the last person to see him before he vanished. ”Not getting off the hook that easily, you might not need help and can do everything on your own but there is a time crunch here and I’d like it very much so if you can help me. And by me I mean the kids and loved ones whose family members are currently missing and or dead.”

Donnie. Really? Slick had a nick name for the criminal. Sam went on and on and did he really have to bring up the fact that it wasn't just the police that Sara would be helping but the victims. If it was anyone else lecturing Sara, for any other reason, she'd leave. "I know. Alright?" Sara said a little more up tight than she was a moment ago. Come on. Sam knew that anything with children got to her. She was a criminal and a mutant, who had gone into burning building with him because of children. It was just something that she never could explain.

Sara decided to give Sam a little more information. Before she had left out the fact that some of the suspects were dead, but if it saved time, she didn't care about getting reamed out anymore by him. "Well you can eliminate Donovan... Donnie.." Sara corrected. "You can take Jack off of the current list as well. They didn't skip town. They're dead." Sara didn't leave a lot of time of that information to sink in before she moved in. "Those were two smugglers who I knew of. That's why I had thought that the situation was under control."

Boy. She was just batting 1000 today with CS. What was she supposed to do though? "So yeah. I can show you the crime scenes and the houses that had been used for smuggling in the past, but I don't know how much help that will be." Sara shrugged trying to regain her normal composure now that Sam had her feeling off balance. "You got a ride or do you want to have me drive?" Sara asked indicating her van with a tilt her and feeling more and more awkward.

It was a low blow using the kids to get Sara to cooperate with him but it was important life and death situations called for drastic measures and this was one of them. Sam had known for a while that kids was Sara’s soft spot. Unfortunately for Sam when he got Sara to agree to help he didn’t know she was going to tell him what happed to his lead suspect or second lead for that matter. Sam stared at her for a second wishing he didn’t hear what he just did. ”Wait…. He and Jack both?” Sam turned away from her a let a string of cuss words exit his mouth as his brain tried to figure out what was the next step. ”You killed them?” it wasn’t a question she just told him she did he was just dumbfounded.

”You killed the number one suspect and one of the guys he works with?” Sam frowned and placed his hands over his face in hopes to wipe away the stress he was currently feeling. ”Where are they? The bodies I mean? Cause right now we have half the city’s police force looking for a dead guy.” he paused for a second then turned back to face her, ”When did you kill them and when did you find out what was going on?” he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer but the devil lies in the details so to speak.

”They were just two smugglers!” Sam said, ”Form what I was told Donovan wasn’t the smartest guy in the world, did you even ask if he was in charge?” he was upset and yelling now and his hand waving with each word was more than enough to tell Sara he was way past upset. ”You know what kind of situation you put me in?” Sam asked rhetorically not exactly sure if Sara really cared.

Not waiting to hear an answer Sam walked over to Sara’s van slammed his head (somewhat softly) on the side panel hard enough to make a loud thud, ”You drive I’ll get my car later!” Sam said opening the van door on the passenger side and slammed it behind him once he was seated. ”Take me there! One then the other, I trust your paw prints aren’t all over?” Sam asked angrily hoping they weren’t. Because it was bad enough he had to lie about how two of the suspects died to the police to protect Sara but if he had to wipe evidence to keep her out of line of fire Sam was going to have an even worse day than it was shaping up to be.

Sam started going through what could have easily been mistaken for seizures as he through his hands in the air. Sara would have answered his question about killing both Jack and Donovan because she only killed one of the suspects, but as soon as she had opened her mouth to say something, Sam was at her again so she just stood there with her arms crossed, hips slanted, and her tail twitching.

Sam finally finished and opened the door to Sara's van, told her she was driving, and got in. Now was probably not the best time to admit to Sam that she drove without a license so she slid in the drivers seat. A moment ago Sara had opened her mouth to talk a couple of times, but Sam had continued so she'd staid quiet, however Sam still had some questions, rhetorical or not, that needed answering and after an awkward pause that was only filled with the sound of the van's engine turning over, Sara decided to start her own part of the conversation. "As a matter of fact my paw prints are all over the crime scenes... I own the properties where their deaths took place." Sara said. Clearly not happy about the use of the word paw in his sentence. She spoke the truth and for a moment didn't mind giving Sam the extra stress because of his words. Sara did her best not to show it that often, but she hated what she looked like. "My blood too but my blood can probably be found over half this city if anyone cared to look." Because other people hated what she looked like too.

Sara pulled the van out of the warehouse, she took a moment to get out in the heavily misting rain to close the large sliding doors of the building, then hopped back inside, buckled up, and pressed the gas. "Jack was killed about two months ago. Donovan Moore was killed about three months ago." Sara eased out of the drive, hung a right. The van bumped up and down off of the dirt road, then smoothed out as it made it over the blacktop road. "I only killed Mr. Moore. Jack was killed my another mutants who was reptilian with a blade like tail and spoke in broken English. I don't know how the mutant had found out that Jack smuggled Children, but when he did, he asked few questions and attacked first." If it wasn't for Sara's healing mutation, Sara would have died that day a month ago. She didn't realize that she had pulled her left had away from the wheel and rested it on the bare part of her fur covered stomach. "The mutant thought that I was involved then turned on me, so we didn't have a lot of collaboration. We'll check that place out first."

"Donovan's story was a little more complicated." Sara pulled the van up to a four way stop. She twisted in her bucket seat to reach for something in the back. Sara retrieved a padded envelope and tried handing it to Sam. It was addressed to a Samantha Higgins but it seemed when Sara had sent it, that the young woman had moved because return to sender was printed across the top as well as a stamp the post office had put on it explaining that Samantha Higgins had moved and not left a forwarding address. Inside the wallet was Samantha's driver's license, a few small bills, a beat up library card, a college ID, and a few credit cards. "Here." If Sam checked the dates he'd see that Sara had sent the package quite a while ago, but the fact was that she had only recently gotten it back. With some of the new information that Sam had just yelled at her, she was starting to be concerned for Samantha again.

Sara pulled away from the stop sign, leaving the envelope and it's contens with Sam. "Three months ago, Pluto, alerted me to the fact that my under ground storage business was being used for smuggling people. Samantha was found alive in one of my units. Once we made sure that she was safe, we reacted from there."