Chapter 10: Snips, and Snails and Puppy-dog Tales

A few minutes after the place had cleared out, Sally excused herself to her study saying: when they were ready, the guest could come use her couch as a makeshift cot. She dust herself away; guys assumed, to her room. This left the werewolves in the house some time to bond.

It was now when Josh took a good look at the other werewolf.

George reminded Josh of himself in harder luck and deeper pain. The American hated this curse, and he hated the wolf for what it did while it was under the craze of the moon, but from what Josh could tell, George hated the 'wolf for what it brought to him in his life.

But despite having that empathy for the visitor, Josh couldn't help but find some relief in his presence. It was refreshing to be with someone else who was as disconnected with his other half as he was; even Ray had made some sort of symbiosis with his 'wolf.

As Josh helped George to his feet and up the stairs to the bathroom, he thought, 'maybe this is what it feels like to run with a pack.'

He abolished the very idea once he realized that imagining he was in a pack would mean he was admitting to himself he was the monster.

In the bathroom, George eased into the porcelain tub and Josh retrieved the hand towels on the drying rack behind him. Soaked with lukewarm tap water, the host handed the towels to George so that he could tend his own wounds. He rummaged under the sink for a clean basin.

"Brush away from the stitches. And then here is a syringe: you squirt it in that-" he used his hands to indicate George's entire body, "-general area." He resumed his fussing. "And this water in the bottle is sterilized, but I'll start disinfecting some more so you can get your whole body. If you get the gauze wet—"

"Josh," George cut in, as Josh rushed from corner to corner of the tiny bathroom, "its okay. I got it."

"I know, it's just that we don't get a lot of visitors like us—" He hissed at his slip and said, "I mean you. I meant like you." Josh was filling disinfectant salts in the bathroom sink, now half filled with warm water. "And besides, if you'll be staying here till tomorrow morning, we'd like you to feel at home."

"Oddly enough," started George, watching Josh with his ash grey eyes, "I already do."

Josh hesitated a moment, caught in the intensity of the companion's gaze. His heart swelled up involuntarily, flattered at the compliment. Then finally he shuddered as if physically shaking would somehow loosen that connection he felt with his visitor, "That's so weird."

"Yeah," agreed George, equally uncomfortable, "It didn't mean to have come out that queer. Not that there is anything wrong with being homosexual or anything! I'm just not, well you know? … yeah-" He stammered a moment then finally said, "I guess I just meant to say 'thank you'. It's been really hard to find anyone to relate to since the you-know-what."

Josh made an understanding grimace, "and it just feels like the more you try to control it, the more out of hand things get. One slip up, you let go for one minute, and you ruin someone's life…"

"It's really isolated," and the boys trailed off.

Josh tried to shrug off the melancholy then excused himself from the bathroom giving his new friend some space. He rummaged through his drawers for any carefully folded clothes that he didn't mind parting with. After ten minutes or so, he had gathered a collection of T-shirts, polo shirts and one of the seven identical pairs of black gym shorts he owned.

"I didn't know what you wanted to wear so I got you a black shirt, a black polo, a red shirt, a green shirt and a blue polo. This one has a hole in the underarm though; I've been meaning to throw it out. Oh and pants—" he looked up as George was towel drying his thigh, a clean string of blood thread through the tub's rose-colored water. "—hey, that looks a lot better than I thought it would."

George agreed. He had a goofy grin on his tender pink face.

"Is that a pair of Jersey shorts?"

Josh checked the tab, "Uh…Champion" He squinted to read the faded print then triumphantly said, "Yeah! 'Jersey shorts.'"

"I have a pair of those back at my flat," George reached over and thanked him. He struggled a bit to put them on, winced when the seam of the pants caught one of his stitches, then finally tied the string in front of his hips. He dripped himself out of the tub then used what was left of the sterilized water to wash his arms, and his hands. He leaned on the toilet for support and Josh draped his clothes on the edge of the tiny bathroom sink.

