He'd figured they would have to answer to the rest of the team eventually. Yeah, Sensei could now confirm that Hunter wasn't delusional when he said the wolf turned into Cam when no one else was around. And yeah, Cam had gotten his virtual replicant back online, so Ninja Ops was once again being overseen by a geeky tech type who could fix things that no one else knew were broken. And Lothor hadn't even bothered to annoy the hell out of them with a giant rampaging alien since yesterday.

Still, the rest of the team hadn't actually seen Cam since... well, probably since practice Monday afternoon. The day before his uncle had caught him alone and decided that he'd look better in fur. That was a long time for them, and as much as Hunter tried to ignore it, they were all pretty close. So he'd guessed they'd probably gang up on him for real answers at some point.

He just hadn't expected it to be tonight.

It was like an intervention. Or maybe more like parents waiting up for the kids out past curfew for the second night in a row. He surveyed Ninja Ops with a combination of amusement and annoyance, absently noting Cam's stiffness at his side and silently congratulating him for hanging on to his human form. So far so good.

"What the hell happened to you?" Blake blurted out, striding across the room to confront them where they had stopped at the bottom of the stairs. His bro looked well and truly pissed. A quick glance at Cam revealed an almost identical expression on his face--directed at Blake.

Hunter tried to shrug. "Got into a scuffle," he said, as casually as he could. "What's everyone doing here?" he added, frowning around at the rest of the Rangers. Part of him found their presence funny, while another part said that they were the last thing he needed right now. "Isn't it kinda late for a school night?"

"What are we doing here?" Blake repeated incredulously. "We were trying to find you! Did it ever occur to you to leave a note or something? What if Cam ran off and you couldn't make it back here and we didn't even know where to look for you!"

"He told you where we were going," Cam snapped. "You of all people could have found us if you needed to."

"Cam," Hunter said with a sigh. He doubted Blake would have told the others that he knew where they were. And this new tendency to defend him no matter what the circumstance was kind of embarrassing. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Cam snarled. He sounded just as angry with Hunter as he had with Blake. "Don't you get it? They think I did this."

Hunter just stared at him, not understanding. It had been his idea to leave Ninja Ops in the first place. He had been the one to talk Cam into it, and if Cam hadn't bothered to tell anyone they were going, well, Hunter hadn't exactly tried to spread the word either.

"They think I attacked you," Cam spat, "and it's just your amazing skill that kept you alive. When in reality the only skill you displayed was how to successfully antagonize every person who came within twenty feet of you! Myself included!"

"Hey, whoa," Hunter said, glancing at Blake and then around at the rest of the team. "Cam didn't attack me. That's crazy. Is that really what you thought?"

Arms folded, Blake informed him, "That's what it looks like, bro."

Behind him, Hunter could see Dustin and Tori exchanging glances from opposite sides of the table. Shane was standing at one end, and he shrugged when Hunter caught his eye. "You went out with a wolf, you came back with wolf-inflicted injuries," he pointed out. "What were we supposed to think?

"No offense, Cam," Shane added, apparently as an afterthought.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of hearing that," Cam growled, before Hunter could reply. "Okay, I periodically turn into a wolf. I'm still me, and I'm not going to go around mauling any of you for no reason."

"You bit Hunter," Blake said bluntly.

"Oh, like you've never wanted to do that," Cam retorted. "He's completely obnoxious!"

"Hey!" Hunter protested. Shane laughed outright, and he saw Dustin and Tori smirking at each other before they realized he was watching. Only Blake didn't look appeased.

"If it wasn't Cam," he demanded, "then what happened?"

"It was Cam's girlfriend," Hunter told him. "She was jealous."

"Shut up," Cam snapped. If the response wasn't quite worthy of his usual cleverness, it still made the other Rangers snicker.

Sensei was absent, Hunter realized suddenly. Everyone was here except for Cam's father. He was pretty sure an intervention wasn't complete without family members. "Where's Sensei?"

"He's off in one of the meditation rooms or something," Dustin volunteered. "He said something about, I dunno, Cam not wanting to see him or something?"

Hunter gave Cam a sideways glance, but he just sighed. "Of course I want to see him. He's my father."

"Hey, I have an idea," Hunter said abruptly. "Why don't you talk to your dad and, y'know, tell everyone what's going on, and I'll go... change my shirt." It was the most polite thing he could think of to say, even if he didn't actually have any other shirt to change into.

It didn't work. Blake and Cam gave him twin looks of disgust, like he had just said something so stupid they couldn't believe it. It was Tori who spoke first, though, and she was more tactful than either of them would have been.

"I think you're probably going to need someone to help you with that," she pointed out.

"You volunteering?" Hunter asked quickly.

Tori looked surprised, but she shrugged and pushed herself to her feet. "Sure," she agreed. "But you'll have to give me your version of the story, 'cause I don't want to miss this."

