Timeline: Pre-"Revelations"

The "Predator"/"Prey" Dynamic

Henry knew he was dreaming simply because, in waking life, he could not be dragged away from his lab long enough to spend any time in the forest. Well, okay, so in waking life he was still sensitive enough about his heritage to consciously reject any activities that brought him close to the land.

Hunting and nature hikes were definitely on the top of that list, and he seemed to be engaged in a medley of the two now. He was walking through a primordial forest, tracking.

A footprint here, a broken branch there. The faint scent of deodorant and body-wash and a trace of warmth lingering in the chill air. All served to bring him closer to his prey.

And prey she was. He was in fullon hunter-mode as he so often was in his dreams. Ashley could run but she could not hide. He would find her. And when he had…

He smiled in anticipation, pushing his way into the underbrush where she had left the path, presumably in hopes of evading him for longer. Ridiculous. The heavy growth would slow her down and make her trail a thousand times easier to detect.

Like he needed the visual markers when he could smell her distinctive blend of body-products and gun-oil. He followed that as much as he followed the crushed ferns and bent branches, savoring the aroma.

There was no reek of anxiety or fear in the array of smells she was emitting; this was Ashley, after all. If anything, the chase was exciting her, which Henry could more than relate to. The hunt was freeing, exhilarating. And the knowledge of what waited at the end…

Laughing, he pressed his advantage. When he found Ashley, she was in a natural clearing, looking around, clearly trying to decide where to go next, how to best shake off his pursuit.

"Sorry, Red. The wolf has you now."

"Crap," Ashley muttered, darting back towards the trees.

"Oh, no you don't," he answered, throwing his arms around her waist and pulling her back towards him.

They went over backwards together, Ashley flailing and Henry struggling to keep hold of her. Both were laughing when the fall started, but they landed hard and Ashley's not-inconsiderable weight slamming into him moments after he slammed into the ground took his breath away, making laughter impossible. It became a struggle just to hang on to the squirming girl.

Ashley's movement was not without purpose. Within moments, she had wiggled around to face him, bringing herself nose-to-nose with the werewolf.

"Not bad," she told him, still laughing. "Only took you about ten minutes to find me once you got started."

"Hate to break it to you, Ash, but, when you aren't in the city, you move like prey. Hard not to track you. Oh and, next time, you might try not smelling so damned good."

"Henry!"

"What?" he answered with an innocent smile.

"You are such a dog!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Henry!" She shook her head. "Going to let me go now?"

"Mmm… no."

"So, we're just going to lay here all day?" she demanded, looking amused.

"Why not? I'm comfy. View's not bad, either."

She swatted him.

"Hey! Where's the love?"

Eyes sparkling with mischief, she managed to free one hand and lift it to his face. He swallowed hard, staring into her eyes. Damn, she was beautiful. She promptly started scratching him behind the ear.

"Who's a good boy?" she asked, her tone exactly that of a woman talking to a puppy. "Who's a good boy?"

He made a face. Even in his dreams, he couldn't get her to take him seriously. Fracking typical…

"Cut it out, Ash," he sighed, releasing his hold on her to grab her offending hand.

A minor melee ensued as each struggled to get the upper hand, as it were. Henry was not really surprised that Ashley had him pinned to the ground by his wrists within a few seconds. She knelt there, straddling him with a triumphant expression.

Sighing again, he closed his eyes, waiting for whatever humiliation she had planned for him next. It probably said something about him that his dreams, when not violent, tended to center around degradation at the hands of the people he loved the most.

Ashley's next move took him completely by surprised. She kissed the tip of his nose.

Okay, that was new…

He opened his eyes and stared up at her. "Ash?"

Her next words did not really seem to answer his unspoken question. "It's nice out here. Wild. Kinda… primal."

He looked around. "It's okay, I guess, but I'd rather be in my lab where it's warm and dry."

"And where Mom or Will could walk in on us at any time?" she asked, grinning and shaking her head. "Nope. Definitely not a place where I would pin you to the ground and have my way with you."

His heart seemed to have lodged itself in his throat, so he swallowed again. "And were you… planning on 'having your way with me' now?"

She shrugged. "The thought had occurred to me."

"I think I like this dream."

Ashley smiled and leaned over him again, her hair brushing his cheeks. Oh, yeah, definitely superior to his typical dreams.

"Uh, would you mind letting go of my hands?" he asked. "'Cause I really think I'd like to put my arms around you right now."

Her hands left his wrists and moved to cup his face instead, her thumbs lightly running over his stubble.

"Better?"

"Much," he assured her, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears so he could see her face. "You know, normally when I dream about you, things don't go like this."

"That's because you have issues, Henry," she pointed out. "You want me, but you feel guilty for it." She leaned down until her lips brushed his with every word. "Only suddenly you don't feel so guilty. So what changed?"

"I… don't know," he whispered, closing his eyes and just enjoying the tickle of her lips against his. It was nothing like kissing, but it felt good. "But it's a change I could find myself getting used to."

"I don't know. You're not big on self-awareness, but I can't see this simplifying anything with the real Ashley."

"Shit," he sighed, turning his head away. "Good point. I wouldn't be able to look at her in the morning, would I?"

"Like I said, issues." She kissed his cheek. "Should I let you up now?"

"I hate my dreams, you know that?"

"I know, Henry," she answered, patting his cheek and climbing off of him. "You'd almost rather have the dream where you're naked at the electronics trade-show."

He shrugged and sat up. "At least in that one I get to play with some cool toys first. Nearly getting to kiss you only to have my own sense of shame get in the way, that's just frustrating, Ash."

