"You mean I'm stuck like this?!?" Eduardo cried around a bit of donut, almost choking on it.
Garrett slapped him on the back, a little harder than necessary. "Now there's the way ta go, survive being hunted down by a ghost for being a werewolf, only to be done in by a Krispy Kreme!"
Kylie, seated to his left on the shabby couch, put her arm around him, rubbing his good shoulder reassuringly. He smiled tenderly at her before Louis caught his attention again.
"No' really. You will always be a loup garou, bu' you don' have to be a wolf, non?"
"Uh, translation, please, 'Gambit'?" Garrett raised his hand in question.
Egon spoke up. "He means that, while there's no cure for lycanthropy, there is a way to hold the wolf at bay."
Eduardo leaned forward over the table, both anxious and annoyed. "Ok, I'll bite," he winced and the others groaned at his unintended pun. "How?"
"Wolfsbane."
"Ohhhhh no!" Eduardo shook his head & waved his hands in an emphatic gesture. "Been there, done that, man! If it weren't for Kylie..." He squeezed her hand gently, a quiet thank-you.
Loius smiled warmly, amused. "Wolfsbane is only poisonous if combin' wit' silver an' brough' in contact w' de blood. Skin contact wi' dat combo be painful, bu' no' fatal. Wolfsbane by i'self keep de wolf away, like silver by i'self keep the man away. Jus' tink of it was havin' an alle'gy to silver, non?-- stay away from it, an' you stay a man."
Eduardo did not look happy, but he nodded.
"Look at it this way, Eddy! Now you can be a superhero!"
The others scowled at Garrett. "That's not funny--" Janine began.
"No, no, hear me out! He's pretty much invulnerable now, right?"
"Well, not exactly," Egon quibbled.
Garrett huffed, impatient. "Yeah, yeah, he can get hurt, but he heals real fast, just so long as he doesn't get killed before he can heal, yadda yadda. But it's still a step up from the rest of us, and a pretty cool one!"
Eduardo thought about it while the others deliberated, the conversation eventually moving on to other things. Garrett was right, this could be a good thing. But how did Kylie fell about his being part wolf now? How could anyone not see it as monstrous?
***
When Kylie got out of the shower, she found everyone fast asleep all over the living room. Everyone, that was, but Eduardo. He wasn't in the room at all.
She shook Roland gently awake. "Your turn for the shower," she murmured. She found Eduardo in the kitchen, looking out the window. She walked up beside him, touching him lightly on he shoulder, with the back of her fingers. "Hey."
He loked at her, smiling sadly. "Hey."
Her hand slid slowly, softly down his arm before she stepped back. She leaned against the window, still facing him slightly. She held her other hand out, closed and face down.
He turned to face her more. She looked so beautiful in the twilight, her wet hair glistening, leaving sparkling beads of water on her glowing skin, her white tanktop turned to gold with the sun's dying touch. Her eyes were lumious with an inner light that spoke of kindness.
She told him to hold out his hand, & he obeyed, an unspoken question on his lips. She opened her hand into his, then drew it back, caressing his fingers lightly as she did. He had a hard time drawing his eyes away from her porcelain visage to see what she'd given him. When he did, he found a little black bag with a star embroidered on it in gold thread, waiting on his palm.
"It's a wonga bag. I made it while you were in the shower. The Garou promised to bring some dried wolfsbane for you to put in it."
He looked back up at her. His eyes were glistening, & he found he was unable to speak for a moment. Then finally, softly, "Thank you." Louder, "Thank you for being so understanding, for not--" his voice broke, tears falling,"--not walking away..."That last was a whisper.
"Shhhhhh..." She was crying now too. She kissed him, softly but lingering. "Thank you for saving me. It doesn't bother me that you're a werewolf now." She smiled coyly. "It's... interesting. Wolves are special animals, not at all what the stories make them out to be." She kissed him again. His goatee tickled her, but she liked it. She found his scruffiness, his bad boy exterior, very alluring. He might be the wolf, but it was she who felt hungry-- for him.
Her smile faded tho, as she remembered that her own secret was out now. "Does it bother you that I'm a witch?"
He answered her with a kiss, long and passionate, lifting her off the ground. Finally he set her down, gently, both of them gasping for air. He continued to hold her though, and she thought if he didn't, she might not be able to stand. Just as well; she didn't want him to ever let her go...
"You've always been a witch, right?"
Still breathless, she simply nodded.
"And I've always LOVED you..."
She smiled and hugged him, pressing her face against his warm chest. "Oh, Eduardo!" She rolled the "r", saying it in that sensuous latin way she did in his dreams. For a moment, he panicked, fearing it was only a dream after all. She kissed him again, and he decided that, if it was, he was simply never going to wake up.
