Morning
AUTHOR: Lucky
DISCLAIMER: Except for the creations of the author, all characters, characterizations, situations, and locations described in this unsolicited and not-for-profit work of fiction are the property of Buena Vista Productions, Hallmark/Artisan Entertainment, the many talented people who created these characters and locations, and the actors who have brought those creations to life. The author would also like to extend her personal gratitude to Mr. Scott Cohen for his light, his vitality, his inspiration, and for being such a compelling muse. Thank you, sir.
FEEDBACK: To Lucky
"Where am I?"
She brought herself up on her elbows to look around, slowly coming to realize that it wasn't going to get any brighter no matter how many times she blinked. She was on the floor, covered in a blanket that had been dropped over her, naked, and alone. Through the bluish dark, she could see her dress draped over the back of a keyboard, hanging as though it had caught the racked object and held on. On top of it, a man's oxford, printed with a loud pattern, hugged it over the black and white keys.
She put a hand to her forehead, suddenly smiling in spite of herself.
"Oh."
He came into the dark room, dancing to the noise in his head, wearing nothing but a pair of silk boxers printed with cartoon frogs and a smile, carrying two mugs. When he saw her sitting up, he cracked a grin.
"'Morning, sweetie." He handed her one of the mugs and sat himself down on the blanket next to her, crossing his legs. "How was I?"
She laughed, taking a sip of the tea he'd brought her. "Very much like a little engine." She reached out and ruffled his sleepy jet hair.
He smiled, his eyes fluttering shut, then he set his mug aside on the rug. "Little," her murmured, opening a playfully warning eye at her. "You sure you don't wanna rephrase that?"
She shook her head with a sweet smile and set her mug down, pulling herself up to her feet and stretching out above him. He fell onto his back and gazed up at her, blowing a soft breath out through pursed lips.
"I've taken a lot of goddesses to bed," he whispered. "Never woke up with one before." He lifted his hands to her. "Come here."
She grinned at him, then knelt down to collect the blanket he'd put over her. His hands ran over her as she moved, his fingers pressing into her flesh as he pulled at her, but she stood again, draping the blanket around her shoulders.
He flopped back onto the floor, drumming his heels and fists on the carpet, having a minor temper tantrum. "No-o-o.." he whined. "I'm horny!"
"No shit, Simeon," she replied with a giggle, stepping away.
He rolled up onto all fours, snatching at the blanket with his teeth, giggling.
"Hey!" she squealed, taking light, dancing steps away from him. He scampered after her as she walked around his kit, coming up to sit on his heels beside her and press into her leg. She looked somewhat warily at the double row of keys, pushing the clothing that had been draped over the instrument to the floor. Her hand came down almost unconsciously to stroke through his silky black hair. With her other hand, she pressed at the silent keys.
He snuggled up against her, his hands coming up under the blanket to circle and stroke her thigh. "Mmm�" he murmured, pressing his face into the curve of her hip. "I could definitely get used to this."
She looked down quickly, smiling into his upturned face. He sat by her side, grinning up at her, pressed into her with such open acceptance. Like a dog.
Not a dog�
"Familiar�" she mumbled before she could stop to think about it, her fingertips flowing smoothly over his face.
Something in his eyes changed and his arms came completely around her thigh, his hand running up against her backside. He stayed that way for a moment, watching her quietly, then he withdrew his arms, standing quickly to cup her face in his hands.
"Yeah�" he said quietly, answering her unconscious mumble. "Something� I� you�"
So blue� I've never seen eyes so blue. Like� like a princess� but she doesn't know. She doesn't know� and she smells so good� so real. Pretty lips� pretty lips. One kiss� I live for... Please� just one� He felt a soft whimper come out of him.
"Who are you?"
Her eyes fluttered as she looked away. "I'm nobody."
He stroked his thumbs over her cheeks, unable to take his eyes from her mouth. "That can't be true."
She rolled her eyes at him a little, giving him a lopsided smile. "Why?"
"I love you." As soon as the words were out, his mouth popped open and hung that way.
That hit hard� He had to say it again. It felt so good to tell her. He whispered the words against her lips, drawing a soft gasp as he felt her tongue flicker over his mouth.
One kiss� this kiss� This is all so different. He wrapped his arms around her, wanting for everything to fold her up inside him and have her with him always. He shivered when she touched him, filled with the taste of her, flared to the soul with her scent.
She sighed, running her fingernails gently over his back, smiling into his kiss as he trembled. He pushed the blanket from her body, touching her like no man had before. A passionate swirl of possession and reverence sang brightly through his body and into her soul. It was too intense. She tried to back away, wanted to run from it. This is all so different� I could trust you. Don't make me trust you.
"No," he rasped, surprising himself with the force of the word, tightening his embrace as she tried to pull free. "Don't let me go� please." Touch me� kiss me� stay with me�
I can hear you�
I know who you are�
You're mine, my destiny.
You're mine, my mate.
Wolf�
Virginia�
I'm coming.
I'm waiting.
The alarm dragged her out of her dream, but not from the feeling inside her, jerking the name from her in a hissing whisper.
"Wolf�"
Was that a dream? It was all she could do to stare at the ceiling and try to make sense of the jumble of images in her head. She ran her hands up over her bare arms, still feeling the soft warmth of his touch.
He's waiting� Who?
She sat up, shaking it down and trying to put it out of her mind. She pulled herself from her narrow bed and into the shower, still hearing the voice of the man in her dream.
Don't let me go�
She ran through the rest of her routine on autopilot, feeling asleep.
Feeling alone� but not alone anymore.
She finally shook herself hard, realizing that she was standing in front of the rapidly darkening window, looking out over the park. She glanced at her watch.
"Oh, shoot�"
A sudden, rankling cacophony around him nearly rolled him off the narrow cot. The howl died in his throat.
Virginia�
His eyes flashed around the little stone trap he'd spent the last six months in.
"She's coming�" he hissed to himself, pitching off the bed and into a low crouch.
Something big is happening� He took a moment to pass a paw over his nose and collect himself. He could still taste her in his mouth and he wrapped his arms around the nothing before him, remembering how she felt, how she smelled.
Smell�
What's that? It was so familiar it made his stomach hurt� but it wasn't her. He scampered over to the little hole in the door.
I have to get out of here�
A long, satin finger in his face. An imperious voice ringing across the stones.
"You�"
I have to get out of here� She's coming.
"Hello�"
The End.
The Explaination (Just in case you need it).
The Tenth Kingdom opens on Virginia standing at the window in her apartment at sunset, right before she goes to work. The part of this story where Virginia makes an appearance is, in theory, before that.
The idea was that if Wolf and Virginia are mated through destiny, then somewhere in the cosmic string, something knows that and these two people's souls are intertwined. In this particular idea, Simeon and his unnamed ladyfriend are actually a dream that Wolf and Virginia are both having, but the timing is so close to their actual meeting in real life that the barrier between dream and consciousness is broken and they become aware of each other before the dream is over. But, as is too often with dreams, the awareness is fleeting and they don't understand right away what they're looking at when they meet. Remember how Wolf fell in love almost instantly (like, the psychotic episode he had in Tony's living room when he saw her picture)? Well, I kind of figured that if Wolf and Virginia had been "meeting" in dreams, the human parts wouldn't understand right away, but Wolf's instinctive, magical, animal nature would always just kind of know.