He could feel Cam glaring at him, but he didn't really want Cam touching him right now--especially with everyone watching, which was just what would happen if they both tried to leave. "Done," he told Tori.

"Be right back," she added, though whether to someone in particular or the room at large it was impossible to tell.

He hadn't expected it to be so hard to walk away from Cam. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before, after all. And this time Cam was with other people. That should help, right? He wanted to think so. But maybe that was exactly why he was nervous. He'd seen how Cam acted at the community center, and that kind of thing wasn't going to cut it at Ninja Ops.

On the other hand, Cam seemed way more civil now than he had then. Maybe he'd be fine. Maybe he'd be better if he didn't have to stand there smelling blood the whole time, Hunter thought with a sigh. He knew it was making Cam restless, whether Cam knew why he was so jumpy or not. But he hadn't dared leave too quickly after a fight like that in case someone took it as a sign of weakness.

"Do you even have another shirt here?" Tori asked, interrupting his musing.

He gave her a guilty look. "No," he admitted. "I was thinking I could steal one of Cam's."

"He locks his door," she replied immediately.

Hunter gave her a suspicious look. "How do you know that?"

Tori just smiled. "Academy secret," she told him.

"Right." He waited, but she didn't give, so he added, "Well, it's not locked anymore. He can't unlock it when he's a wolf, so he left it open."

"Maybe you should clean up first," she suggested, eyeing him. "Unless you want to leave bloody fingerprints all over Cam's room."

He thought that would be kind of funny, in the way that Cam would probably be justified in killing him if he actually did it. She was right, though, so he followed her into one of the treatment rooms and almost forgot to turn on the light. The regular light--not a flashlight, or a red light, but the real bright lights that normal people used. It was a little strange.

Tori didn't waste any time beginning her interrogation. She also patched him up better than he could have done himself, so he figured it was a fair trade. With the added bonus that she looked pretty but totally unsexy while she was doing it. He figured he was the only guy on the team, bar one, that would think that in the first place, let alone consider it a plus. But it gave his nerves a rest, and he couldn't even tell her how much he appreciated that.

He did tell her about the community center. He was pretty sure Blake would tell the others, after Cam had given him away like that, and they might as well know. Sensei was the only one he wouldn't be able to intimidate into silence on the subject if he had to, but he didn't think Sensei would be hearing about it tonight. He wasn't the type to sulk: if he said he didn't think his son wanted to see him, then he really thought that, and he wouldn't force the issue no matter what Cam said.

He didn't tell her about the whole dominance thing. He didn't think Cam would be bringing it up either. And he definitely didn't tell her that the injuries she was cleaning up for him had been the result of a lucky coincidence. If Cam hadn't found someone to fight... if he hadn't found someone to fight--

He was trying not to think about it.

Rooting through Cam's clothes really didn't help, but at least Tori waited outside. She seemed to be getting a scary amount of enjoyment out of helping him invade Cam's space. She was full of gleeful predictions about what Cam was going to do to him for it, but she never once raised a serious objection. That made him a little nervous, since Tori was usually pretty protective of Cam, but he figured maybe she just thought they were closer now than they'd been a few days ago.

They were, he thought grimly. Too close. And why did Cam wear jeans that were too big for him, anyway? He rolled up everything he owned: sleeves, pant legs, it was ridiculous. It wasn't like he was getting hand-me-downs from older siblings. He had to be buying them that way on purpose.

Tori grinned when he emerged, empty-handed. Tori had tossed his old t-shirt, and he'd left his jeans in Cam's room. That was going to tick him off even more when he found them, but Hunter wasn't planning to carry clothes around all evening.

"Cam's gonna kill you," Tori said happily. He was really starting to worry about her obvious delight.

"You're awfully excited about it," he grumbled, eyeing her suspiciously.

She didn't stop grinning. "Ongoing academy challenge," she told him. "Who can make Cam crack? There's a pool," she added confidentially. "We've kept it up, you know--for the sake of tradition. Shane thinks it's going to be Sensei. Dustin says it's me." She rolled her eyes, making it clear what she thought of that idea. "I bet on you."

It took him a moment to get past the fact that the Wind Rangers were weirdly in the know about a school they'd almost washed out of. He was also kind of bothered that Cam was apparently the subject of so much of the gossip. Then his brain caught up with her words.

"Me?" he repeated. He glanced sideways at her as they made their way back to the control room. "You think I'm gonna make Cam crack?"

"I think you already have," she said lightly. "He likes you, you know."

Hunter stopped where he was, staring at her as she walked a couple of steps and then turned. "What?" she asked, holding her hands out to the sides. "You're the only one he takes seriously when you ask questions. That's like him admitting that he thinks you're smart, and coming from Cam, there's no greater compliment."

He was pretty sure that wasn't it, actually. Cam didn't have that much respect for his intelligence. But Hunter didn't tease him about being smart, either, which the rest of the Rangers did, and Hunter figured that was why he got special treatment.