"So do something about it. Oh, you know, maybe in real life?"

"No!" he answered shortly, shaking his head. "Just drop it."

No way was he about to get into an argument with his own subconscious about whether or not he should make a move on Ashley. It was not going to happen. For one thing, Ashley would break every bone in his body if he ever tried it. For another, it was just weird talking about Ashley with a representation of his subconscious that looked just like her.

When he looked again, Will was sitting where Ashley had been. "Better?" he asked.

"Marginally, and definitely more appropriate for heart-spilling, but I'm still not having this argument."

"Anyone ever told you that you have weird dreams?"

"You know I don't tell people about most of my dreams. Not even the real you."

"True. You don't communicate much of yourself to those around you."

"God, now you do sound like the real Will."

"Look, all I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt to open up a little with the people who care about you. Will, Ashley, Magnus…"

"Hey! I'm plenty open with Doctor Magnus."

"About your symptoms, sure. But not about your thoughts and feelings, your hopes and fears."

"I think I preferred this dream when I was still pinned to the forest floor."

"Well, I'd offer, but I don't think it would have the same impact with me looking like this."

"My subconscious is a smart-ass," Henry observed.

"Only because it's a reflection of your conscious mind." Will shrugged. "Seriously, Henry. How long are you going to keep pining for Ashley before you just say something?"

"I happen to like being friends with her. So I'm not going to risk ruining that. Ever."

"How is that worth it?"

"I told you, I'm not doing this debate."

"Yeah, well, obviously there's a part of you that wants to."

"That part of me doesn't make the rules, not any more than the wolf part of me does. Subject closed."

"Speaking of your inner wolf, he'd like you to spend more time in the great outdoors."

"Okay, now that one might actually be negotiable."

"Ashley likes to camp," Will pointed out.

"Don't start!"

"A guy's got to at least try, Henry," he answered. "So, anyway, time in the great outdoors? There are some great parks around here."

"I guess Magnus could do without me for a day or two," he admitted. "Might be good to get away, not think about work all the time. Kind of like hitting a mental reset."

"They invented mental health days for a reason. Something to consider."

"I'll think about it," he agreed.

"That makes your inner wolf very happy. And a happy wolf is a wolf that doesn't try to come out and play at inopportune moments."

Henry opened his mouth to respond when the sound of the alarm clock edged into his awareness.

"And that's my cue to go," he said.

"We'll see you again tonight, Henry."

"Lucky me," he answered, opening his eyes.

Alone in his bedroom, he sighed and shook his head. He definitely would have preferred the 'naked at the electronics trade-show' dream. Debating his lack of a love-life with himself was just depressing. At least the trade-show dream had cool gadgets.

He turned off his alarm clock, leaving his room and shuffling in the direction of the kitchen. Always an early riser, he still needed a massive infusion of caffeine before he could start to feel remotely human.

When he reached the kitchen, Ashley was sitting on the countertop devouring an enormous slice of the Big Guy's truly decedent German Chocolate cake with coconut-pecan frosting.

"Your mom would flip if she caught you eating that for breakfast," he told her.

"That's why I'm trying to finish it before she wakes up," Ashley answered, taking another large bite. Around a mouthful of cake, she said, "Cut me some slack. I had a rough night."

He frowned. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just…" She shrugged. "You know how it is."

"Job stress?"

"Yeah." She made a face. "I mean, hunting monsters is great and everything, but it's high-pressure. I'm thinking of taking a few days off, getting away."

"Really? Me, too."

She frowned at him. "Henry, you never take time off."

"Yeah, well, a certain hairy friend of mine informs me that I need to spend some quality time with Mother Nature." He shrugged. "Thought I might rent a cabin, do some hiking."

"We could go camping," she suggested.

"We?"

"Sure, like when we were kids. Only this time with booze and no Mom looking over our shoulders." She grinned. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"It sounds like fun," he admitted.

"Cool, it's a date." She took another bite of cake, swallowing hastily as her mother entered the kitchen. "Hey!"

"Good morning, Ashley," Magnus answered absently. "Good morning, Henry." Her eyes fell on the remains of the piece of cake sitting on the countertop. "Oh, really, Ashley!"

"Uh, actually, Doc, I'm the one who woke up with a chocolate craving this morning," Henry told her, earning a grateful glance from Ashley.

"Well, you should know better as well," Magnus answered. "Given your physiology, you should be considerably more careful what you ingest."

"I know, I know. Dogs and chocolate don't mix," Henry muttered, taking a bite of the cake. He would pay for it later, but it really was excellent cake.

"Mom, Henry and I need a few days off," Ashley told her, deftly changing the subject.

Magnus frowned. "Whatever for?"

"Mental health leave. We're going camping."

"Together?"

"Yeah." Ashley nodded. "Problem?"

"No, not at all. Just remember to bring weapons. You know that not all the abnormals who live in the local forests are friendly."

"Guns and tasers, check." Ashley nodded.

Magnus smiled and walked over to the refrigerator. "And if one of you could bring your cell phone so I can get in touch with you in case of an emergency."

"Like Henry ever goes anywhere without his phone," Ashley laughed, hopping down off the counter. "Come on, Henry. I'll help you pack."

"We're going now?"

"No time like the present," Magnus observed. "Crisis-free times are to be exploited whenever they present themselves. You two have fun."

"Oh, don't worry, Mom," Ashley answered with a smile that made Henry a little nervous about what he was getting himself into. "We'll definitely have fun…"

End