I'm really really really really sorry that this took so long to get out. Summer is just not what I expected it to be, and I haven't had a whole lot of time to write. Hopefully, though, you'll find that this next chapter whets your appetite for a bit. I'll stop gabbing now and let you get to it – enjoy!
(Additional author's notes/replies/begs for reviews, etc. will be at the end. ;) )
For a Knight's Lady
By: EarthDragonette
Disclaimer: Ash is not my original character. Mary-Lynnette isn't my original character either. Neither are Thierry, or Hannah, or, well, anybody really. Except Reina, the blonde kid from the club, and the pup. Those I'm rather fond of – even if Reina DOES vex me so. Anyway, I'm not making any money off of this story.
Rating: PG-13
Leaning back in the seat and stretching her legs out in front of her, Mary-Lynnette propped her bare feet on top of the dashboard and let out a relaxed sigh. After so many days of discussion, planning, intrigue, and emotional angst, getting into the van and just driving felt like freedom. Luckily enough for them, the road to Denver only had a moderate amount of traffic, and the weather was encouraging, filled with blue skies and a light morning fog.
And even better was the fact that the wolf cub had been asleep for a good two hours, leaving the soulmates free to talk amongst themselves. Of course, this wasn't to say that their early morning conversation had been particularly riveting:
"I like chocolate filled croissants better than doughnuts. Croissants are unhealthier, and it's so cool that I can eat them without packing on the flab."
Or enlightening:
"Honestly, I don't think Mark and Jade are soulmates. Of course that's not stopping them any - they make enough of their own sparks to compensate for not having the metaphysical ones."
Or even pleasant:
"I swear to God, if this jackass doesn't pass me, I'm going to send him an engraved invitation to climb into our backseat."
But still, it was the kind of conversation that one generally acknowledges as being 'companionable,' and both Ash and Mary-Lynnette enjoyed testing the waters of normal (if somewhat inane) couple dialogue.
It wasn't until around ten thirty that they began to hear shuffling from the backseat. Ash was the one who was initially alerted to the cub's activities, his heightened senses picking up on the subtle changes in the child's heart rate and breathing, as well as...
"Ermph. Um, Mary-Lynnette?"
"Hmm?" she asked, turning a page in one of the many map books that the van had been filled with.
"I think Lassie's awake."
She looked up at him. "Reall-" she stopped and gave him an exasperated look. Shaking her head, she turned around to peer into the backseat. "I couldn't even tell." She wrinkled her nose at this point, her human abilities catching up to Ash's. "Uh, right. Now I see."
"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.
"Might be a good idea," she said. "I haven't had droves of experience at this, and I probably shouldn't try doing it in a moving vehicle just yet." Giving him a teasing smirk, she added: "Especially if you're the one making it move."
Huffing indignantly, Ash changed lanes to get off at the following exit. "I beg your pardon," he scoffed, slowing down to just under 60 miles an hour. "Have we met with any traffic violations since you got into my car?"
Hearing the pup begin to whimper, Mary-Lynnette twisted her body around so that he could see her face. "Hey guy. We're going to stop, soon." Offering him her hand, she was both pleased and somewhat tense when he captured it with one of his paws, sniffing her fingers before putting them into his mouth and chewing on them experimentally. Seeing that he was just looking for comfort, she glanced back to answer Ash. "And no, you haven't been pulled over a single time. Miraculously. But just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean that it won't."
Just to vex her, Ash kept the car around 40 miles as they took a turn off of the interstate and approached a traffic light near the bottom of a rather steep hill.
"Ash, come on. This is no time to indulge your vampiric ego."
"You should trust me."
"Ash, there's a baby in the car."
Glancing back at the pup, who was still contentedly biting Mary-Lynnette's fingers, he heaved a sigh. "Fine," he droned, bringing the car to a more reasonable speed and lightly stopping at the intersection.
Dropping her forehead on to the headrest, he heard her muffled "Thank-you," as they turned left, heading for a Shell station that had caught his attention.
"Whatever," he easily replied, pulling into the station and siding up next to one of the pumps.
Mary-Lynnette cautiously pulled her fingers back from the pup, running her knuckles over the brown markings on his face to calm him when he started to fuss. "Hey," she soothed, "It's okay. We'll get you cleaned up, and then you and I can hang out back here for awhile." Leaning towards him, she whispered conspiratorially, "And we can make fun of the funny male as he caters to his testosterone."
"As I what?"
Mary-Lynette smiled brightly at Ash and affectionately patted him on the cheek. "Never you mind. Go fill the car up while I change junior."
Giving her a shrewd look, he unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the driver side door. "You have problems. Serious issues that need to be addressed. With therapy," he pointed out, rounding the front of the car to examine his gasoline options.
Unbuckling her seatbelt and squeezing between the front seats, Mary-Lynnette spied the dark blue diaper bag that Thea had loaded into the van. Grabbing the requisite baby-changing items, Mary-Lynnette wrinkled her nose as she spread out a blanket on the floor of the van and reached for the pup. "I really wish you were human right now," she confessed, not looking forward to the challenge his fur was going to give her.
While filling up the tank, Ash glanced through the window and shuddered, resolving to do everything in his power to stay away from the cub's digestive processes over the next week.
Maybe I can bribe her with a new telescope or something, he thought wistfully, hanging up the pump and wiping his hands off on his jeans. Tapping on the window, he got Mary-Lynnette's attention before sliding open the back door. "Hey," he said. "I'm done here. Do you need anything from inside?"
She shook her head, lightly holding down the wiggling cub with her knee while she bundled together the soiled diaper. "No, I'm okay for now. Can you throw this away for me?"
Ash looked at the offered package as if it were a severed head. Do I have to?
Mary-Lynnette arched her eyebrow. Now you do, she answered, her voice ringing through his head with clarity.
Grumbling about not having his thoughts to himself, he gingerly took the corner of the blasphemous object, tossing the cub a glare before walking toward the convenience store and chucking it into a garbage can before going inside.