It wasn't like he hadn't noticed. Tori was right, Cam answered his questions seriously and without rolling his eyes, and that set him apart from everyone else on the team. It was the only reason he asked questions in the first place, since an eye-roll or two would have shut him up real fast. He didn't appreciate being mocked.

Maybe that was why he didn't tease of Cam. He didn't know, he'd never really thought about it... but he didn't want Cam to make fun of him. So he didn't invite it by doing it to him. As long as the strategy achieved its intended result, he didn't pay much attention to it. Or to anyone who might be wondering about it.

"Cam doesn't think any of us are smart," Hunter said abruptly, realizing Tori was still waiting for his reaction. He caught up with her and they started toward the control room again. "Come on. He's probably written more than I've ever read."

"He likes you," she repeated firmly. "Which is good, because he has to like someone on the team." Giving him an apologetic look, she added, "Especially now."

"He's not gonna hurt anyone," Hunter muttered. Even he knew it wasn't convincing.

"If he hurt you," Tori countered, "he could hurt any of us. He won't mean to do it, but we all know he's dangerous right now. And from what you've said about the people at the community center, he could be like this for a while."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. Cam's different." This he was more sure about. "He's been getting clearer all day, and he's been human most of the afternoon. I think maybe his amulet's counteracting the dark ninja powers somehow."

"You keep saying that," Cam's voice interrupted.

Hunter started. He had seen most of the team gathered on the other side of the control room and had just assumed Cam was with them. But before they even walked through the doors, he stepped out of the corner and folded his arms. "Why do you think the amulet has anything to do with it?"

"Well, for one thing, it keeps glowing," Hunter told him. "And you said it was warm. That's weird, right? It must be doing something."

"Cam's testing it," Shane volunteered, coming around the table to join them by the door. The others drifted in their direction too. "He said the same thing."

Cam glared at him. Hunter was distracted by the fact that Cam wasn't wearing the amulet anymore, which he felt intuitively was a bad thing, but what did he know? If Cam agreed with him, he wouldn't have taken it off in the first place.

He caught Blake giving him an odd look, but he didn't get why until Dustin asked, "Dude, do you keep spare clothes in the training rooms?"

Oh. Right. He shot Cam a guilty look, but he just raised his eyebrows in return.

"Uh, I kind of borrowed some of your clothes," Hunter muttered. "That okay?"

"Traditionally one asks before rather than after," Cam informed him. "It's something to keep in mind."

"Okay, you and Cam are not the same size," Shane said, looking from one of them to the other as if to make sure.

"Yeah, they actually fit you," Blake cracked. Then he caught Cam's eye and sobered quickly. "I mean... sorry."

"Don't you have homes?" Cam wanted to know. "Parents, siblings, people who expect you to periodically put in an appearance? Curfews? Or is that just wishful thinking?"

Blake just folded his arms, but the Wind Rangers started looking at each other worriedly. Hunter watched in amusement as a few pointed questions from Cam sent them scrambling. He was obviously back to normal enough for them, even if Shane did call back that they were going to talk about the city wolf population later.

Hunter glanced at Blake as they left. "Sorry about the community center thing," he said under his breath. "You told Shane and Dustin, huh?"

Blake shrugged, watching them go. "Nah, it's fine. They're not gonna go storm the place or anything. You tell Tori?"

"Yeah." Hunter echoed his shrug. "I figured she should know if they did."

"Yeah, and she questions like no one's business," Blake added with a grin. "Didn't think you'd be able to stand up to her one on one anyway."

"If the community center was supposed to be a secret," Cam interrupted, "someone could have told me before I called Blake on it in front of the Winds."

"The fact that we never told you didn't tip you off?" Blake wanted to know.

"It's fine," Hunter put in. "It's probably not gonna be the last time we're there, anyway."

"Oh?" Blake and Cam spoke at the same time, interrupting the arch looks they were giving him to glare at each other in annoyance.

"So what really happened?" Blake demanded, giving Cam a once-over. "You look fine. How'd you manage to stay out of trouble if Hunter got beaten up?"

"I told you," Cam said. He looked more sullen than impatient, and the look he gave Hunter said he still hadn't forgiven him. "Your brother was determined to take the guy alone."

"I told him to stay out of it," Hunter agreed, ignoring Cam's expression. "It wasn't his fault."

"And you listened to him?" Blake sounded skeptical. "When have you ever stayed out of a fight for anyone less than Sensei? Even before you were a Ranger?"

Cam crossed his arms, unconsciously echoing Blake's posture. "I was busy," he muttered.

"He was fighting another wolf at the time," Hunter added. Yeah. Dominance definitely hadn't come up in Cam's version of the story.

Blake was looking at Cam suspiciously. "And you're fine?" he repeated.

"I do know how to fight," Cam snapped.

"Hey," Hunter protested, hearing the unspoken comparison whether Cam had meant it that way or not. "The teeth and claws gave you an advantage."

"And your electric shock therapy didn't?" Cam retorted. "What happened to not demonstrating our ninja abilities?"

