The Normal Life
By Didi
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that are recognizable and I certainly don't own the show. Don't sue me cause all you're going to get is lent, and not much of that either.
Summery: Life is hard enough as a teen without in the problems of being wolf. Sequel to "Eyes of Brown... or is it Green," kind of.
Note: Okay, this story is winding down slowly. I've been under some time constraints, which is why it's taken so long for each chapter. Sorry for the delay guys. Hope you enjoy this one.
Rating: R for restricted under 17.
~~~~~~~~~~
-Kanin's POV-
I tried to hide it, pretend that it's not there, and for a moment, I think I've succeeded. Then she turns to me with those pale eyes and I see that it's not easy to hide. I know that Sherman said that it wouldn't be long but I didn't think he meant now.
"John?" Ruby's voice was whisper soft and held a hint of fear in them. It was strange; I don't think I've ever heard that kind of gut wrenching fear in a person's voice before. Even when she was living in fear and begging me not to ask questions, she didn't sound nearly as fearful as she does now. It was... humbling.
"I'm okay," I tried to reassure her. But I knew that I wasn't. I knew that whatever was happening to me... it's wasn't going to be easy or all right. I can see it in her eyes, see it in Blackstone's eyes; more than that, I can feel it in my guts.
All those headstones, including the one of Ruby's beloved sister, all of them never made it. Older you get, the harder it gets. There hasn't been a case of a full adult surviving the change... at least none that Donner has ever heard of. Blackstone would have to confirm that didn't he, standing there nodding his gray head with that annoyingly know-it-all smile on his face.
"So Blackstone," choosing to look at the old man rather that face the fear I see in my wife... still can't believe it...in my wife's face. "What now?"
"Sleeping well lately, Kanin?" he asked, moving around the room with ease, like he lived there. "Dreams? Nightmares? Delusions of grander?"
I slanted him a look, not appreciating his humor at the moment. "Not exactly a town that inspires a peaceful night's sleep."
"Meaning no," he gave me a tight smile then headed into the kitchen. "Should have come to me sooner."
"And why would that be?" I asked, annoyed by the fact that he appears to be preparing to make tea. "I had no idea what these pre-change dreams were about. After that soup you gave me..."
"What soup?" Ruby asked, her voice suddenly sharp.
I looked at her, more specifically her wolf's eyes, a felt a tinge of fear at the ferocious predator look in them. "I had a cold. Blackstone brought me soup. Had me hallucinating for two days."
She turned those dangerous eyes toward Sherman. "Chicken soup and herbs?" Sherman merely smiled back at her with a fondness that she obviously did not welcome. The growl came from her throat so fast that I nearly jumped out of my skin. "With all the little extras?"
I was beginning to see it somewhat. "Why do I have a feeling that you know the recipe well?"
Her hand tightened around her arm, nails beginning to draw blood that she wasn't aware of. "You gave him *the* soup?"
"I thought I might as well start the whole process," Sherman answered amiably as he set the kettle on the stone and turned the knob a few times. "Hey Kanin, I think this thing is...." The sudden burst of flames had him taking several steps back. "Never mind."
"I can't believe you did something so irresponsible?" Ruby shouted as she got to her feet.
"Ruby," grabbing onto her arm, and reminding myself that my ankle stilled looked like some wild animal had been gnawing on it. "The delay on the gas stove has been doing that since I moved in here."
She frowned at me. "I'm not talking about the stove, John. I'm talking about the soup."
There was a sudden dreadful feeling that was beginning to unfold in the pit of my stomach. "What about the soup?"
But Ruby wasn't paying attention to me at the moment. Her head was shaking slowly, her face full of pain. "You shouldn't have done it. There was no need."
Blackstone turned to look at her through the darkness of the room. "You think so? You don't think that John might have eventually turned? The signs were all there, his come back here would have sped thing along. Being in such close proximity would have force his inner self to surface sooner or later. I just help speed up the process."
"WHAT WAS IN THE SOUP???"
They both turned to stare at me but I didn't care. This was my life and I needed to know. God, all the secrets and mysterious that revolved around my world... mine and Ruby's world. The last thing I need was for her to start keeping things from me.
Then all of the secrets didn't matter. The dreadful feeling in my stomach was beginning to feel like a giant rock someone decided to drop into or onto my body. It was unexpected and painful. I folded like a prizefighter taking a knockout punch. Next came the heat, like someone had set fire to my back and spread it through to my sides. It was unbearable but it was mild compare to the weight in my middle. Something was definitely not right.
"John!" I felt her cool hands but even Ruby's gentle touch didn't help elevate the pain.
