Chapter 4
Serena thoughtfully munched on a french fry as she watched Gunn inhale his burger. She waved a fry at him. "Have you heard of chewing?" she asked. With all of her Slaying experiences, and with all of the disgusting things she had seen, this was, by far, on her top ten of the Nastiest Things the Slayer Has Seen. She shuddered, and turned away from the sight.
"Yeah, I've heard of chewing. I just don't believe in it. Takes too much time." Gunn answered, devouring the remains of his burger. Serena rolled her eyes.
"So how have you been doin'?" Gunn asked seriously, leaning his elbows on the table.
Serena suddenly became uncomfortable and started to shred a napkin. "Nothing, really." She shrugged slowly.
Gunn stared at her levelly. "Come on. Don't beat around the bush. It doesn't work with me."
"All of a sudden, you care?" Serena asked loudly. She realized how loud she really was and lowered her voice in consideration for the few people in the fast food restaurant. "You didn't give a damn before. Why now?" She reasoned.
"I cared before. I just didn't believe you could really do anything for us, until I saw the way you could handle yourself." Gunn stole one of her french fries and stuffed it in his mouth. "You've proven it. And that's that. So are you going to give me a straight answer?"
"You wanna know how I am." she trailed off. "Physically or emotionally?"
"Both." Gunn answered, listening intently.
"Oh, well, okay." She played with her hair. "Physically, better than ever. I'm getting stronger everyday. But emotionally." She shook her head, tossing her hair to the side. "Emotionally, I'm just a mess." She sighed.
She was about to say something else when a strange feeling washed over her. She gripped the table tightly, her knuckles turning white. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, her breathing grew ragged. Her mind spun. She felt a change overcoming her.
"Gunn." she whispered hoarsely. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself down.
"Serena, what's wrong? What's going on?" Gunn asked, surprised. He grabbed her arm. She opened her eyes to look at him. Gunn gaped in horror. "Serena! Your eyes! What happened to your eyes?"
Her eyes were now cat-like, with dark slits staring back at him. "I don't know.something doesn't feel right." Her features were changing, becoming more lithe and cat-like as well. "Gunn, get out of here. Whatever this is will tear you apart."
"I can't leave you here. I'll take you with me." Gunn objected.
"You'll be dead before you reach the hotel." She answered grimly. Whatever was happening to her, it was happening quick, which didn't leave her much time. "Now listen to me. Go get Angel. He'll know what to do." She gasped for air.
"But." Gunn protested again.
"GO!" She used every amount of remain strength to stand and pull Gunn to his feet, giving him a push toward the door. "Before its too late, go!" she pleaded, just as the final changes occurred. She felt her inhibitions vanish and her hunger grow. She felt something she had never felt before inside her..evil.
*****
Angel listened intently to Gunn's peculiar story. "She started to change.how?" Angel questioned.
"Her eyes got weird. They became all.they looked like they were cat eyes." Gunn shook his head. "It really creeped me out man. She sprouted fur and her face got distorted.she was, like, turning into a werewolf, except it was a cat instead." Gunn shuddered. "Her face was..evil."
"So what are you saying? She's also a were.um.cat in her spare time?" Cordelia asked, arching an eyebrow. "That would be a little hard to hide."
"Take me to the restaurant." Angel told Gunn.
Serena thoughtfully munched on a french fry as she watched Gunn inhale his burger. She waved a fry at him. "Have you heard of chewing?" she asked. With all of her Slaying experiences, and with all of the disgusting things she had seen, this was, by far, on her top ten of the Nastiest Things the Slayer Has Seen. She shuddered, and turned away from the sight.
"Yeah, I've heard of chewing. I just don't believe in it. Takes too much time." Gunn answered, devouring the remains of his burger. Serena rolled her eyes.
"So how have you been doin'?" Gunn asked seriously, leaning his elbows on the table.
Serena suddenly became uncomfortable and started to shred a napkin. "Nothing, really." She shrugged slowly.
Gunn stared at her levelly. "Come on. Don't beat around the bush. It doesn't work with me."
"All of a sudden, you care?" Serena asked loudly. She realized how loud she really was and lowered her voice in consideration for the few people in the fast food restaurant. "You didn't give a damn before. Why now?" She reasoned.
"I cared before. I just didn't believe you could really do anything for us, until I saw the way you could handle yourself." Gunn stole one of her french fries and stuffed it in his mouth. "You've proven it. And that's that. So are you going to give me a straight answer?"
"You wanna know how I am." she trailed off. "Physically or emotionally?"
"Both." Gunn answered, listening intently.
"Oh, well, okay." She played with her hair. "Physically, better than ever. I'm getting stronger everyday. But emotionally." She shook her head, tossing her hair to the side. "Emotionally, I'm just a mess." She sighed.
She was about to say something else when a strange feeling washed over her. She gripped the table tightly, her knuckles turning white. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, her breathing grew ragged. Her mind spun. She felt a change overcoming her.
"Gunn." she whispered hoarsely. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself down.
"Serena, what's wrong? What's going on?" Gunn asked, surprised. He grabbed her arm. She opened her eyes to look at him. Gunn gaped in horror. "Serena! Your eyes! What happened to your eyes?"
Her eyes were now cat-like, with dark slits staring back at him. "I don't know.something doesn't feel right." Her features were changing, becoming more lithe and cat-like as well. "Gunn, get out of here. Whatever this is will tear you apart."
"I can't leave you here. I'll take you with me." Gunn objected.
"You'll be dead before you reach the hotel." She answered grimly. Whatever was happening to her, it was happening quick, which didn't leave her much time. "Now listen to me. Go get Angel. He'll know what to do." She gasped for air.
"But." Gunn protested again.
"GO!" She used every amount of remain strength to stand and pull Gunn to his feet, giving him a push toward the door. "Before its too late, go!" she pleaded, just as the final changes occurred. She felt her inhibitions vanish and her hunger grow. She felt something she had never felt before inside her..evil.
*****
Angel listened intently to Gunn's peculiar story. "She started to change.how?" Angel questioned.
"Her eyes got weird. They became all.they looked like they were cat eyes." Gunn shook his head. "It really creeped me out man. She sprouted fur and her face got distorted.she was, like, turning into a werewolf, except it was a cat instead." Gunn shuddered. "Her face was..evil."
"So what are you saying? She's also a were.um.cat in her spare time?" Cordelia asked, arching an eyebrow. "That would be a little hard to hide."
"Take me to the restaurant." Angel told Gunn.