George took the red shirt, the one on the top, then eased himself into it. "You're smaller than I am."

Josh made a face, "I know. I'm sorry. Aiden is probably closer to your shoulder size, but his clothes are definitely not clean, he lives like a caveman."

George chuckled and let Josh lead him to Sally's room. She had already converted the couch to a bed, and had cleared some of her things from where they were on the floor. The empty book shelf had a few decorations on it; some photos, some trinkets and some toys- but most of those items Sally had to concentrate to interact with, and she couldn't feel them the way she could feel her clothes or house. Despite being her belongings, the things were not a part of the Haunt when she died. Aiden and Josh had brought most of the shelf's contents to her from her mother's house after they had moved in.

The ghost herself was not in her study, but Josh took the liberty to ease the other werewolf onto the springy bed. He knew from the look on the other man's face that George felt the loose wire when he lay down to rest, though the British man didn't say anything.

"I'll go get you a blanket. And I have a few flannel shirts, but they're for sleeping. If your skin stops giving you trouble later, I can lend you one." Josh considered leaving, now that George was situated: he really wanted to mop the trail of blood that traced their path from the tarp to the bathroom.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah," The man's eyebrows shot up, and he furrowed trying to force them back down. "What's up?"

"Those werewolves who rescued me from the prison: Who are they, exactly?"

"Friends," Josh thought about those strangers and just said, "Sort of. I mean, I had met them last week- or two weeks ago-, they are helping me take care of my girlfriend."

"You have a girlfriend here?"

"No, no. She's on a werewolf reserve in New Mexico." Josh caught George's eyes widen while he tried to stifle a laugh. "Okay. I admit, it sounds really weird."

"A werewolf reserve?" George was grinning unabashedly now that Josh was beginning to chuckle, "I really doubt that any werewolf needs to be protected on a reserve."

"As far as I understand, it's more like a monastery than a wild-life park. There's a dorm, there's a church, there's all sorts of natural boundaries, lakes, forests, mountains and rivers…" then Josh remembered the most important part, "it is surrounded by miles of mountains and the closest other settlement is a whole day away by four wheel. The wolf would have to be running flat out for the whole night if it wanted to reach civilization before the sun came up. There is almost virtually no chance that you could accidentally infect an unsuspecting person."

"Ah, right up. That would be ideal," and George tried to imagine his wolf being caged in by free air and fresh running water. Cut off from people. Waking up knowing he had not harmed another. Waking up knowing he could not pass on the curse to another. "How did you find it?"

Josh shrugged, "They found us, actually." He remembered when Nora had collapsed in the house. He was reminded of that moment when his heart stopped and Nora shut down as the doctor assured him their baby was not hurt. He could still hear that grinding of his teeth as he bit back the pitiful groan: 'not again'.

But it wasn't carelessness this time. After the first pregnancy, they had been extra careful when it came to prevention. They watched the calendars, they had protection every time—and Josh knew Nora had been taking oral contraceptives and always watched herself very seriously. When it survived their next transformation, they had both agreed, the baby belonged to the 'wolves.

Who knew that werewolves were immune to the pill?

No sooner had they been convinced their child was cursed, the first visitor appeared at their door. She was a young woman, wearing jeans and a tight white shirt; and she was a legacy werewolf that had been born on the reserve but chose to leave and live in New York. She made the trip to see them on the request of her family.

She convinced them she was a helper of female 'wolves, and the next week, Josh and Nora flew to Albuquerque to meet some old American housewife for tea at an airport coffee shop. Her name was Ma'ma, that even unnerved Nora.

"We were in … trouble. I just found out the wolf impregnated my girlfriend's wolf. Then out of no-where, the founder of the reserve found us. I don't even know how."

"Shamans…" George recalled what Hope had said earlier.

