Disclaimer: I don't own it. Any of it.

Warnings: Spoilers for books 5-7. Slightly AU. Bill probably becomes a werewolf, although it's not blatantly stated. Oh, and HET! Bill/Fleur

Slinking Shadows Under Skin


He could feel it again. He could feel himself changing. Ever since the night that Fenrir Greyback had practically scratched his face off, he had been able to feel the changes inside of him. His senses were beginning to become more acute. Bill found that he was far more aware of the smells of things around him. The flowers that surrounded their new beach side cottage were far more potent than they had ever been. He was now able to decipher each flower solely by its aroma. Lily, Jasmine, Marigolds and Baby's Breath; their smells all seemed much more important since the attack. He also found that he could name almost all the foods in the house by just standing in one spot and straining his heightened sense of smell: flour, eggs, milk, and most of all meat. Meat had an intoxicatingly alluring scent.

Bill didn't find that extremely odd considering that he was potentially going to become a werewolf. A renewed craving for meats was probably a requirement. As the days passed by he found that he was slowly developing a fixation for any kind of meat, the rarer the better. It had started off as a trifling whim of wanting to get a steak and had slowly crept into an all out obsession that was becoming more of a problem with each passing day. Fleur seemed to have figured out that the show he put on for the others was in fact just that, a show. She made it a point of serving meat twice a day.

The week before his "first" full moon he found that being around Fleur for extended periods of time was probably not the best idea. At least until he learned to control himself better. Her scent had become more tantalizing everyday. In the beginning it had just been a whiff of her scent, and he had thought she smelt unusually good. He had considered this more or less normal as she was unusually pretty as well. As time passed he found himself becoming more enamored with her smell. It, once again, had become an obsession of his that he was actively trying to hide from Fleur. He didn't know if he wanted to eat her or fling her on their bed and do wicked things to her. If there was one thing he didn't want it was for his wife to be afraid of him. Oh, and not eating his wife was always a good thing as well.

Bill found that if he ate more meat during the day the wolf inside of him seemed to calm more around Fleur. He began pondering that if he could compromise with the creature inside than all would be alright. Well, as alright as the situation could be. Maybe being a werewolf wouldn't be as horrendous as previously thought.

After a few days, he could feel it with a renewed vigor. He could feel the wolf inside of him. It seemed to have gained some strength in the passing days. He had become used to the fleeting sensation that something was coasting underneath his skin. At times, especially at night, Bill found that if he placed himself in the moonlight just right he could see a glimmering shadow slinking under his pale freckled skin. He would watch as it lurked around from his forearm up to his shoulder; and he was mesmerized as it would glide from his chest down to his hips and slowly curl around to his back in lazy patterns. It was amazingly horrifying to watch. Sometimes, Fleur would trace the shadow with her fingers at night just before she would fall asleep.

The few days before the full moon had to be the worst of his symptoms yet. His muscles ached and moaned as if he had been hit by the Knight Bus at full speed. With every small movement his joints would pop and crack as if he hadn't moved in days. His bones had begun to feel different as well. They felt awkward inside of his body, as if they didn't fit quite right. His walk had gone from his usual languid stride to more of a prowling stalk. Fleur had told him that she thought it made him more intimidating, which she found sexy.

Bill was never one for running. He was more of a flyer or so he had thought. Yet, as of late, he had begun to get insatiable urges to go running. Not to anywhere in particular. He just wanted to run. He had dreams about running, it was completely ridiculous. He had tried to convince himself that he had better things to dream about, but that didn't seem to curve his dreams or his craving to feel that rush of wind of his face. He wanted to run right through the woods, darting past trees and jumping over rocks. As the moon became more and more prominent in the night sky his hunger for meat and his longing for running became almost unbearable. It was those nights that Fleur would sing him to sleep in French as she trace the shadows under his skin.

He found that instead of his usual sigh of frustration, he seemed to emit a low growl. It was a slow snarling rumbling sound that he supposed was like a low gruff. The first time it had happened he hadn't been sure where it had come from. Fleur proceeded to tell him that he had made that noise himself, and she was interested to see what other noises he made now a days. Then she had winked and danced away.

He was so lucky to have her.

That was one thing he didn't have to worry about, whether or not his wife would still love him. He knew she would. He could chalk it up to his new werewolf instincts, but he knew. Just as he knew that the sun would rise in the morning. Just as he knew the Cudley Cannons would lose almost every game this season. Just as he knew that Harry Potter would defeat Voldemort. Just as he knew that come the next full moon a new werewolf would emerge. He just knew. He could feel it in his bones.

So, come what may, Bill just knew that everything would be alright. Even with slinking shadows under his skin.

A/N: Please Read and Review! I'll give you some my eyeball bubblegum. It's the best kind ever.

--You know the white gumballs with fake pupils and junk. If you don't you're sorely missing out.