"I told you not to show off," Hunter corrected. "They already knew Blake and I are ninjas. I was hoping you could pass for normal, 'cause in case you didn't notice, they don't exactly like us."

"Really," Cam deadpanned. "I thought they were that friendly and welcoming to everyone."

"It's not a support group," Hunter told him. "It's a freakin' wolf pack. They want to know where we fit in. They must have figured you were guilty of the ninja thing by association."

Blake cleared his throat, and Hunter gave him a look. "You got something to say?"

"Yeah, maybe it's because he looks like a ninja," Blake retorted. "I told you they'd know the second he walked through the door."

"I don't look like a ninja," Cam said impatiently. "Ninjas don't even have a look."

"See?" Hunter smirked at his brother. "Thank you," he added, tossing the words in Cam's direction.

"You didn't say there wasn't a look," Blake retorted. "You just said Cam didn't have it."

Now he was in trouble. He could feel Cam glaring at him without even seeing it. "I didn't say that," he muttered, not looking at Cam. "Not exactly."

Blake snorted, but mercifully he didn't mention the "computer geek" part of the conversation. "So are you coming back to the apartment tonight, or what?"

This probably wasn't going to go over well--with either of them--but it was the truth. "I'm not leaving Cam," he said bluntly. "Maybe he's getting better, but he still does weird stuff. It's safer if I'm here."

Blake frowned. He studied Cam openly, and Hunter took a quick look to see what he was staring at. Cam didn't look particularly happy, but he wasn't protesting either. When he saw Hunter look at him, though, he sighed.

"What do you want me to say? That I don't trust me alone in Ninja Ops either? Fine, I don't. I think it's better if Hunter's here. He'll probably drive me crazy by morning, but at least I'll be so distracted that I won't have time to rewrite the security protocols."

Hunter shrugged when Blake gave him a questioning look. He hadn't been sure that Cam would agree with him, actually. He was acting more like himself every minute, and he had half-thought Cam might argue the idea that he still couldn't be left alone.

"Okay," Blake said, shaking his head. "You want me to bring you anything?"

"Nah, it's fine." His bro had already gone out of his way, and Hunter wasn't gonna ask him to keep running back and forth. "I'll stop by tomorrow before work."

He didn't look at Cam when he said it. Neither did Blake, which he guessed meant that Cam didn't look horrified. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he needed to get back to work and he was starting to get pretty sick of Ninja Ops. He hoped Cam would be fine tomorrow.

Mostly, he hoped that.

At least Blake didn't look skeptical. "See you tomorrow, then."

He offered his hand, and Hunter clasped it automatically. "'Night, bro."

"'Night," Blake replied. "See ya, Cam."

Cam just nodded in mute acknowledgement.

Blake headed for the stairs without looking back. Hunter didn't move until he was gone, and then he stayed there a few seconds longer. He had no idea what to say to Cam, so maybe he just wouldn't say anything.

Until he heard Cam whisper in his ear, "So you're going to spend the night for my own good, hmm?"

He spun, eyes wide as he stepped back. "Geez, Cam," he snapped. "Could you not sneak up on me like that?" He searched Cam's expression for some hint of humor, for any indication that his words were the joke he knew they had to be.

Instead he met gold eyes that glowed softly in the dimness, coming closer even as he backed away. Stalking him. It was a disturbing thought, and he made himself stop where he was. "Cam," he said sternly. "Back off."

Cam just smiled, and weirdly that made him nervous. He didn't back off--he got in Hunter's face and stayed there. "Make me."

"Cam--"

"You asked if I could hurt you," Cam said softly. The words stopped him faster than Cam's closeness, and yeah, now he was worried. Cam's gaze flickered across his face before catching his eye again. "Now I'm asking you... Can you hurt me?"

"Yeah," he breathed, and then he closed his eyes for a moment. That was supposed to sound a lot more determined. "Yeah," he repeated, louder. "I can."

"Really," Cam murmured. He felt Cam's mouth brush against his, and then, "I don't believe you."

Shit. This was so not good. He really wanted that kiss, wanted it back, wanted it to go on, and he couldn't even make himself open his eyes. Cam's lips found his again. He didn't move, trying to tell himself that this didn't matter. It was too gentle. It didn't compromise his authority. It was just--

Cam. Ignoring him to do whatever he wanted.

Shit.

His eyes opened of their own accord, and he put his hands on Cam's shoulders. Pushing him away was easy, and for a moment he was relieved. Then he saw the hurt look on Cam's face. God, there was no way to win around here.

"Cam..." He tried not to sigh. He felt like such a loser here. "Do you get why I can't do this?"

Cam was staring down at the floor, but he hadn't stepped out of Hunter's grip. "No," he said quietly.

Okay. Well, that was straight up.