"Something like that, the details are over my head." Josh finished the story quickly saying that Nora and he had agreed to send her to the reserve to watch the pregnancy. He was not allowed to stay during gestation, but they had said he could come and be there during the birth.

George swallowed every bit of Josh's story, and for the first time since the first (and only) ultrasound, Josh found himself recounting this tale to someone aloud. Even as he told it, the images he had dulled and the imaginations he had repressed exploded from his mind's eye to his mouth with the fury of a gushing waterfall. He couldn't hold it in.

Josh knew this, like every other pain in his life, was dammed back by his own fear of self control—or lack there of.

He stopped at the point where Hope, Thom and Elda entered his life, and he reflected on the outburst that he surprised himself with.

George either didn't notice or had plenty of practice in listening for he didn't seem uncomfortable or confused by the near emotional collapse. "You don't think you can take care of a…" He paused trying to swallow a dry clot in his raw throat, "baby 'wolf?"

Josh carried on as if his insecurities didn't cow him "How can I?" the American replied, "I can't even take care of my 'wolf." Josh laughed, easing himself into the conversation more comfortably, "Hell. I can barely take care of myself as a man. I can't imagine what it would be like to be responsible for raising a good child; let alone a good werewolf!"

"What do you think baby werewolves eat?" wondered George aloud. Josh threw his hands up in the air in an exaggerated and exasperated shrug. "Do they suckle?"

Josh pondered that thought. "It would suck if my girlfriend gave birth to a liter."

George chuckled. "I haven't even thought about kids since I was infected. Not once." And then he remembered the prophecy that Hope had given them. His mirth melted almost instantly.

"In general, Nora's just a lot stronger about this whole 'wolf thing than I am, too. I changed her and she's still the one who encourages me when the 'wolf starts creeping in. I did that to her. And now I did this to her."

"You infected her?"

"It was an accident, and every day I regret having dragged her into this. If I could have had the guts to tell her what was inside of me from the beginning then she—" he sighed, he had visited this nightmare many times in his head. Telling it to a stranger wouldn't change what happened, "I should have warned her."

"So, do you love her?"

"Yes. I mean, I think I do," Josh nodded, "Yeah I do. I just can't help but feel so guilty, though."

"I know the feeling. it-" George hesitated, and Josh felt his heart go straight to his stomach, for he knew what was coming next, "It scratched my girlfriend too."

Josh gave the other man's hand a soft, lame pat.

"Your friends said it would be dangerous for me to be out there. That the 'wolf's bloodline was going to be the end of world."

"Really? 'End of the world'?" Josh tried to imagine Thom in apocalyptic-prophet-mode and couldn't do it. "They said that?"

"With all the seriousness of a grammar school teacher."

"So they're helpful in a pinch," Josh chuckled. "But no one can predict something like that."

"Either way. I'm thinking about letting them take me. I could live on that werewolf reserve where the monster couldn't hurt anyone."

Josh stared at him blankly, "Like, permanently? What about Annie or Mitchell? Don't you have any other friends that will miss you?" Josh remembered, "Would you just leave your girlfriend alone?"

George did think about that. Realistically, Nina could come; she was his wolf's responsibility after all. But if he could never see his home again, he would never see Annie or Mitchell. Despite the glaring doubts, he said, "I've abandoned everything once. Can it be that hard to do it again?"

Josh saw the Haunt as his life support. He had once run away from his family, his home, his school and his fiancé; but that was because he had been changed. And through that desperation and isolation, he found in Aiden a confidante; someone struggling with his monster in ways that Josh could at least feel some connection to. Aiden's issues were wholly separated from Josh's yet being with someone as tormented by the supernatural in a similar but unique way helped Josh feel a little more accepted. He couldn't imagine giving up his home here, even if he had done it before. He couldn't give up the dysfunctional comfort that followed finding a family in the mystical black mess.

"I don't think anyone should give up on something because of the fear of what hasn't happened yet. So there may be consequences of continuing on, but there may also be great opportunities. If you just give up, how can you live?"