"What is happening?" I manage to pull out between trying to keep from passing out. That would be so embarrassing, fainting in front of my wife.
It wasn't until I saw her face that I wished that I hadn't asked. The sheer terror in her eyes was enough to make my insides quiver with.... as if it wasn't shaking from sheer agony already. "John," her cool hand against my head did not help to assuage the heat. "The soup is what is given to us when it appears that we are going into the change too late. Usually when one of the kids hit sixteen and still haven't flipped, the Keeper gives them an ancient concoction that helps them... pushes their body... prepares them..." She seemed torn. "It's like inducing labor for a woman. It tricks the body into believing that it's ready."
She continued to talk but I stopped listening, the roar in my ear as blood rushed through didn't allow for any other sound to penetrate. There was a vague memory of Ruby's hand against my temple before she was said something obscene. Funny, I don't think I've ever heard her curse like that before, not even when she stubbed her toe bad in my apartment once.
I remember Sherman and Ruby dragging my dead-weigh body to the bed. How either one of them managed to lift me... oh wait, forgot already. These weren't ordinary people. The bed was hot, not comfortingly cool as it had been the last couple of night. All the blankets had been pushed aside. Somewhere, I heard a cry of sheer agony before it registered in my mind that it came from me.
The red haze of pain pushed everything else out. My back felt like the time I was stabbed on the Shifford case, only a hundred times more painful.
"What happened?" I head Donner asked as he came in. I hadn't even realized he was still around. Would have though his daughter took precedence over everything else. Plus there was still the little problem of Tyler Creed to deal with.
"He started the change," Ruby answered as I felt the bed shift under me. Her arms came around me, holding on tight as I jerked in reaction to touch. It didn't make the pain worse but god...
"Hot water," Vivian Cates commanded. Sheesh, didn't know she was still here either. I could see her, kind of, through a sheen of yellow. Her eyes were bright with intensity and her stand was... she was ready for something. The jerk of my body took her out of my sight.
"Is he going to make it?" came the dreaded question.
Sherman, who was pouring hot water-so that's what the kettle was for- didn't answer right away. He looked over my shoulder, at my wife. "Hang on tight, girl. This is going to be a bumpy ride."
Someone should have told me how bumpy it was going to be.
TBC....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Didi
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that are recognizable and I certainly don't own the show. Don't sue me cause all you're going to get is lent, and not much of that either.
Summery: Life is hard enough as a teen without in the problems of being wolf. Sequel to "Eyes of Brown... or is it Green," kind of.
Note: Okay, this story is winding down slowly. I've been under some time constraints, which is why it's taken so long for each chapter. Sorry for the delay guys. Hope you enjoy this one.
Rating: R for restricted under 17.
~~~~~~~~~~
-Kanin's POV-
I tried to hide it, pretend that it's not there, and for a moment, I think I've succeeded. Then she turns to me with those pale eyes and I see that it's not easy to hide. I know that Sherman said that it wouldn't be long but I didn't think he meant now.
"John?" Ruby's voice was whisper soft and held a hint of fear in them. It was strange; I don't think I've ever heard that kind of gut wrenching fear in a person's voice before. Even when she was living in fear and begging me not to ask questions, she didn't sound nearly as fearful as she does now. It was... humbling.
"I'm okay," I tried to reassure her. But I knew that I wasn't. I knew that whatever was happening to me... it's wasn't going to be easy or all right. I can see it in her eyes, see it in Blackstone's eyes; more than that, I can feel it in my guts.
All those headstones, including the one of Ruby's beloved sister, all of them never made it. Older you get, the harder it gets. There hasn't been a case of a full adult surviving the change... at least none that Donner has ever heard of. Blackstone would have to confirm that didn't he, standing there nodding his gray head with that annoyingly know-it-all smile on his face.
"So Blackstone," choosing to look at the old man rather that face the fear I see in my wife... still can't believe it...in my wife's face. "What now?"
"Sleeping well lately, Kanin?" he asked, moving around the room with ease, like he lived there. "Dreams? Nightmares? Delusions of grander?"
I slanted him a look, not appreciating his humor at the moment. "Not exactly a town that inspires a peaceful night's sleep."
"Meaning no," he gave me a tight smile then headed into the kitchen. "Should have come to me sooner."
"And why would that be?" I asked, annoyed by the fact that he appears to be preparing to make tea. "I had no idea what these pre-change dreams were about. After that soup you gave me..."
"What soup?" Ruby asked, her voice suddenly sharp.