"Someone has to be in control of the wolf," Hunter said, watching his expression carefully. "If it's not you, it's gotta be me." Which wasn't fair. In fact, it totally sucked. But he knew, honestly, that if Cam was in control of himself, he probably wouldn't be coming on to Hunter. So the only reason he was doing this was the only reason Hunter couldn't enjoy it.

Life, he thought bitterly, was really unfair.

"So kiss me," Cam whispered.

Hunter stared at him, but he didn't look up. "What?"

"You think someone's going to die if you lose control," Cam said flatly. "Fine. Maybe you're right. But this is the first time I've ever been able to give up control." He lifted his head then, but there was no challenge in the pleading look he gave Hunter. "If I can't kiss you... kiss me."

He shouldn't. For so many reasons, he shouldn't. The least of those reasons was that Cam was still telling him to do it, whether he was the one initiating the kiss or not. The most important of them was that Cam's abruptly different demeanor the moment Blake left meant that he couldn't be trusted--and if Cam was trying to seduce him, it was gonna be a hell of a lot easier once they started kissing then it was right now.

Somewhere in the middle was the fact that Cam probably wouldn't be speaking to him for quite a while once he was back to normal, and anything Hunter did now would only prolong the silent treatment.

"Please," Cam said softly.

Damn. He didn't think Cam had ever said that to him before, and he felt like a sucker but he couldn't just ignore it. Some head of the pack he was.

Hands still on Cam's shoulders, he took a single step forward and lowered his head. Their lips met carefully, gently, and he tried to enjoy it even while every sense was on alert for signs of rebellion. Half of him still thought this was some ploy to get the upper hand. The other half was telling him to shut up and take advantage of the situation already.

Cam didn't move. He stood very still, allowing the kiss like he didn't dare do anything else. His eyes were closed, head tilted, mouth slightly open but not enough that it seemed like he expected anything. He was keeping his end of the bargain perfectly. Being a good wolf.

Hunter didn't buy it--but he couldn't help liking it.

He drew back, telling himself not to push it. He couldn't very well let Cam set the pace if Cam wasn't allowed to kiss him. Cam wasn't complaining, though. He opened his eyes halfway, and the glow didn't even seem weird anymore. He just waited, and Hunter leaned in again before he could change his mind.

Was it really just yesterday that he had been questioning this? Now he wanted it so badly he was willing to risk Cam's future wrath for nothing but the chance to kiss. Damn. There was no way this could end well. And he didn't care.

Cam kissed pretty well for someone who wasn't actually doing anything, he thought distantly. His hand was drifting on Cam's shoulder, brushing against his neck, sliding up to stroke his hair when Cam didn't protest. A nibble on his lower lip made Cam's breath hitch, his mouth opened a little more, and Hunter's tongue slid in and back out faster than he could think about it. Cam was gonna kill him.

But he didn't. He just tilted his head into the hand caressing his hair. Hunter's other hand lost its grip when he leaned a little closer, slipping down over his shoulder and around his back. He pressed his tongue against Cam's lips, taking a slower route into his mouth this time, and Cam made a small, quiet sound that didn't sound like a complaint.

Just like that, it hit him. He was making out with Cam. He was standing here, in the middle of Ninja Ops, making out with the team's tech guy.

It was fun.

It'd be a lot more fun if Cam would kiss him back.

He drew back reluctantly, and this time the sound Cam made was definitely a protest. It made Hunter's lips twitch, smiling a little at the petulant look he got in return. Unable to resist, he stroked Cam's cheek with his thumb, and the tender gesture didn't earn him any points with the guy who had done everything he asked and now wasn't even getting anything out of it.

"You don't really want this," Hunter told him quietly. He didn't like saying it, but there it was and it wasn't going away.

Cam's eyes narrowed. "What part of 'please kiss me' wasn't clear to you?" he demanded. He didn't pull out of the half-embrace, and Hunter was seriously tempted to just forget the whole thing and really kiss him.

"Tomorrow," he said determinedly. "Or whenever. You're gonna finish shaking off the effects of this wolf magic thing, and you and I aren't gonna have anything to say to each other. Like always," he muttered.

"It's not magic," Cam informed him. "The dark ninja powers don't just dissipate on their own." He frowned at Hunter, which had to be tough given how close they were. "You keep saying I'm 'getting better,' but this isn't going to just go away. I'm not going to wake up one morning and suddenly be human again."

"Why not?" Hunter wanted to know. Okay, maybe it sounded kind of dumb when you put it like that, but Cam was more stubborn than he was. He'd never given up on something like this before. "The amulet's gotten you this far," he pointed out. "Why are you testing it if you don't think it can do more?"

Cam just looked at him for a long moment. Finally he said softly, "I didn't take the amulet off because I wanted to test it."

Okay, now Cam was creeping him out again. Hunter let go of him, but he deliberately didn't cross his arms. He wasn't on the defensive here. "What are you talking about?"

"My mind is clearer now," Cam told him. "I can control my moods better. I can separate myself from the wolf faster."