"Hard to think that way when there's a thing living inside your self."

"Yeah." Josh couldn't really argue with that.

But he was still trying to change all of that; he was willing to fight on and find his cure, support his woman and (if he needed to) protect his unborn child. Even if Josh's loins were not given the stamp of approval from doomsayers, he had been dreading the birth of Nora's baby as if it were the harbinger of the apocalypse. It may have been the werewolf that had gotten Nora's werewolf pregnant, but Josh had to take responsibility for the it and their happiness.

No one should run from something this big for ever.

Even if the possibilities scared the living day-lights out of his soul, he knew he owed it to his girlfriend to continue fighting. And for the first time in months, Josh felt empowered enough to accept he was going to be a father of a monster. He would raise it to be the best person he could. Even though he feared the future, he resolved to love his baby and accept it in any condition.

No matter what.

Josh took a deep, pent up breath, then stood up while stretching to the sky. "O-okay then! Are you hungry? I keep making family dinners, but Sally can't eat and Aiden has the appetite of a mouse. I was thinking of making breakfast!"

"Maybe later. I could definitely use some flatcakes."

"Done deal!" and Josh turned to exit the bedroom when Annie suddenly appeared in his path making the two occupants in the room jump.

"Annie!" George smiled brightly and she closed the gap between them, shifting to her knees. Josh gave them their privacy then went about planning his grocery list. He had the graveyard shift between that day and the next day. Then the graveyard shift on Sunday. His schedule would revert to normal the following Tuesday. He had some time to rest.

So Josh thanked Sally for setting up the bedroom. Sally said she cleaned up the blood on the staircase, and then the werewolf tottered into his own bed.

With the blinds half open, early weekend sunlight flickered on the wooden slats, and he blinked reflectively at them. The cold and quiet of the room surrounded him, and Nora's scent lightly floated off of his pillows. He did love her. And if the baby was going to be born purebred, the so be it. He probably could still raise it to be a good person. Odds were high against having a normal life, as if that had ever been in arms reach before, but if Nora was with him, he could live faintly happy in it.

He snaked his hand into his tight jean pocket and fumbled around with his phone. When he finally struggled it out of his pants, he searched for Nora's number and punched 'send'.

He held his breath the entire time the dialing sound rang and only dared release it when he heard her fumble with answering.

"Hello?" came the woman's concerned yet sleepy reply. Though gravely with the abrupt awaking, simply hearing her voice lifted his spirits. "Josh? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just missed you, that's all."

She sighed, and for a second she said nothing before she replied, "I miss you too." He chuckled he imagined that she might have fallen asleep for a second over the call. "Sweetie, you know it's 4:30 over here? I'm sleeping."

"I know. I'm sorry. Hope is here."

"Oh good. Did she tell you? Soon, huh?"

"Yeah," Josh held his phone tenderly and nuzzled it to his ear, "Are you ready?"

"No, are you?"

"We'll be ready. And Nora-?"

"Yes Josh?"

"I'll be there with you. I promise. Nothing will keep me from seeing our child come into this world."

AN: SO! ... Season 3 of the ScyFi version is now two episodes in. And my story is completely debunk now. ha ha. I knew I was going to AU some of my facts but honestly, I didn't expect the US version to deviate so much from the UK version. I'm kind of glad that they did, it makes the two shows feel similar but still unique- which sort of enhances what I like about it: its like it's the same universe but different lives. Still... THIS MEANS MY STORY IS SO OFF.

I had considered doing this before, but after the main story section has been finished I will put up a vague timeline of the events that I 'expected to happen'/'made up' that led to the first chapter of my story. If you're interested in seeing what transpired then, feel free to poke around. I may or may not (depending on my feedback) continue on this timeline to write stories of this group.

on the side not, folks: we are more than half way through. And this is where all of exposition ends. =}

Enjoy!