Mary-Lynnette sighed and looked down at the pup, whose mood was greatly improved now that he was clean and dry. "What are we supposed to do with that guy?" she asked, rubbing away the last of the hand sanitizer she'd used before picking the cub up and rocking back to sit cross-legged. His back feet immediately came down, one managing to reach the floor and the other one resting on the back of her calve as he stood up, pressing his paws against her chest.
"I feel like I'm pampering a puppy," she observed, reaching up to scratch the werewolf's ears. Closing his violet eyes in rapture, his tail wagged happily before stopping in mid-air as his entire body tensed up to take in the sensation. Shaking her head, she delicately kissed the end of his nose, startling him into opening his eyes and sneezing.
Ew.
"You know, I think I've had more contact with unpleasant body fluids in the past 24 hours than I've had my entire life."
"Oh, come on," Ash protested through the open driver's side window as he opened his door and slid back into the driver's seat. "My kisses aren't that bad."
"If your kisses produced anything like what was in that diaper, then you and I are going to have to reassess our relationship."
Ash shuddered. "I don't even want to think about it."
Mary-Lynnette cleared her throat. "Well, prepare yourself for cognition, because you're going to be dealing with it just as much as I am." Seeing the absolutely horrified look on his face, she almost took pity on him. "Now stop that," she admonished. "You look pathetic."
Pulling on his seatbelt, he was almost at loss for words. "But, it's so … gross," he said. Hearing a small bark, Ash looked behind him and saw that the pup was trying to climb into the front part of the van. "Ack. Hey, no, you can't come up here."
"Just say hi to him. He really likes you."
Sighing heavily, he reached out and pet the werewolf somewhat awkwardly. "There. Happy now?"
The cub blinked at him before nosing the vampire's elbow expectantly. Ash looked at Mary-Lynnette. "What does he want?"
She grinned. "Attention, I guess. Hey you, come on," she called, tapping on the cub's back to get his attention. She looked up at Ash "Are we actually going to call him anything?"
Ash shrugged, starting the ignition. "I don't really care either way. We're not going to have him all that long."
Mary-Lynnette pulled herself up and placed the cub back in his seat. Once buckled in, he spent a moment resisting his restraints until Mary-Lynnette again gave him her hand to chew on. After a few moments, she resumed the conversation. "I know we won't have him for long, but I just feel weird calling him 'Hey you.'"
"How about Spot?" he suggested.
"No."
"Rover?"
A sigh. "No."
"Sir Squats-A-Lot?"
"Oh for God sake."
"Fire Hydrant Frank?"
She couldn't resist chuckling at this point. "You're an idiot."
"So you've finally noticed."
Mary-Lynnette rolled her eyes and then turned to regard the cub while he continued to gnaw on her fingers. "I can't figure anything out now," she said at length. "Maybe something will come to me later on."
"And just what's wrong with Fire Hydrant Frank?" he inquired, directing the minivan back toward the interstate. "I know a lot of good guys named Frank."
Mary-Lynnette gave into impulse and stuck her tongue out at him. "None of whom are associated with plumbing, I presume."
"Well, actually, I do know a guy who scuba dives in reservoirs," he informed her, leaning back and settling into the drive.
"That's … awful," she replied, reaching down into another baby bag with her right hand and feeling around for one of the cub's toys.
"It's a pretty sick job," Ash agreed. "They call him in to look for unusual stuff that shows up in lakes, to make repairs, or to recover debris."
"How did you meet him?" Mary-Lynnette asked, retrieving a wooden rattle and handing it to the pup. Her charge sniffed at it suspiciously for a moment before deciding it was a worthy toy and taking it between his paws.
Ash grinned. "It's sort of a funny story. I was down in Texas, doing some recon for Thierry back in March. Things, uh, kind of got hairy toward the end of my mission though, and some of the local sheriffs got my license plate information and tried to pull me over."
Mary-Lynnette winced.
Ash shook his head. "Yeah ... I had a huge supply of semi-precious metals in the trunk that would've raised a lot of uncomfortable questions."
"Can I ask why you were transporting gold and silver across Texas? Or will you have to kill me if you tell me?"
Ash snorted. "Hardly. The witches like to use them to make … whatever it is witches make. I was bringing some really quality stuff back from the border. Anyway, I called Thierry on my cell, and he told me to just ditch the car. It was a really nice car, though, and the thought of leaving all that gold just broke my heart …"
"So …" Mary-Lynnette prompted.
Ash coughed. "So … I took the car in a flying dive off a bridge into a lake."
"You what?"
"You heard me," he grinned, checking behind him as he changed lanes to get around a charter bus. "It was sort of tricky getting out of the car without the cops seeing me, and don't even ask why my cell phone didn't die when I swam through the water. And believe me," he added, "I've never been so grateful to be immune from disease. The lake was vile."
Mary-Lynnette shook her head, looking down at the pup and grabbing the end of his rattle, gently pulling it away from him to start a game of tug-of-war. "I can't believe you."
Ash shrugged. "True story, I swear. So, anyway, I swam to shore and called Thierry, and he was able to get enough Daybreak agents together so that we took control of the situation and got the car and the metals back."
"And so I'm guessing Frank was one of the guys who went scuba diving for the car?"
"You got it," Ash confirmed. "He's a cool guy – otter shapeshifter from way back. He's been with Circle Daybreak since we started."
"Interesting," she commented, beginning to look around the backseat for the bag of books and videos that Poppy had generously provided for the trip. While searching, the idea of septic systems reminded her of what she and Ash had been talking about.
"By the way," she informed him, her eyes finally lighting on the bag. "I wasn't kidding about what I said before – I really want you to help me out with taking care of him. I know you have a lot on your hands with driving and keeping us safe, but you can at least change him once in awhile."
Ash grumbled, not giving her a particularly coherent response.
"I'm serious," she maintained.
"Can't we just walk him on a leash or something?"
"He's a baby," she reiterated.
"That's in a full canine form," he retorted.
"That could change at any point. Do you want to be the one who has to deal with him if he switches to his human shape halfway through the process and has no idea what's going on?"
Ash was forced to grant her that particular point.
Leaning forward to get the bag, Mary-Lynnette rolled her eyes and thought to herself: How on earth is he going to handle our kids if he can't deal with a werewolf puppy?