"I love you too," she whispered, and he knew from the beating of his heart that he'd never been imore/i awake-- or ialive...
Janine smiled, tears in her eyes like she got from watching a sweet, touching scene in a movie. Even Slimer knew well enough to stay quiet & not ruin the moment for the two kids. The sight left an ache in her heart, tho. She only knew of one thing that could ease it...
She crept into Egon's room and discovered he was already awake. He was just lying there, staring up at the ceiling. iUh-oh, I know that look..., she thought. She closed the door behind her, then set herself down on the covers, laying her head and arm over his chest, snuggling up to him. He put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.
"What's wrong," she asked, her voice slightly muffled by his chest. She waited patiently as he took his time gathering his thoughts. Given how far they tended to roam, it usually took a while.
Finally, "I failed them, Janine."
She looked up into his eyes. "What?..."
"I should have realized that Eduardo had been cursed sooner, put the pieces together about Hunter & the curse faster, shouldn't have told the others about Kylie without asking her, should have prepared them all better for what they were facing, should have--"
"--been psychic? Egon, no one can know everything that might happen, or even should. What happened to Edaurdo was an unfortunate accident. Or maybe Kylie's right about fate, who knows? Either way, it was out of your hands. You can't contrl the kids' evey action, every thought & decision! They have to live their lives for themselves! And that includes taking risks!"
Egon sighed. He knew she was right, but he still felt responsible. She kissed him, and he felt a little better. She kissed him again, and he felt a lot better.
"Besides," she said between attempts to suffocate him, "I think this may actually work out better for him, and for Kylie too. Right now they're learning new things about themselves and eachother." She grinned mischeviously. "In the kitchen. I'd say they're having about as much fun as we are."
Egon's eyes grew wide. "Kylie and Eduardo?!?" Well, it really shouldn't surprise me, he thought. You can cut the tension between them with a proton beam! It'll just be odd seeing them get alaong after fighting for so long... Well, they'll probably still fight, at that! "Do we need to play chaperones?"
"Mmm, I don't think they can get into that much trouble in the kitchen..."
Egon had a wicked gleam in his eye. "We've gotten into plenty of 'trouble' in there!"
"Oh, you!" She giggled like a school girl, sitting up and hitting him in the face with a pillow. Soon the room was filled with laughter and feathers...
AN ENDING
Garrett slapped him on the back, a little harder than necessary. "Now there's the way ta go, survive being hunted down by a ghost for being a werewolf, only to be done in by a Krispy Kreme!"
Kylie, seated to his left on the shabby couch, put her arm around him, rubbing his good shoulder reassuringly. He smiled tenderly at her before Louis caught his attention again.
"No' really. You will always be a loup garou, bu' you don' have to be a wolf, non?"
"Uh, translation, please, 'Gambit'?" Garrett raised his hand in question.
Egon spoke up. "He means that, while there's no cure for lycanthropy, there is a way to hold the wolf at bay."
Eduardo leaned forward over the table, both anxious and annoyed. "Ok, I'll bite," he winced and the others groaned at his unintended pun. "How?"
"Wolfsbane."
"Ohhhhh no!" Eduardo shook his head & waved his hands in an emphatic gesture. "Been there, done that, man! If it weren't for Kylie..." He squeezed her hand gently, a quiet thank-you.
Loius smiled warmly, amused. "Wolfsbane is only poisonous if combin' wit' silver an' brough' in contact w' de blood. Skin contact wi' dat combo be painful, bu' no' fatal. Wolfsbane by i'self keep de wolf away, like silver by i'self keep the man away. Jus' tink of it was havin' an alle'gy to silver, non?-- stay away from it, an' you stay a man."
Eduardo did not look happy, but he nodded.
"Look at it this way, Eddy! Now you can be a superhero!"
The others scowled at Garrett. "That's not funny--" Janine began.
"No, no, hear me out! He's pretty much invulnerable now, right?"
"Well, not exactly," Egon quibbled.
Garrett huffed, impatient. "Yeah, yeah, he can get hurt, but he heals real fast, just so long as he doesn't get killed before he can heal, yadda yadda. But it's still a step up from the rest of us, and a pretty cool one!"
Eduardo thought about it while the others deliberated, the conversation eventually moving on to other things. Garrett was right, this could be a good thing. But how did Kylie fell about his being part wolf now? How could anyone not see it as monstrous?
***
When Kylie got out of the shower, she found everyone fast asleep all over the living room. Everyone, that was, but Eduardo. He wasn't in the room at all.
She shook Roland gently awake. "Your turn for the shower," she murmured. She found Eduardo in the kitchen, looking out the window. She walked up beside him, touching him lightly on he shoulder, with the back of her fingers. "Hey."
