A Home for Lost Boys

~Fourteen~

{Possible trigger warnings: swearing, talking about JJ's threats

If I miss something, I apologize and please let me know}

Roman sat against the large willow trunk, head tipped back and staring up through the branches at the mostly covered stars.

He'd been berating himself ever since the group escorted him out of the Sanctuary. He should have known this would happen, he should have seen JJ's play.

"I'm so f*cking stupid."

"I won't argue with that."

Roman lifted his head up off the trunk, sighing as he saw two figures slip through the willow branches. 

"How'd he spin it?" He pulled his legs up into a cross-legged position. "What horrible atrocity did I attempt?"

"Oh he just said you saw him and took a swing right away." Virgil shrugged, crossing his arms. "Nothing fancy."

"What actually happened?" Logan asked.

Roman sighed heavily and leaned back again. "He's going to burn the place down."

The two exchanged a surprised glance. 

"His plan is to kill everyone and raze the place, making Patton watch - oh, and me because he's disgusting - and then kill us at the end." Roman sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "He sounded so freaking happy about it, and I saw red."

"And you punched him with your claws out. Wonderful move hairball, really." Virgil snorted.

"Shut up." Roman sighed tiredly. "I know I was an idiot, I don't need the commentary."

He groaned and leaned forward, running his hands over his face and cursing a few times under his breath.

"Perhaps this is for the best."

Roman's head shot up and he stared at Logan, who was looking off at nothing with a serious expression. He glanced at Virgil, who looked as confused as he felt.

"Explain?" Virgil finally requested.

Logan tilted his head, as if he were still thinking through it. "They expect to have no contenders. They think they've gotten rid of their biggest threat... Virgil and I can monitor them, pass on information to you, and keep you in the fight without... keeping you in the fight, in the front lines sense."

"Taeda's a pain in the a** by the way." Virgil muttered.

"I'm well aware." Roman shook his head. "Logan, do you think that would work?"

Logan adjusted his glasses. "I believe it could. You have an 'enemy' informant," he gestured to Virgil, then to himself as he continued. "Someone on your side, and now we have someone out here. You're one of the most urbanized people in the Sanctuary, you have to know others who are outside that we can bring in."

Several names came to mind, but Roman pushed them away. Those were all people he was not on speaking terms with anymore.

"I might be able to find some people, but people like me don't exactly do well with making friends."

"Anything helps." Logan shrugged.

Roman grunted. "I'll think about it... you should get back to the Sanctuary. Shall we make this a regular thing?"

"I may not be able to get out every night." Virgil shook his head. "If you want me to play the part of spy, I'll have to be careful."

"As long as you can get information to Logan you should be fine." Roman nodded, standing and running a hand through his hair. "I won't keep you guys, you should get home."

They turned to go, but Virgil paused and turned back to him as Logan slipped out between the willow branches.

"It's your home too, Roman. We'll get you back."

Roman blinked in surprise, then nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Virgil offered a tiny smile, then disappeared into the night.

~~~ Two Days Later ~~~

"No one else yet." Virgil reported, crossing his arms as he sat on a tree stump. "I'm starting to get a feeling he's waiting for something big, or someone."

Roman nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't think I ever met his full team. I told you the ones I knew."

"And that gives us an advantage of knowing some of it." Logan nodded. "But we have another problem."

The other two looked at him.

"He's gotten Remy on his side."

"Sh*t. Really?" Roman blinked a few times. "D*mn."

If they lost Remy, that meant that they probably didn't have Deceit either.

"We are dead in the water." Virgil grumbled. "We've got Emile, maybe, and Remus, maybe. And the three of us."

Roman walked away from the other two as Logan chided Virgil for his pessimism. He ran through scenarios in his head, trying to figure out something he could do to help.

Everything was leading back to the same plan, and it was very much one he didn't like.

"Roman? What's goin' on up there?"

Virgil and Logan were watching him quietly when he turned around. Roman sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face.

"I've got an idea." He said slowly, still working through the logistics of it. "I don't like it, I don't want to do it, but I think it's our only option."

"Would you like to talk us through it?" Logan raised his eyebrows.

Roman puffed his cheeks out as he sighed. "Well, JJ is bringing his team in. There's no shortage of creatures outside the Sanctuary that hate him, and there's a... specific group that would probably be very helpful."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that they don't like you." Virgil snorted.

"Three guesses, the first two don't count." Roman nodded. "They won't be happy to see me, they won't want to help... but I might be able to convince them to anyway."

"But there's a problem with this?" Logan raised his eyebrows. 

"Well I have to go into the city... and I certainly don't want to go alone. I also probably have to apologize for some very unpleasant things."

Logan and Virgil exchanged glances. 

"Alright, before we get into that I want to know something." Logan adjusted his grip on his notepad. "How large is JJ when he's shifted?"

There it was. Roman hated explaining this part.

"Well. I don't know. Werewolves grow with their actions, the more killing and aggression, the more muscle mass and height... the last time I saw JJ he was taller than a horse when standing. He's probably bigger."

Logan wrote that down, then looked up at Roman. "And you?"

Roman steeled himself and quietly answered.

"About the same size."

There was silence for a few moments. Then Logan put his notebook away and nodded. "Let's talk through convincing that group of people to help."