I looked at her, more specifically her wolf's eyes, a felt a tinge of fear at the ferocious predator look in them. "I had a cold. Blackstone brought me soup. Had me hallucinating for two days."
She turned those dangerous eyes toward Sherman. "Chicken soup and herbs?" Sherman merely smiled back at her with a fondness that she obviously did not welcome. The growl came from her throat so fast that I nearly jumped out of my skin. "With all the little extras?"
I was beginning to see it somewhat. "Why do I have a feeling that you know the recipe well?"
Her hand tightened around her arm, nails beginning to draw blood that she wasn't aware of. "You gave him *the* soup?"
"I thought I might as well start the whole process," Sherman answered amiably as he set the kettle on the stone and turned the knob a few times. "Hey Kanin, I think this thing is...." The sudden burst of flames had him taking several steps back. "Never mind."
"I can't believe you did something so irresponsible?" Ruby shouted as she got to her feet.
"Ruby," grabbing onto her arm, and reminding myself that my ankle stilled looked like some wild animal had been gnawing on it. "The delay on the gas stove has been doing that since I moved in here."
She frowned at me. "I'm not talking about the stove, John. I'm talking about the soup."
There was a sudden dreadful feeling that was beginning to unfold in the pit of my stomach. "What about the soup?"
But Ruby wasn't paying attention to me at the moment. Her head was shaking slowly, her face full of pain. "You shouldn't have done it. There was no need."
Blackstone turned to look at her through the darkness of the room. "You think so? You don't think that John might have eventually turned? The signs were all there, his come back here would have sped thing along. Being in such close proximity would have force his inner self to surface sooner or later. I just help speed up the process."
"WHAT WAS IN THE SOUP???"
They both turned to stare at me but I didn't care. This was my life and I needed to know. God, all the secrets and mysterious that revolved around my world... mine and Ruby's world. The last thing I need was for her to start keeping things from me.
Then all of the secrets didn't matter. The dreadful feeling in my stomach was beginning to feel like a giant rock someone decided to drop into or onto my body. It was unexpected and painful. I folded like a prizefighter taking a knockout punch. Next came the heat, like someone had set fire to my back and spread it through to my sides. It was unbearable but it was mild compare to the weight in my middle. Something was definitely not right.
"John!" I felt her cool hands but even Ruby's gentle touch didn't help elevate the pain.
"What is happening?" I manage to pull out between trying to keep from passing out. That would be so embarrassing, fainting in front of my wife.
It wasn't until I saw her face that I wished that I hadn't asked. The sheer terror in her eyes was enough to make my insides quiver with.... as if it wasn't shaking from sheer agony already. "John," her cool hand against my head did not help to assuage the heat. "The soup is what is given to us when it appears that we are going into the change too late. Usually when one of the kids hit sixteen and still haven't flipped, the Keeper gives them an ancient concoction that helps them... pushes their body... prepares them..." She seemed torn. "It's like inducing labor for a woman. It tricks the body into believing that it's ready."
She continued to talk but I stopped listening, the roar in my ear as blood rushed through didn't allow for any other sound to penetrate. There was a vague memory of Ruby's hand against my temple before she was said something obscene. Funny, I don't think I've ever heard her curse like that before, not even when she stubbed her toe bad in my apartment once.
I remember Sherman and Ruby dragging my dead-weigh body to the bed. How either one of them managed to lift me... oh wait, forgot already. These weren't ordinary people. The bed was hot, not comfortingly cool as it had been the last couple of night. All the blankets had been pushed aside. Somewhere, I heard a cry of sheer agony before it registered in my mind that it came from me.
The red haze of pain pushed everything else out. My back felt like the time I was stabbed on the Shifford case, only a hundred times more painful.
"What happened?" I head Donner asked as he came in. I hadn't even realized he was still around. Would have though his daughter took precedence over everything else. Plus there was still the little problem of Tyler Creed to deal with.
"He started the change," Ruby answered as I felt the bed shift under me. Her arms came around me, holding on tight as I jerked in reaction to touch. It didn't make the pain worse but god...
"Hot water," Vivian Cates commanded. Sheesh, didn't know she was still here either. I could see her, kind of, through a sheen of yellow. Her eyes were bright with intensity and her stand was... she was ready for something. The jerk of my body took her out of my sight.
"Is he going to make it?" came the dreaded question.
Sherman, who was pouring hot water-so that's what the kettle was for- didn't answer right away. He looked over my shoulder, at my wife. "Hang on tight, girl. This is going to be a bumpy ride."
Someone should have told me how bumpy it was going to be.
TBC....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