"Yeah," Hunter said, when he paused. "You're 'getting better.'" He put the words in quotes on purpose. "Maybe it's because of the amulet."

Cam nodded slowly. "Maybe it is," he agreed quietly. He didn't say anything else.

"So?" Hunter prompted at last. "If you figure out what the amulet's doing, maybe you can make it happen faster."

Cam was the one who folded his arms. "Maybe I don't want it to."

Hunter stared at him. He wanted to say he didn't get it, but he did. All of a sudden he knew exactly what Cam meant. He just didn't know whether to feel dread, worry, or a secret thrill at the idea.

No, no thrill. He wasn't thrilled. He was seriously worried, because this was bad. It was relatively easy to keep Cam from sabotaging Ninja Ops. It would be damn hard to keep him from sabotaging himself, if the wolf decided it didn't want to give up its hold on him after all.

"Cam," he said carefully.

"It's my decision," Cam interrupted. It was like he already knew what Hunter was going to say. "Don't tell me not to do this, because it's not your choice."

Hunter held up his hands in surrender. "It's your decision," he agreed. He couldn't tell if Cam was asking him to stay out of it because he wouldn't stop even if Hunter told him to... or because he would.

"It's your decision," he repeated after a moment. "Cam's decision," he added, watching him closely. "Not the wolf's."

"I am Cam," Cam said impatiently. "The wolf doesn't have independent decision-making capability anymore."

"Yeah?" Hunter didn't take his eyes off of Cam. "Then why did you take the amulet off? If you don't think it can make you human, then all it's doing is clearing your head. Giving the wolf less control over you. Why'd you take it off?"

"Because I'm fine," Cam told him. "I'm clear enough. I don't need any more control than I have."

"So why am I here?" Hunter prodded. "You said yourself you weren't in control and it'd be better if I stayed with you tonight. Now you're suddenly fine?"

Cam's lips curved in a smile. Hunter couldn't decide whether it was a cute look or a scary one. "Why do you think you're here?" Cam inquired. His tone of voice made it perfectly clear that it was a rhetorical question.

O-kay. He was trying not to find Cam funny, he really was. But he was just--different, now. And... it was kind of funny.

"What?" Cam was different, because that hadn't come out at all challenging or impatient or annoyed. It sounded sort of... quiet. Expectant, maybe. Oddly encouraging.

Sexy. That's what it was.

"Nothing," Hunter said quickly. No way was he gonna try and explain that. "Look, Cam--" He had no idea where he was going with that, which meant that he had to think of something, fast. "Why do you want to stay a wolf?"

Yeah, that was actually a pretty good question. Even if the wolf was influencing his decisions, which Hunter was pretty sure it was--no matter what Cam said, he'd never kissed Hunter before--he hadn't been nearly as happy about it the day before. Even this morning. What was different now?

"You hated it yesterday," Hunter said, when Cam didn't answer right away. "And I thought you were gonna take my head off at the community center tonight. Now you want to be stuck like this forever?"

Cam was staring over at the computer now. "It's not so bad," he said at last.

Hunter could only stare at him. "What happened to 'it sucks to be me'?" he wanted to know. "Seriously, Cam." He was two seconds from reaching out and taking hold of him--to do what, though, he had no idea. "Convince me it's you making this decision and not the wolf."

Cam's eyes met his briefly and then looked away again. "You want me when I'm like this," he said quietly.

Hunter opened his mouth, but it was an automatic reaction. He had been ready to bring the heat, to keep questioning Cam until he got an answer. Actually getting an answer threw him off balance. And on top of that--

And Cam thought that was a good thing?

"I wanted you before you were a wolf," he muttered. God, he should not be saying this. "It's not new. And I really don't think it's gonna go away just because your eyes stop glowing, or whatever."

He hadn't even admitted it to himself, and here he was telling Cam. That was just great. They were gonna be on really good terms when this was all over.

"Kiss me," Cam said softly.

This time Hunter didn't hesitate. He leaned in and pressed his mouth to Cam's, gently at first, then more firmly when he felt hands settle on his waist. He took a step closer, wrapping an arm around Cam's shoulders as they continued to kiss. If this was all he got, then he'd take it.

When he felt Cam's tongue brush against his lips, he didn't pull away. He was rewarded with another lick, then the teasing touch of a tongue that knew what it was doing. He wanted it, wanted the feeling of being kissed, the feeling of being wanted. If Cam could put the wolf in its place whenever he wanted, then he could prove it now, because Hunter wasn't going to stop this.

Words from the doorway stopped it. "Excuse me," Sensei's voice said calmly.

Cam yanked himself free and spun away from him, and Hunter could only stare at him for half a second before shifting his gaze to the habitat cart. Cam was still human. It was a good thing, too, because Hunter was pretty sure his reflexes weren't up for anything right now, let alone a wolf-on-guinea-pig attack.

"Dammit, Dad!" Cam sounded furious, and that just wasn't him. The swearing, too... as oddly endearing as it was, it wasn't something he pictured Cam doing. "Could you not sneak up on us like that!"