Actually, can humans and vampires even have children? she wondered.
Becoming fully aware of her thoughts, Mary-Lynnette stilled, and a faint blush swept over her face. She looked up at Ash and saw that he was similarly red, his eyes fully fixated on the road.
"Um …" she floundered, knowing that he'd heard her.
Ash cleared his throat before answering. "Human and vampire hybrids? I guess it's possible. It's not something that the Nightworld talks about all that much, though – there are those pesky laws and everything." Before she could respond, he added: "And as to the diaper changing, I'm positive that our kids wouldn't have tails or fur. That increases the chances of me helping by at least a factor of ten."
It wasn't until almost 9:30 that evening that the travelers reached the Magnolia Hotel in Denver. Mary-Lynnette had been lightly dozing in the backseat with the pup on her chest, the latter of the two being completely fixated on his third viewing of Homeward Bound. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes and wincing as she heard Sassy remark (for the third time) that "Cats rule and dogs drool" (the only decent line of the whole 'wretched film' as far as Ash was concerned), she tried her best to stretch without dislodging the baby.
"So you found it," she yawned, trying to wake herself up enough to be useful.
Ash looked back at her and smiled ruefully, switching off the engine. "Eventually," he acknowledged. "It took me forever to figure out where Lawrence Street was, but I managed." He unbuckled his seatbelt and arched his back in a long, satisfying stretch. "Do you want to come in with me or stay here?"
"I'll come in," Mary-Lynnette said. "If I don't stand up in the next thirty seconds, I think I may chew off my own legs." Looking down at the werewolf and realizing that such a thing happened fairly often in the wild with real wolves, she winced. "No offense," she assured the pup, sliding the door open before reaching out and taking him on to her hip. She was about to close the van when Ash came up from behind her and nudged her partway back inside. "What –" she started to say, before realizing that she'd almost taken the pup out of the car without putting on his concealment charm.
Leaning her head against the window, she shook her head. "Thanks. I can't believe I almost walked inside of there with him like this."
Ash shrugged. "No big deal – you're just not used to all the secrecy." Glancing down at the baby, he let out a low whistle. "Whoa, check out the difference."
Mary-Lynnette swallowed her retort and followed his gaze, deciding that she had to agree with Ash on this one. Instead of a fuzzy ball of brown and black fur that strongly resembled a baby German shepherd, Mary-Lynnette's arms were filled with about 16 pounds of pink skinned and red haired baby boy. "Definitely weird," she agreed. "Do you think this is what he actually looks like?"
Shutting the door, Ash put his arm around his soulmate's shoulders and headed toward the hotel's entryway. "He might," Ash answered. "Still, we won't know for sure until he feels safe enough to transform out of his defensive mode." Glancing at the child's head, he rolled his eyes. "Although I'll bet you that the red hair was more of a tribute to the one that made the charm instead of what's actually in his genetic makeup."
Mary-Lynnette snorted, remembering Poppy's own flame colored locks.
Stepping through the heavy wooden and glass doors that led into the hotel, the pair took a look around, noticing how the lobby was extensively clad in dark and shiny furniture that contrasted pleasantly with the light colored walls and mosaic-like artwork. The overall effect was extremely elegant without being stifling.
Impressed despite herself, Mary-Lynnette nodded with appreciation. "Nice," she observed. This was nothing like the La Quintas and Holiday Inns that she was used to using when she and her family went on vacation.
Ash glanced around, doing so as much to check the room for entrances, exits, and suspicious subjects as to echo Mary-Lynnette's approval. "Thierry likes expensive things," he told her, locating the registration desk and aiming the group towards it. Passing by one of the lobby's many potted plants, the cub couldn't resist taking a swipe at a bush with his right hand.
Is that a normal baby thing to do? Mary-Lynnette wondered, shifting the child to her other hip and gently taking hold of one of his hands. She once again marveled at how he felt and appeared to be a regular human boy.
Better not let anyone touch him, Ash cautioned. For all that he looks human, he'll still respond like a werewolf.
Good idea, she answered. I don't want to explain why my child instinctively bites strangers.
"Can I help you, sir?" a young woman asked, pulling over a registry after glancing at their 'baby' with curiosity.
"Uh, yeah. My wife and I have reservations for the night. Mr. and Mrs. North. I think it's your deluxe suite."
"Ah, yes, here it is, Mr. North. All we need is your credit card to confirm the reservation."
Ash slid the thin plastic over to the clerk and glanced over at Mary-Lynnette, noting that although she hadn't complained during the day, taking care of the pup had worn her out.
Are you feeling okay? he asked, signing a couple of forms that were presented to him. The clerk accepted them and went to get their room keys.
Mary-Lynnette nodded. Just a little tired. Can you hold him for a second? I want to give my back a break.
Ash gingerly took hold of the disguised pup, feeling extremely uncomfortable with being in charge of something so small.
"Everything's all ready for you, Mr. North," the clerk announced as she returned to the desk. "Here are two copies of your room key, a map of the hotel," here she marked off the location of their room, "and an additional map of the surrounding city." Glancing up, she couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry, you must hear this all the time, but you have the cutest son."
Ash coughed. "Uh, thanks," he said, his cheeks reddening slightly. "It's, um, our first."
The clerk didn't seem to notice Ash's discomfort. "He's absolutely beautiful – although, if you don't mind me saying … his coloring is so different! Red hair and purple eyes!"
Mary-Lynnette became extremely aware at that moment that neither she nor Ash had red hair or purple eyes.
"It's a family trait," Mary-Lynnette interjected, seeing that Ash was having a horrible time trying not to melt from embarrassment. "My mom's side of the family was very," Oh jeeze, where do people with red hair live? "— Scottish."
The clerk nodded. "I understand – my mom's family is from Edinburgh. They're all copper-tops like this one." She flashed them a bright smile. "Well, anyway, enjoy your stay! Let us know if we can be of any help whatsoever."
Nice recovery, she heard in her head, Ash's mental voice laced with obvious amusement.
Maybe I'll make a decent undercover agent after all, she joked, directing her attention once more to the clerk to ask if they could get a crib for their … son.
