A/N: We're almost at the end, people. Its weird, I think I'll miss it when its over. Thanx to all who take the time to leave feedback - I do appreciate it.

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

9. A Night's Tale

Virginia turned over and found an empty space in the bed beside her. She opened her eyes quickly but no other part of her body moved. She was so tired, beyond tired in fact. Bringing up a baby was certainly the hard work everyone promised it would be, even with Wolf, her Dad, and Marla all here to help. Just about a month into her son's life, and Virginia was so exhausted. She felt just terrible that she had probably slept through his crying for her, and worse when she glanced towards the window and spotted a full moon shining between the curtains. She had forgotten that too.

Rolling out of bed, Virginia reached for her robe and pulled it on. She was still tying it around her as she padded through to the next bedroom, past her Dad and Marla asleep in the camp bed right across the living area. She said nothing and made no sound, just stopped in her door way to her son's room and smiled.

Wolf was holding Caleb, their little cub, sitting on the ledge by the window. The pair of them were bathed in moonlight, and he spoke softly to the baby, telling him tales of the world Daddy was from.

"...and even though the princess didn't understand the land of magic and trolls and handsomely dashing Wolf-men, she never gave up, she kept on going. The princess and the Wolf went through many trials... oh, and Grandpa Tony and the Prince dog were there too, but that's not so important."

The aside in the tale made Virginia laugh, though she tried to cover the giggling with her hand. Wolf turned slowly to look at her then, as if annoyed at the interruption, but his eyes sparkled with fun.

"I'm sorry," she apologised in a whisper as she crept further into the room.

"I already knew you were there," he reminded her, tapping his nose that smelt her no matter what. "I was just telling our cub how his beautiful, delicious mother fell in love with his handsome, brave father," he explained. "He needs to know these things," he said, entirely seriously, as Virginia joined him on the window sill.

"I agree," she nodded once, putting her hand gently to the baby's head, which was already thick with dark hair. "I'm just wondering why you started a once upon a time tale so late at night?" she checked, eyes drifting to the dark sky beyond the window and making her question pointless.

Wolf rarely slept on the night of the full moon, he just had far too much energy to bear to be still. They had shared nights of passion before, but Virginia hardly had the energy now. In any case, Wolf seemed content to spend his time with their cub tonight, maybe just because they were both of the same kind. This tiny child would be effected by the moon too, just as his father was. He was a half-wolf, or maybe a quarter-wolf, Virginia still wasn't sure she understood the science of it all. In any case, he was as much the cub that Wolf called him as he was a baby. The full moon would mean something to him, effect him in ways as yet unknown. For now, he seemed pretty calm, but Virginia had a feeling that had more to do with the man holding him than anything else.

"He's so quiet now," she sighed. "I feel awful that I didn't wake up when he cried."

"Oh, he didn't cry, did you, Cub?" he addressed the baby even though he obviously wouldn't answer, dropping a light kiss on his tiny forehead. "No, I just couldn't sleep, and I sensed he was awake too. What better night for father-son bonding time?" he shrugged easily.

Virginia nodded absently that she understood, but she didn't look exactly thrilled about it. Of course she wanted her husband and child to bond. They were father and son as he said, and they should be close. Still, Virginia couldn't help but feel a little left out of things. She wasn't like them, not a half-wolf. She showed vague signs of behaving like one when she was carrying their part-lupine child, but no more. Virginia could never truly understand what it was to be like them, to be drawn to the moon, to feel what they felt about it. It would only increase when their cub grew older, developed his tail and learnt what he truly was.

"Hey," said Wolf, holding the baby close in one arm and reaching out his other hand to her face. "Are you okay?" he checked, looking too worried.

"I'm fine," she promised, leaning her cheek into his gentle touch. "Honestly, I'm just... I'm tired, and I guess, well... Okay, so I'm a little jealous," she admitted, rolling her eyes at what she knew to be her own stupidity. "You and Caleb, you're going to be so close, so bonded over the moon and what it is to be a wolfie and all," she shrugged. "I guess I just feel like the odd one out."

"No. Oh, no!" said Wolf definitely, perhaps slightly too loud as the baby stirred in his arms.

In the living room, Tony turned over on the creaky camp bed that groaned under the shifting weight.

"Virginia, you're not odd," Wolf told her in more hushed tones then. "You're extraordinary. You are my beautiful, succulent, extraordinary wife, and I love you," he promised her sincerely.

She had to smile at that, she couldn't help it, though her eyes also welled up with tears. He said some beautiful things sometimes and she never did doubt that he meant them. Wolves mated for life, he had told her that several times. A commitment from so many men could seem flimsy at best, but not from him. Virginia's instincts told her to trust him. For the first time in her life, she had faith in somebody and she knew she wasn't wrong.

"I love you too," she whispered, leaning in over their baby to kiss his lips. "That still doesn't make me the same as you two."

"You forget, our cub isn't all me, he's half you too," Wolf told her with a look. "He will grow up to be as brave and remarkable as his mother as well as his father," he nodded sagely.

Virginia smiled, the happy expression giving way to a yawn that she couldn't help, as she looked down at Caleb. They had named him deliberately so that Cub wouldn't seem like an odd nickname. Besides, Virginia had discovered Caleb came from the Hebrew for dog - she saw that name as a link to Wendell as much as anything. A tribute to the man/dog that had brought her and Wolf together in the first place.

Now baby Caleb started fussing again and Virginia sighed.

"Why don't you bring him back to our bed and tell him your stories there?" she suggested, standing up and encouraging him to do the same. "I like to hear them too."

"But you already know the tale of how we met, sweet Virginia. You were very much there," he told her pointlessly.

"Then tell a different story," she suggested as they crept back to their own bedroom and silently closed the door. "One about you. Your past or your family. I like those," she admitted as she lay down beside him on the bed.

Wolf got comfortable on his back with his little cub laid on his chest and Virginia pulled into his side.

"Hmm, a story about the most courageous Wolf in all the ten kingdoms," he considered, making his wife giggle. "So many to choose from, where do I start?"

"At the beginning?" Virginia sighed sleepily. "With once upon a time?"

"Okay," he agreed, kissing the top of her head where it rested at his shoulder. "Once upon a time there was a family of wolves who lived on the edge of the forest. There was a mother wolf, a father wolf, and five little cubs..."

Virginia and Caleb were both asleep before Wolf's story hardly started, but that didn't matter. He would tell it many times, and she would learn, as their cub did, about the land that Wolf came from, all his childhood adventures, his life story up until he met his darling Virginia. Tonight he barely got into the tale before everyone was asleep, including Wolf himself. Everybody content in their happily ever after, for now.