That sounded awfully familiar. And he was pretty sure he knew what Sensei's response would be. He was just as happy to let Cam take him on, because anything Sensei might have to say to him right now would be, at best, uncomplimentary.

"My apologies, Cameron," Sensei said after a long pause.

Hunter blinked. That wasn't what he'd expected.

"I was aware that the other Rangers had left," Sensei continued. "I assumed that you would have... retired from the control room by now."

The fight seemed to go out of Cam at that, and he sighed the sigh of the unfairly put-upon. "Dad, I'm not trying to avoid you. You don't have to stay out of my way."

"Perhaps," Sensei allowed. "But recently my presence has seemed to have a negative effect on you. I am only trying to spare you that... unpleasantness."

"It isn't unpleasant being a wolf," Cam said unexpectedly. Hunter gave him a sharp look that Cam either missed or ignored as he continued, "Actually, I kind of like it."

Sensei seemed to be at a loss. "I see," he said at last.

"We should have told you where we were going tonight, Sensei," Hunter said when the silence started to seem awkward, which was awfully fast. "Sorry we didn't let you know before we left."

"And where did you go?" Sensei inquired.

"It's a place for people who..." Hunter gestured vaguely, unable to come up with a plausible end to that sentence.

"Are different," Cam supplied. "Supernatural, weird, I can't even describe it. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."

Sensei's reply wasn't what he expected. "I have heard of such gatherings," he mused. "Many of the stories we tell do, after all, have their foundation in fact."

Hunter stared at him in surprise.

"Like the secret ninja societies that mete out justice to the deserving?" Cam suggested dryly.

"And the less so," Sensei agreed. He sounded almost as though he was smiling.

There was a quiet moment, and Hunter glanced from one to the other. "Well, I'll just... leave you two to talk," he said uncertainly. He wasn't sure drawing attention to himself was the best idea. He wasn't sure leaving was the best idea, either. But he didn't know what else to do, and he didn't like standing around.

"One moment, Hunter," Sensei said politely. "There is a question which I feel I must ask."

That couldn't be good. Hunter waited, stealing a sideways glance at Cam. He didn't look worried. He looked tolerantly curious. It was a familiar expression for him when Sensei was speaking.

"Based on what I witnessed when I entered the room," Sensei observed, "I assume that you are in some way involved with my son."

"Dad," Cam protested immediately.

"Look, Sensei," Hunter began, but he was interrupted.

"Please, allow me to finish." Sensei paused briefly, maybe to emphasize his apparent calm. "I do not know whether this is an emotional relationship or a purely physical one, and I am not asking you to tell me. However, I would like to know whether it began before or after Cameron's most recent encounter with Lothor."

That was a bad question. Very bad. Hunter could think of any number of embarrassing, discouraging, and otherwise negative conversations that could result from his answer. Some bad for him, some bad for Cam... most bad for both of them, actually.

Cam spoke up before he could decide what to say. "Before," he told his dad. "We've been dating for a couple of weeks, okay? There was just--" He shrugged a little. "Never really a good time to mention it."

Hunter was careful not to look at him, and he even managed to nod when Sensei gave him an inquiring look. "Sorry, Sensei," he mumbled. "We didn't want the whole team to know." Because there wasn't anything to know.

But Sensei was nodding slowly, kind of like he understood. "It is a difficult thing," he said seriously. "To maintain team relations in such close quarters and under such trying circumstances. You have all done a commendable job of it thus far."

Now he couldn't help looking at Cam. What was that supposed to mean? He wasn't sure he even knew what Sensei was talking about, let alone whether it was positive or negative. Probably not positive, he guessed.

"Thanks, Dad." Cam sounded like it was positive. On the other hand, Cam had just demonstrated his ability to lie convincingly for the third time since they got back to Ninja Ops. So who knew what he was thinking.

"It's been kind of a long day," he was saying. "I could really use some sleep."

"Of course," Sensei agreed. "I wish you an untroubled rest."

"You too, Dad." The words were tossed over his shoulder as he headed for the door, moving almost before Hunter realized he was leaving. He went after him, then stopped as Sensei called out to Cam.

"Should you not take your amulet, Cameron?"

Cam turned halfway, like it wasn't really that important. "I'm just running some tests on it, Dad. They won't be done for another hour or so."

Hunter saw Sensei nod in understanding. Then Cam was gone, and he followed quickly, wondering if it was possible that Cam had had this much trouble with the truth before and he just hadn't noticed. They tended to take Cam's word for stuff a lot. But it wasn't like he'd ever given them a reason not to.

He didn't know what to say, so he just followed Cam back to his room and then hesitated in the doorway, surprised that Cam had just walked in. He hadn't said good night. He hadn't closed the door. But he couldn't really expect Hunter to come in, either--could he?

"Come in," Cam called impatiently. "What are you, vampiric all of a sudden?"