Stepping inside of their suite, Ash was glad that he had shooed away the bellhop, as the cub's excitement about being in a "den-like" place made him bark so repeatedly that the charm was hard pressed to make it sound like normal-child babble. Giving Ash a helpless look, Mary-Lynnette went directly to the living room, sitting on the edge of the fireplace before setting the cub down and removing his charm. Although the pup hadn't seemed to be bothered by his physical transformation, she thought it best to use the artifact as little as possible.
"I'm not surprised he's running around," she commented to Ash once he returned from stowing the luggage in the bedroom. Keeping a sharp eye out so that the pup wouldn't go flying into the corner of one of the tables, she added: "He's been cooped up in the van all day. This is going to be a hard trip for him."
Ash shrugged, taking a seat next to her and holding her hand. "He'll be fine," he assured her, smirking slightly as the pup got ahead of himself and stumbled into a poofy heap. "He's pretty tough. Besides, you kept him plenty entertained. I wouldn't be surprised if he went to sleep fairly early."
Giving him a shrewd look, Mary-Lynnette had to ask: "How is it you know so much about werewolf pups all of a sudden?"
Ash gave her a half smile, still somewhat focused on watching their charge sniff around the room. "We had a lot of them on the enclave," he told her, leaning back against the wall next to the fireplace and pulling her into his arms. "When I was a kid, before it was taboo for me to hang with werewolves, I liked to go and watch the younger ones." His eyes darkened to a deep blue with the memory. "They were fun to be around, and I learned a lot. I'm not exactly an expert, but I think he'll be fine with us for a few days."
Mary-Lynnette nodded, rubbing the top of her head underneath his chin and feeling the beginnings of stubble on his face. They were enjoying the silent calm when the pup, intent on tracking some foreign scent on the ground, lost his balance and did a small somersault, ending up in a seated position and looking bemused. He craned his neck around to glance at his caretakers and let out a 'yip' of confusion. Both guardians snickered, and the expression on the cub's face was enough to make Mary-Lynnette slip out of Ash's embrace and crawl to him on her hands and knees. Delighted to have someone to play with, the pup lifted his back end in the air and wagged his tail, ready and waiting to romp around with this 'big female person.'
Yawning, Ash realized that he should probably go out and feed before it got to be too late. He drew his lanky frame up from the hearth and stepped over the wrestling heap that was his soulmate and the werewolf. Clearing his throat, he got her attention.
"Going out?" she asked, pushing the pup off of her stomach in such a way that he immediately dove back on top of her.
"Just for awhile," he answered, grabbing one of the room keys from the coffee table. "I shouldn't be gone too long – I saw some woods a few miles away."
Mary-Lynnette grunted as the cub pounced on top of her abdomen. "Hey, easy," she gently chastised. "I need to use those organs."
Ash smirked and opened the door. "Do you want me to pick up anything for you?" he asked, valiantly attempting to maintain his 'thoughtful and sensitive significant other' image.
Mary-Lynnette shook her head. "No, I'm fine for now. Just bring yourself back."
Ash was touched. "Really?"
She nodded, rolling over to tickle the cub. "Yeah. I want your help giving him a bath."
Ash hung his head, slinking out of the room. "I see how it is. One day with a kid and all the romance goes out of our relationship."
After he shut the door, he heard the unmistakable "thump" of a pillow hitting the doorknob. Chuckling, he sauntered down the hallway to the elevator.
Ash was in the middle of a wonderful dream that involved Mary-Lynnette, a private island in the Caribbean, and the application of coconut oil, when he suddenly awoke, fully alert and attuned to the sounds around him.
Uncertain as to what disturbed his rest, he unconsciously tightened his grip on his soulmate as his senses stretched out to discern the danger. Whether it was because of some inner sense that told her that something was off or because Ash's arm constricted her breathing, it only took a handful of heartbeats for Mary-Lynnette to join him.
Her human faculties groggily trying to ascertain what was amiss, she thought to him: What's going on?
Ash silently rolled up into a seated position, bringing Mary-Lynnette with him. After a second, he let out a sigh, feeling extremely stupid.
"It's the pup," he informed her, making use of his physical voice to break the tension in the air.
Falling back to her pillow, Mary-Lynnette groaned. "He's up now?" she lamented, turning over slightly to see what time it was. "Three thirty. He's only been asleep for five hours. I thought he was old enough to sleep the whole night through."
Ash shrugged, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I guess all the traveling and upheaval is having an effect on him."
Mary-Lynnette nodded mutely before gathering up her resolve. She threw the sheets back and moved to stand up. "I'll get him," she said, scooting off of the bed. "You had to drive all day."
Ash felt bad. Although it was true that he'd spent more than eleven hours driving, he knew that Mary-Lynnette had spent nine of those hours entertaining an extremely active werewolf. Both had had a rough day, but he obviously had the physical and psychic advantage.
"No …" he objected, reaching out to pull her back on the bed.
Mary-Lynnette blinked at him, not quite understanding. "Ash, one of us has to go get him. He can't just keep crying."
Gently pushing her back into a horizontal position, Ash slipped off the mattress and covered her with sheets before kissing her tenderly. "I'll get it," he assured her, tugging on a pair of sweatpants. "I did a little extra feeding tonight, so I'm fine. Besides," he added, flashing his trademark grin and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, "if you don't keep up your strength, how are you going to take care of me when I wake up in the middle of the night?" Dodging the pillow that she threw at him, he quickly walked to the crib on the other side of the rather large bedroom.
It's cool, calm down, he soothed, using his telepathic powers to connect to the small cub's mind. Eyes wide with fright, the young werewolf scrambled frantically against the side of the makeshift crib and nearly launched himself into Ash's arms. Still not used to carrying him, Ash clumsily grabbed a blanket and headed for the living room, finally sinking into one of the couches.
From the bedroom, Mary-Lynnette sleepily managed to project a thought to him. He might be hungry.
Ash grumbled to himself. Easy for you to say – you don't have to get back up, he retorted (although by this point Mary-Lynnette had completely succumbed to her exhaustion, so it ended up being more like a fervent self assertion). Looking down at the bundle of fur in his arms, he saw that the pup had stilled completely and was watching him with wary, confused eyes.