He loked at her, smiling sadly. "Hey."
Her hand slid slowly, softly down his arm before she stepped back. She leaned against the window, still facing him slightly. She held her other hand out, closed and face down.
He turned to face her more. She looked so beautiful in the twilight, her wet hair glistening, leaving sparkling beads of water on her glowing skin, her white tanktop turned to gold with the sun's dying touch. Her eyes were lumious with an inner light that spoke of kindness.
She told him to hold out his hand, & he obeyed, an unspoken question on his lips. She opened her hand into his, then drew it back, caressing his fingers lightly as she did. He had a hard time drawing his eyes away from her porcelain visage to see what she'd given him. When he did, he found a little black bag with a star embroidered on it in gold thread, waiting on his palm.
"It's a wonga bag. I made it while you were in the shower. The Garou promised to bring some dried wolfsbane for you to put in it."
He looked back up at her. His eyes were glistening, & he found he was unable to speak for a moment. Then finally, softly, "Thank you." Louder, "Thank you for being so understanding, for not--" his voice broke, tears falling,"--not walking away..."That last was a whisper.
"Shhhhhh..." She was crying now too. She kissed him, softly but lingering. "Thank you for saving me. It doesn't bother me that you're a werewolf now." She smiled coyly. "It's... interesting. Wolves are special animals, not at all what the stories make them out to be." She kissed him again. His goatee tickled her, but she liked it. She found his scruffiness, his bad boy exterior, very alluring. He might be the wolf, but it was she who felt hungry-- for him.
Her smile faded tho, as she remembered that her own secret was out now. "Does it bother you that I'm a witch?"
He answered her with a kiss, long and passionate, lifting her off the ground. Finally he set her down, gently, both of them gasping for air. He continued to hold her though, and she thought if he didn't, she might not be able to stand. Just as well; she didn't want him to ever let her go...
"You've always been a witch, right?"
Still breathless, she simply nodded.
"And I've always LOVED you..."
She smiled and hugged him, pressing her face against his warm chest. "Oh, Eduardo!" She rolled the "r", saying it in that sensuous latin way she did in his dreams. For a moment, he panicked, fearing it was only a dream after all. She kissed him again, and he decided that, if it was, he was simply never going to wake up.
"I love you too," she whispered, and he knew from the beating of his heart that he'd never been imore/i awake-- or ialive...
Janine smiled, tears in her eyes like she got from watching a sweet, touching scene in a movie. Even Slimer knew well enough to stay quiet & not ruin the moment for the two kids. The sight left an ache in her heart, tho. She only knew of one thing that could ease it...
She crept into Egon's room and discovered he was already awake. He was just lying there, staring up at the ceiling. iUh-oh, I know that look..., she thought. She closed the door behind her, then set herself down on the covers, laying her head and arm over his chest, snuggling up to him. He put his arm around her, kissing the top of her head.
"What's wrong," she asked, her voice slightly muffled by his chest. She waited patiently as he took his time gathering his thoughts. Given how far they tended to roam, it usually took a while.
Finally, "I failed them, Janine."
She looked up into his eyes. "What?..."
"I should have realized that Eduardo had been cursed sooner, put the pieces together about Hunter & the curse faster, shouldn't have told the others about Kylie without asking her, should have prepared them all better for what they were facing, should have--"
"--been psychic? Egon, no one can know everything that might happen, or even should. What happened to Edaurdo was an unfortunate accident. Or maybe Kylie's right about fate, who knows? Either way, it was out of your hands. You can't contrl the kids' evey action, every thought & decision! They have to live their lives for themselves! And that includes taking risks!"
Egon sighed. He knew she was right, but he still felt responsible. She kissed him, and he felt a little better. She kissed him again, and he felt a lot better.
"Besides," she said between attempts to suffocate him, "I think this may actually work out better for him, and for Kylie too. Right now they're learning new things about themselves and eachother." She grinned mischeviously. "In the kitchen. I'd say they're having about as much fun as we are."
Egon's eyes grew wide. "Kylie and Eduardo?!?" Well, it really shouldn't surprise me, he thought. You can cut the tension between them with a proton beam! It'll just be odd seeing them get alaong after fighting for so long... Well, they'll probably still fight, at that! "Do we need to play chaperones?"
"Mmm, I don't think they can get into that much trouble in the kitchen..."
Egon had a wicked gleam in his eye. "We've gotten into plenty of 'trouble' in there!"
"Oh, you!" She giggled like a school girl, sitting up and hitting him in the face with a pillow. Soon the room was filled with laughter and feathers...
AN ENDING