"Very funny," Hunter muttered, stepping inside.

"Were there werewolves at the community center?" Cam had flipped on the lowest level light there was, dropped Hunter's sunglasses on the bureau, and turned around to confront him. "Tonight, I mean?"

Hunter just looked at him, trying to catch up. "What?"

Cam gave him a look like he was being deliberately slow. He didn't repeat the question, either, which was weirdly familiar of him. Hunter had heard him perfectly well, he just hadn't processed the words yet. He hadn't expected Cam to know that.

"Maybe," he said at last. The community center. Werewolves. How should he know? "They're not as drawn to it as the others are. They're mostly loners."

"But there could have been," Cam pressed.

"Sure," Hunter said with a shrug. "Can't tell by looking."

"The stories say you become a werewolf if you get bitten by one." Cam was strangely focused on werewolves all of a sudden. "Is that true?"

Hunter raised his eyebrows. "Usually if you get bitten by a werewolf, you die," he pointed out. "They don't go around nicking people for the fun of it."

Cam nodded at him, eyes settling somewhere on Hunter's chest. "Yours did."

"Wasn't a werewolf," Hunter told him. "Changed too fast, no transition. He didn't bite me, anyway."

"You didn't know he wasn't a werewolf when you took him on," Cam said, lifting his eyes to Hunter's and making it sound like a question.

Hunter shook his head slowly. He didn't like the way this conversation was going.

Cam's look said he expected Hunter to understand. "Why would you do that?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time?" Hunter countered lamely.

Cam looked annoyed by that answer, and Hunter didn't blame him.

"Look," he said, before Cam could say anything. "I wanted you to feel... I don't know, less alone," he mumbled. "Maybe that was stupid. But we were there, either way, and you have to act a certain way to fit in. Just like anywhere else. So I did. So did you."

"But for me..." Cam hesitated, just for a moment. "It was instinct," he said uncomfortably. He frowned at Hunter, and for the first time Hunter realized what he was doing. When Cam doubted himself, he hassled the rest of them. It had never been quite as obvious as it was now.

"It wasn't instinctive for you," Cam was saying, oblivious to his revelation. "You decided to do everything you did. Including letting a guy who could have killed you goad you into a fight."

Hunter tried not to roll his eyes. "They don't go around killing each other," he informed Cam. "It's a small enough population as it is, and they do have lives. The police could slap them in jail just as fast as us."

"Could have fooled me," Cam muttered.

"It's just posturing," Hunter told him. "They're wolves. They don't pretend that everyone's equal, that everyone's the same. They test each other until they know who you are and what you can do."

Cam strode over to him and grabbed the hem of his shirt without warning. He yanked it up to reveal the bandages underneath, and he just looked at them for a long moment. "This," he said finally, "is not just posturing."

"Cam--" Hunter pushed his hands away as gently as he could. The wrap on his wrist was mostly hidden by the long sleeves, for which he was grateful. "It's just what they do. It's not gonna kill me."

"It could have!" Cam burst out, his eyes glowing angrily when he glared at Hunter.

"But it didn't!" Hunter took a deep breath, telling himself that Cam was just worried. He wasn't sure that was true, but it made the irritation marginally easier to deal with. "Okay, you're right. I could have gotten into serious trouble tonight. Same as the last two times I went there. I could have gotten hurt, bitten... turned into a werewolf, whatever.

"That's a chance I was willing to take, okay? We fight evil space ninjas every other day, and it's not safe but it's the right thing to do. So was this. If you didn't like it, we don't have to go back. But I wanted to go, at least this time. Do you get that?"

Cam looked away. "I want to go back," he admitted quietly.

"Why?" Hunter wanted to know. He thought it had been the right thing to do, taking Cam. But damn, he'd really thought he was in for it a couple of times. He was actually kind of surprised that the only injuries he'd left with had come from a stranger.

"I don't know," Cam muttered. "Maybe it's a wolf thing."

"Thought the wolf wasn't making decisions," Hunter said, trying to sound casual about it.

The look Cam gave him told him he hadn't succeeded. "I didn't say it was the wolf's idea," he stressed. "I just meant, maybe I like being around other wolves." There was a pause, and then he asked, "Do you?"

That was a loaded question, which Hunter elected to evade. "I took you, didn't I?"

Cam looked away. "Just so you know," he told the floor. "Being ordered around wasn't my favorite part."

No kidding. And Cam was worried about him taking on the old guy? Geez. That was nothing compared to staring Cam down.

"Yeah," Hunter remarked. "I got that." He did his best to sound totally neutral.

Cam lifted his gaze again. "Can we kiss now?" he wanted to know.

Hunter blinked, wondering how he was going to get out of this without another strike against him. "Yeah," he heard himself say, and that solved that problem. Created a whole bunch of baby problems, though, and he was pretty sure they were going to grow up way faster than he wanted to deal with.

For now, he decided that kissing Cam took enough of his attention.