Okay. Somehow, I need to calm him down.
Ash stood up again, gently placed the blanket on the seat of the couch and wrapped the pup up in it. Once done, he set the baby on his hip and moved to the kitchen and went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of specially fortified milk. As he waited for some water to heat, he slowly paced back and forth, trying to soothe the still-whimpering cub.
"I'd sing to you," Ash informed him, "But I think that would just make things worse." The pup looked up at him quizzically, his head cocked to one side. "Really," Ash insisted. "It's pretty awful. Don't let Mary-Lynnette know, though. I still may want to surprise her with a mariachi band one day."
The cub's response was to rest his chin on Ash's shoulder.
Ash smiled ironically and removed the bowl of water from the microwave, taking the bottle and dropping it in the warmed liquid. "I guess I should change you or something while this heats up," he observed, trying to remember where Mary-Lynnette had tossed the diaper bag. By the time he'd found it, and gone through the excruciating process of cleaning the pup ("Jeeze, with all of that in there, no wonder you were crying."), the bottle was ready and Ash had planted himself back on the couch, convinced that he wasn't so bad at this whole 'father-figure' thing.
As he sat back, watching the pup drink greedily out of the bottle, Ash couldn't help but stare at the baby and begin to feel the vague stirrings of paternal wonder. Although the child in question still very much resembled a German-shepherd puppy, there was something uncanny and humane about the intensity of his violet gaze.
You're just so … small, he thought to the cub, readjusting his hold so that it was more comfortable for both of them. I guess it's up to me to protect you, Ash asserted, gently swaying his arms back and forth.
Although he wasn't quite finished with the bottle, the pup took the opportunity to stop drinking and nose it aside. Ash was surprised, and tried to put the nipple back in the cub's mouth, but he clearly wasn't interested.
Well, what do you want? Ash asked, hoping that his telepathic powers could catch a hint of what was on the pup's mind. He remained still, and gazed at Ash steadily in such a way that the vampire was almost unnerved.
After a minute or so, when Ash was tempted to go and get Mary-Lynnette's help, he felt something. Something in his mind. Something that he never would have expected to encounter.
The pup reached out and touched Ash's mind with his own.
It was a feather-light tickle at first – so faint that the vampire almost missed it. But with the success of his first attempt, the pup reached out again and again until Ash reached back, forming a connection.
This is so cool, was Ash's first response as he got the sense of a warm, soft, and bubbly soul.
Right now, things were okay, the pup was thinking, stretching out his paws and wiggling his toes slightly. Right now with the new 'leader male person' things were okay. Not all safe, but close enough. Close enough to sleep.
Ash wasn't sure how to respond to such thoughts, so he tried to project the image of both him and Mary-Lynnette holding and taking care of the pup. Being reminded of Mary-Lynnette, Ash got the sense of intense adoration for the most recent 'mother type' he could remember.
Which, in turn, made the cub remember his real mother.
Here the thoughts were more abstract than before. The pup didn't have a clear sense of what had happened to her – just that she had been frightened and that she was gone. There had been moving – a lot of moving. And then sounds. Bad sounds. He had smelled blood – but not good blood. And he'd ran. Ran because that's what every instinct told him he had to do. Ran because the pack was trying to hurt him. Why would they hurt him? He tried to be a good pup. He tried to follow pack rules. He tried –
Convinced that remembering these things was Not A Good Thing, Ash broke through the pup's mental meltdown and wrapped the small mind gently in the cradle of his own.
You're safe, Ash told him, cradling the werewolf in his arms, next to his heart. You're not going to die. You're with us. And … you're a good pup. He kept his thoughts short and to the point, conveying the most fundamental ideas of security and safety that he could. After a few moments, the cub's frantic thoughts settled and the link between the two faded away.
Shuddering and whimpering, it was some time before the pup truly relaxed. Even after he had slipped into deep slumber, however, Ash didn't move to put him back into his crib. Instead, he sat up for over two hours, cradling the child and mulling over what had taken place. Even as the first rays of the sun peeked through the living room windows, Ash continued to ponder on how a six and a half-week-old werewolf had the mental capacity to make a telepathic connection.
The next day saw a slight change in the roles of the pup's caretakers. As a result of not having slept all that much the night before, Ash suggested that they make it a slower day and that Mary-Lynnette do most of the driving. Although it took her awhile to get used to handling such a large car, she managed to get the hang of it by the time they left Colorado.
With Mary-Lynnette in the driver's seat, this left Ash in the back with the cub – something that he was less inclined to object to after the night before. Over breakfast that morning, he told Mary-Lynnette about the cub's display of psychic abilities.
"How unusual is it for him to be doing that at such a young age?" she asked, spooning a helping of bananas and sneaking it into the cub's mouth.
"The age is one thing," Ash replied, catching a cup that went flying off of the highchair. "What's weirder though, is the species. Werewolves don't usually have telepaths in their families. Honestly? I think Thierry's keeping something from us."
Looking at their charge, Mary-Lynnette carefully wiped his muzzle. "Well, we can ask him about it tonight. In the meantime, I don't really think we should do anything differently from before. He's still a baby – psychic abilities don't change that."
So with normalcy in mind, Ash had surrendered himself to a day in the back with the small werewolf. Although Mary-Lynnette was happy to see that her soulmate was growing more comfortable around the pup, she was forced to admit that it was producing some rather ... unusual ... results.
"...One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. Black fish, gold fish, old fish, new fish!"
Oh good grief, she thought, glancing at the rearview mirror to see Ash sitting next to the pup, a Dr. Seuss book opened in front of them.
"This one has a little car! And this one has a little star! Say what a lot of fish there are!"
"That's ... amazing," she observed, turning on the windshield wipers as they drove into some light rain. "Really it is. I have no words."
"What?" Ash huffed. "I'm reading to him – just like you did yesterday before you found that awful movie."
"Yeah, but I didn't use strange voices," she pointed out. "Unlike some others in this car, I can stay within my appropriate tonal range."
Ash shrugged. "Whatever. It's keeping him entertained. Besides, I'm starting to run out of ideas. You were right about these hours in the car being hard on him – he really wants to run around."
