~ Milliways - VH - wolf-no-more ~

[i_vanquish_evil]

Van Helsing woke, still in the corner he had been using as a 'bed'. Gently, he nudged Rose's ear with his wolf-nose. She twitched and shrugged a shoulder, turning her head into the fur along his side. How much longer can this last? He trailed his tongue, lightly, over the side of her face in a gentle wolf-kiss.

A small giggle escaped her throat as she sat up, then stroked a hand along the sleek fur. Morning. She smiled at him and stretched a bit.

He tried, tried to smile, but he could not manage it. "Morning," he said flatly, staring at the floor.

Not again. She sighed and put a hand to his cheek. More stories, please. She hoped the almost pleading look in her eyes would get her point across. Anything to get his mind off the 'werewolf thing.'

He nodded and shifted into a sitting position in the corner, waited for her to move next to him and sift her fingers into his fur before beginning. He started talking about a vampire hunt, then drifted into finding information about werewolves; mentioning that he would have to ask Carl a few questions when he went back home.

Another sigh, exasperated. This was more than frustrating. Every time he started to tell a story, he would find a way to drag the topic to hunting werewolves or the fact that he was still shaped like a werewolf or something related to werewolves. She wanted him to just tell his stories; talk to her. As long as she had been away from Milliways, and from him, she did not want to come back and listen to whining - and she hated to say that about him, but it was what this all sounded like to her. She reached up to scratch beneath his chin, which, at least, made him stop talking for a minute or two. Please, no more about the wolves. Talk about vampires or Carl or widgets, just not werewolves.

The scratching… very nice… A loud explosion from the direction of the bar, glass flying everywhere, triggered his instincts and he jumped, rolled to cover Rose, shield her from any flying particles. When the noise quieted down, he rubbed his nose against her ear. "You okay?"

She nodded at him, not entirely sure why he did any of it, really, as none of the pieces had come anywhere near them. However, she did appreciate the gesture and scratched his chin to show it… or tried to, but he growled, rose to his full height on his hind feet and slammed his large front paws against the wall. With a grunt and a bit of a growl of her own, she, defiantly, got to her feet and thumped him in the chest. You are not gonna do this. Because, believe me, honey, I'll leave, you don't get over this quick. She glowered and socked him in the chest again.

Dammit! A growl at the fist in his chest, he might be a large werewolf, but she was a strong little soldier. But she doesn't understand. The bar is gone and now I'm stuck. He wanted to jam his claws into the wall, tear the plaster down, do something destructive – it might make him feel better. Just as he was drawing back a paw, another blow landed on his chest. Enraged, he grabbed Rose with his front paws and pinned her to the wall with a howl of anger.

Holy shit! Her eyes widened in shock as her feet left the ground and the hat fell to the floor, then suddenly, a sound escaped her throat: "Gabe- mphl," she cut off the sound once she realized what she had done and stared at him, her body tense.

The sound. He heard it. It was barely audible, but it had been there – his name from her voice. He tilted his big wolf head and looked in her eyes – really looked. She was there, she always had been, but not him. He had been the one caught up with the wolf; she, however, had been with him. His ears pressed back against his head and he leaned in, slowly, loosening his hold a little on her, to kiss her, even with the wolf muzzle.

She watched the realization form in his wolf face, as clearly as if she had seen it on his human one. Finally. She sighed and, as he leaned in to kiss her, as his lips touched hers, she saw him change, physically. The wolf melted away and Gabriel was holding her, in his arms, kissing her. Somehow, she knew the apology was coming before it happened; he lowered her to the floor and said, "Rose, I'm so sorry," before she could stop him. Kisses and any forms of apology he could come up with barreled out at her until she had to place her fingertips over his lips and shake her head. Please, stop. I understand, but stop.

He took a deep breath and just looked at her. A soft sad sigh as he brushed a hand over her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Did I hurt you?" he asked quietly, his head low, but he saw her shake her head in response. "But I scared you," he said. This time, she just looked away. He could not apologize again, she would punch him for that, instead, he leaned into the corner and slid to the floor, head in his hands, elbows on his knees.

She knelt in front of him and stroked a hand over his disheveled hair. He had scared her – a little – but it was not anything she could not get over, really. Now, she just needed to try to get him out of this weird mope. She tugged on his arm to get his attention and get him to get up off the floor. He raised his head and looked at her with a face that said "What?"; she tugged again and got to her feet. C'mon, we'll go for a walk. He pushed from the floor and she took his hand, leading him out to the lake and the trees behind the bar.