Taking a look at the dashboard clock, Mary-Lynnette saw that it was quickly approaching noon. "Well, we could stop for awhile," she suggested, moving over to the right lane and starting to look for potential exits. "I'm getting hungry, and I'm sure he's going to need to be changed."
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to do that part?"
Mary-Lynnette snorted. "I thought you were all into being Super Dad."
"I never said I liked doing that part," Ash grumbled. But looking down at the pup, who was chewing on the edge of the book, he couldn't help but admit: "He is sort of growing on me, though."
"No kidding… Here, it says that there's a Subway up ahead. I know you like stealing my fries, but I need to have something that's not so greasy. Are you going to want anything?"
Ash shuddered. "Are you kidding me? Their sandwiches have green things on them. I'll thank you to keep this sensitive child, and myself, away from such objects."
Mary-Lynnette couldn't help deadpanning: "Yep. Father of the year, right in my backseat."
Before Ash could even think about snarking back, the pup let out a short bark and leaned forward to nuzzle Ash's arm. Smiling smugly, he drawled: "Well, it would seem that somebody thinks so."
"I can't believe he's actually asleep."
"Shhh. For the love of God, don't talk so loud, you might wake him up."
Well if you're that worried about it, use the link, Ash pointed out.
Ugh. I keep forgetting that we have this, Mary-Lynnette groaned.
Quietly tiptoeing into their hotel room, Ash used his night vision to keep from running into anything as he carried the cub across the room to the couch. Mary-Lynnette waited until he had gently placed the baby on his stomach and covered him with a blanket before quietly shutting the door and turning on one of the lights.
Exhaling deeply, she slid on to one of the other couches and leaned her head back.
What a day, she thought to him, grinning ruefully.
Ash came up behind her and started to rub her shoulders, working out the knots of tension that had built up during the drive. No kidding. I'm sorry, again, about the Subway thing.
Mary-Lynnette shut her eyes, her muscles humming with pleasure as Ash smoothed out some of the rougher kinks. Don't worry about it, she assured him. Luckily enough, he wasn't wearing anything, so it didn't look half as strange as it could have.
The incident in question had taken place not long after Mary-Lynnette pulled into the Subway parking lot for lunch. Handing Ash the keys to the van, she'd hopped inside of the restaurant to get her sandwich, leaving the cub in the hands of her soulmate. What she had not counted on, however, was the pup's discomfort at her absence. While changing him, Ash had turned around for a second to grab a second diaper (his inexperience horribly mangling the first). Upon returning his attention to the pup, it was to see that his charge had jumped out of the car and was leaning against the glass window of the restaurant, barking happily and wagging his tail.
Besides, she added, rolling her head around slightly, you got a hold of him pretty quickly. We should be thankful he didn't decide to wander out into the street, instead.
Still, Ash insisted, I'm supposed to be protecting him.
Looking up at him, Mary-Lynnette furrowed her brow. "Really, it's okay," she insisted, tugging on his shirt so that he was at eye level with her. She kissed his forehead and then his nose. "Nothing bad happened, we both learned a huge lesson, and we'll be even more careful from now on."
Feeling somewhat comforted by the knowledge that she wasn't disappointed in him, Ash smiled and wrapped her up in a hug. "It's a little early, but I should probably go out hunting while he's sleeping."
Mary-Lynnette nodded and stretched her legs, kicking off her shoes in the process. "Sounds good. Can you pick up some Chinese food for me?" She tossed him a teasing look. "I'd order it, but I think you'll probably be quicker than their drivers."
Ash wrinkled his nose. "Chinese food? Again?"
Mary-Lynnette winked at him. "Again. I like Chinese food, and Briar Creek doesn't have it. This is my chance to indulge."
As she went to get her wallet, Ash muttered: "And you say I'm excessive."
"Why don't you get ice cream too, while you're out," she suggested, choosing to ignore his comments and instead hand him money. "Something full of chocolate."
Whoa. Ice cream? Now that I can support.
"One shrimp and vegetable stir-fry coming up."
Ash liked the way that he felt after feeding. The hunt itself was always exhilarating – the tracking, the stalking, the knowledge that if he made one small error, his prey would get away and he'd have to start from the beginning. That night he chose a grown deer past his prime and a little on the slow side. Finally managing to corner it by a small stream, he drank his fill and then disposed of the body (it really wouldn't be good for somebody to find a deer drained of its blood near downtown Omaha). That finished, he leapt through the trees back to the city, all of his thoughts bent on finding a Chinese restaurant and ice cream parlor for Mary-Lynnette.
Later on, as he exited the Ben and Jerry's he'd found, he adjusted his grip on the Chinese food and wondered why it was that all the Chinese restaurants in the United States made use of the same awkward-to-actually-carry carryout cartons. Reorienting himself, he invoked his extra-sensitive sense of direction and proceeded towards the hotel.
As he walked, he let his thoughts drift over the day's events and the questions he would have for Thierry when he checked in with the Lord later on that evening. After spending the day with the pup, Ash was convinced that the young wolf had some form of psychic ability. What remained to be answered, however, was how much of an ability the pup had, and why he had it in the first place.
There are four possibilities here, Ash concluded, turning on to Dodge Street and seeing the Doubletree hotel come into view. The pup got it from some obscure relative, from a random mutation, from his mother, or from his father. An idea suddenly occurring to him, he amended: Or … or the pup got it from his father but NOT his mother's mate.
Remembering the way that the pup's mother died, Ash smiled grimly.
And I'm going to bet that that's it. Wolves don't kill their alpha leaders – either of them - unless it's absolutely necessary.
Reaching the front of the hotel, Ash juggled the Chinese food and ice cream carton from one hand to another while pushing against the revolving doors. Once inside, he relished the cool blast of the air conditioner and waved to the front desk clerk. As he entered the hallway and passed the first set of doors, he started to get a strange feeling. The sensation only intensified the closer that he got to his room, and he eventually broke into a run, absolutely certain that something was out of sorts.
Bursting into the suite, he startled Mary-Lynnette, who had been in the process of feeding the pup. "Ash?" she asked, "what's –"
Dumping the Chinese food and ice cream on to the floor, his face slid into full-vampire form and all of his senses went haywire as he sensed an intruder outside of their window. He firmly took hold of the pup and put him in Mary-Lynnette's arms before pushing her out of the way and drawing open the curtains.
Outside of the window, crouched behind a bush was a small, thin figure with a cap of ice-blonde hair.
What's out there?
Ash shook his head, his body relaxing slightly when he saw that the intruder was hardly more than a teenager. I don't know, but I'm going to find out.
Tugging open the glass door and slipping on to the patio , Ash was behind the bush and holding on to the teen before the latter could register that the vampire had even come outside.
"Hey! Watch it!" the boy protested, his green eyes ablaze with indignation.
"Maybe you should be the one watching it," Ash snapped. Taking a long look at him, he detected the traces of psychic powers coming from the boy. "A witch," he nearly spat out. "And a Nightworld spy, probably." Roughly grabbing the kid by the collar, he dragged him back into the living room.
Mary-Lynnette had been fully focused on calming the cub, whose own sense of danger had been triggered by Ash's agitation. Running her hand up and down his back, she turned to the door when she heard Ash return. "Ash, honestly, what on earth –" catching sight of the boy, her eyes widened.
"No way. What are you doing here?"
Ash blinked, his surprise strong enough to transform his face back into its human shape. "Wait - you actually know this kid?"
Mary-Lynnette shrugged, furrowing her eyebrows. "Sort of," she answered. "We met briefly – at the Iris."
Muahahahahaha. Cliff hangerz0r. Come on, raise your hands – who honestly expected to see that kid again?
This chapter was interesting to write. It's by far the longest single chapter that I've posted, but I decided to let the characters do what they needed to do. These next few installments should be interesting for us all, as some questions will be answered, and even more will present themselves. I'm not sure when II.6 will be out ... we'll try within the next couple of weeks, but I learned long ago not to make promises about updates!
By the way, all of the hotels, roads, etc. that our couple are using are real. No joke. So if you're uber obsessive like me, you can Google them and check out what these places look like.
And now, to reply to my reviewers. I love you. I worship you. You guys own me. Thank-you so much for your kind (and occasionally violent!) support. You're the reason I'm writing this at all. ;)
Angelic Chocolate Fairy: Yeah, this couple is definitely into the "I will suffer so that things will be easier for you" thing. It's a lot of fun to play with! I think that we've seen the majority of the person-to-person angst, though. Of course, being Mary-Lynnette and Ash, problems of some sort will always arise. Thanks for the review!
Laura: Hehehe. I've never thought about Ash as the "King of Sweetness" before, but I imagine you're not far off. After all, a tough exterior generally masks a very sweet, sensitive interior. I'm glad you liked all of my fluff – trying to write it was a different experience altogether. I'm also happy that you're staying with me through this story (and all the edits!). You're one of my core readers and I really appreciate and pay attention to all of your reviews (especially when you post three times XDD)
Drowning Rooster: "Open mouth, insert foot" should be tattooed on to Ash's forehead. That way, whenever an occasion arises where he needs to use it, he can just point instead. Sorry that this chapter took so long, hope you enjoyed it!
Dogs die in hot cars: Hehehe. I never "hesitate" to update. I pray that I can. I hope that I can. And then I look at my bedside clock and realize that I have to sleep at some point, and omgwhenamIgoingtodolaundry? ;) I was really pleased to see that you thought my characterization suited our couple. One of the difficulties with development away from the author's work is that you want them to still be recognizable as the originals, but you want them to grow and change at the same time. Thank-you so much for your kind words!
Wizzy: As we saw, Ash is going to settle into his paternal role a lot more than he thought he would. This has actually made me think about writing a smaller series (when this is all finished) about their children and married life. Nothing huge – just a few chapters. What do you think?
Aglaia Di Willow: Dude, I just figured out a few weeks ago that my NWCD clan isn't Di Willow. It's actually MacLeod – I used Di Willow whenever I RPed because I thought it sounded cooler. Alas, we're not direct kin after all. ;) I'm glad that you liked the chapter – it means a lot to me when I see one of your reviews, just because I know I really have to be at the top of my game. It's a personal goal for every chapter. XD
incarnated-soul: Sort of like I was saying to Dogs die in hot cars, I think that in some ways, any kind of fanfiction is going to take the original characters and make them out of character. I really want Ash to make some emotional progress during this story, so I need to have him do things/say things that he hasn't before. My goal, overall, is to still keep him recognizable as the snarky vampire that we love, while at the same time giving him a healthy dose of maturity and sensitivity. To answer your question, the perfume got on his pants just by virtue of the fact that Reina wears gallons of it and she was all over him for a considerable length of time. :grins: And as to the pup being Jeremy's child, you know, I never even thought of that. That's really clever! I don't think I'll be heading in that direction ... but you never know. XD
Lunatic:intense blushing: Don't ever let L.J. Smith hear you say that! She'll sue me or something! It's awesome to hear that you were so taken in with the romance in the last chapter – it was definitely something that I was aiming for. As to the sex, I did toy with the idea briefly, but in the end it just felt funny to do because they've only been together for about six days. Soulmates or not, that's probably a bit much for them. O.o. Thank-you so much for your review – you've been with me since the beginning, and I really love seeing your responses!
WildFire070: I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate having had the chance to discuss these characters with you. Your review and our emails gave me a lot to think about, and they influenced some of the changes that I made in the earlier chapters. I hope that you enjoyed this latest installment – more action, more plot, and hopefully some questions to tantalize your imagination! ;)
Jalena: I'm the fastest updater on your favorite authors list? O.o. Actually, wait, I'm on your favorite author's list? XDDDDD Yaaaaah! That's awesome! Thank-you so much for such a wonderful compliment. Seriously – that means a lot to know that you like my work on such a level. I hope you like the twists and turns that I have coming up!
Poppi Night: That's an amazing amount of validation! It pleases me to no end that you feel that these characters are still staying true to what L.J. Smith intended, and that their development hasn't taken them away from that original mold. The wolf cub is by far one of my favorite parts of this story – I was so relieved to finally get to him plot-wise, and I'm having a blast tossing in his quirks (as well as the questions and problems that he poses)! Thank you so much for reviewing
(Muahahaha! I'm drawing the story-stalkers out of their hiding places! XD)
Mental Twitch 'Sh33r's:
Don't blame me for failing school! Blame alcohol and misused
caffeine! Those are the real culprits. XDD As to the adoration
and mass amounts of praise, I return it all with ardent thanks and
profuse appreciation. Your review was so encouraging, and I have to
confess that I was extremely amused to see firsthand how my readers
are affected by reading this beast from start to end. :evil laugh:
Seriously, though, your
words were absolutely wonderful to hear, and definitely kept me going
throughout this last chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!
Ria: Caffeine is never a problem. I survived the end of the school year because I got a grande iced specialty latte EVERY DAY for three weeks straight. :twitch: On another note, yes, Ash was definitely being less vampire-ish and more human-ish in the last chapter. It's a hard thing to try to balance out, because I think L.J. Smith spends a lot of time focusing on how similar Nightpeople and Daypeople are, so that it's easy to forget that vampires are in fact bloodsuckers. That was something I tried to drop back in here, just so that we remembered that there's a reason he doesn't like vegetables (besides the fact that he's ornery by nature!). Thanks for the voice of support!
Lalenna: I'm actually not even sure where to start responding to your review. You said so many encouraging, uplifting, amazing things, that the best I can come back with is "OMGThank-you!" XDD Ash is the very bright and obvious star of this story (he even has his own trailer outside of my apartment ... okay, he doesn't, but think of it in a metaphysical sense ;) ). His humor, his defenses, his depth, and after this past chapter, his "paternal stirrings" are so much fun to dive through, and he keeps me laughing more often than he doesn't (you should see some of the stuff I decided not to put into this chapter!). Anyway, I hope that I can keep you happy throughout the rest of this story – we have some really interesting things coming up!
jellysnakes: Addiction to fanfiction is the spice of life. Your review made me laugh out loud ;) Thanks!
sneaky-cypher: w00t! Somebody else besides me is up until 4 a.m. dealing with this fanfic! It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my obsession. XDD Your review came at just the right time and really helped to get me back to writing. Thank-you!
Jie: Our wolf-pup is still dealing with some severe emotional trauma, so, to be honest, even I'm not sure when we'll see his true human form. I think we'll just have to wait and see how the story plays out. It could be the next chapter, or it could be the end of the story. Who knows? ;)
Shattered Immortality: Ah! There you are! I was wondering when you'd turn up. You're one of my core reviewers, man – don't leave me hanging like that! ;) And you are not pathetic – you are an honored and revered reviewer that caters to my ego and makes me indulge in my obsessive writer's nature. XDD Mary-Lynnette and Ash as parents is definitely a strange idea, but I'll be honest and say that it's growing on me. I actually have plans to do some kind of writing (when this is all over) describing some aspect of their married life. As to when I'll actually get to that, who knows, but it's in the works!
Morrique: Of course Ash'll fall in love with the pup. It fits with the Universal Laws of Irony that we authors love to live by. The process, however, must be fraught with danger, the avoidance of dirty diapers, and more than one case of Ash being thrown up on. :chuckles: Your review was awesome – thank-you!
goldenshadows: I swear, I just don't know what it is ABOUT this pair that makes them everyone's favorite. Granted, Jez and Morgead are generally up there as well, but Ash and Mary-Lynnette just have a certain something about them. I think you know what I mean. Maybe it's all the conflict and agitation – it just makes it all the more interesting and passionate. Anyway, I really appreciate you taking a minute to let me know what you think of the story. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
dragonelemental: I felt really bad making all the changes to the earlier chapters once I read that you'd gone and printed out The Whole Beast. :wince: Still, it was so flattering to know that you'd go to such lengths to keep the story accessible (I once did it with an absolutely amazing Mummy fanfiction ;)). I was also really happy to see that you approved of the way that their relationship is developing – that's the main point of The Beast, and it's extremely validating to know that people are enjoying the process. Thanks for the review!
lioness9055: Hehehehe. Like I said to dragonelemental, I'm sorry that I changed things around after you printed this whole thing out. Still, maybe you should keep it. If I ever become rich and famous, you can sell it on Ebay as a rough draft to my early work! Just kidding ;) Honestly, your review was very gratifying to receive, and I was so happy to hear how much you like the way I'm highlighting Mary-Lynnette and Ash's relationship. I look forward to any and all future feedback!
Undeveloped Story: I hope that I got this out soon enough so that you didn't cry. I like being the inspiration for other people's emotions – but not in that way! And never, ever worry about reviewing long after I've made an update. Like I've said before, I hunger and thirst for validation and wondrous words of praise. I especially like knowing what it was in particular that people liked about various chapters (it tend to condition me so that I do more of the well-received things). Thank-you for the review, and I hope you enjoy the rest of what I have to offer!
HM: Mrmph. Writing and publishing my own novels is something I'd love to do one day, but I think my skills are still a bit on the raw side. Fanfiction is a great way to work out technique and to get practice with pacing and plot development (definitely two of my weakest areas). Still, it was so flattering to hear you suggest it, and the rest of your comments gave me a nice kick in the arse to get back to the updating process. Congratulate yourself on being a major influence in keeping me at my writing desk this week. ;)
emma: LoL! Okay okay, you got your wish. And I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as humanly possible.
My god, there are a lot of you these days. Even though it may sound repetitive from response to response, please believe me when I say that you guys are the real force behind this story. Your words of encouragement, praise, criticism, and frustration (XD) are what keep this Beast alive. We have around nine more chapters to go (expect them to be rather lengthy) before we're done. The plan is to try and finish it by the end of the summer ... but we'll just have to see how things go.
Oh, and by the way, I know that one of you emailed me about a month ago with some absolutely amazing compliments and words of encouragement. I must not have saved it, though, so I can't quite remember who it was. Thank-you, to the reviewer that did it. I apologize that I never replied to you – I honestly meant to, and then my life sort of got away from me (...again). But seriously, it meant a lot to me.
And... that's it for now. I hope to be posting again sometime this month. See you then!