Winter Wolf, (C)1998
Anne Fraser and Sara Weber
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The rest of the house is quiet, so the others must have all
gone to bed. If the sun was rising, it must be fairly late.
Is Chessie awake yet?
These and other irrelevancies flitted across her mind as
Beth returned Mitch's kiss. He kissed well, not demanding
but obviously interested in what he was doing. At least,
she sure hoped he was, that this wasn't just a whim.
For the past hour or more, Beth had been wishing she knew
how to entice him over to her end of the futon. The more he
talked and told her about his life, the more she liked him.
But Mitch had seemed content to sit and talk. Until a few
minutes ago, that is.
Mitch ended the kiss as slowly as he had begun it, and
looked hesitantly down into Beth's eyes. She smiled back at
him, a sleepy but happy smile. Mitch relaxed, realizing
that he hadn't made a mistake. He smiled back at her.
How long they might have sat there smiling at each other, or
what might have happened next, they would never know. Just
then, the door to the studio swung open revealing a small
child in a flannel nightgown, a variety of animals about her
feet.
"Aunt Beth? Will you come make me, I mean _us_ some
breakfast?" Chessie asked plaintively. "We're _hungry_!"
* * * * * *
The smells wafting up from the kitchen woke Joshua, despite
the fact that he and Gideon and Jeanne had stayed up talking
fairly late. He had been the first to fall asleep, on
Gideon's shoulder, and only vaguely remembered coming
upstairs. From his husband's stillness next to him, he
guessed the sun must be up already. Rising in the dark, he
felt for the clothes he had left on the chest at the foot of
the bed and then headed for the bathroom.
A little while later, he walked into the kitchen, and
promptly stifled a laugh. Chessie and Mitch were sitting at
the table eating pancakes and bacon, and it was hard to tell
which had more syrup on their face. Pumpkin and Smoke were
also at table, on it actually, tugging on opposite ends of a
strip of bacon, which Chessie was trying to grab to break in
half. Beth stood at the stove, cooking another batch of the
cakes. When she saw Josh, she flashed him a grin.
"Pull up a chair," she said, scooting the animals down off
the table, and wiping off where they'd been. "Y' hungry?
I'm gonna be cooking till, oh, next Monday if Mitch has his
way." She glanced at the werewolf and then blushed.
Interesting... thought Josh, looking from one to the other,
but all he said was, "I'd love some breakfast. Oh, and Lady
J suggested we might take a drive today. She said there
were some antique stores nearby?"
"Oh yeah, yeah..." Beth tried to stifle a yawn, with only
partial success. "I need to go into town to stop by a
friend's house, too." She glanced at the clock -- 11 am.
She'd been awake for over twenty-four hours now. I wonder
if Mitch could drive...
"You're looking a little fuzzy around the edges, Beth,"
Mitch spoke up, his mouth finally empty since his plate was
cleaned. "I could drive, if you wouldn't mind it."
How did he... Beth wiped the startled look off her face,
plopped a stack of cakes in front of each of the guys, and
shrugged.
"You ever driven a Grand Cherokee, in winter?"
His mouth was already full, so Mitch just nodded. Ok, so
the Jeep at home wasn't _exactly_ a Grand Cherokee -- but
how hard could it really be to learn?
Joshua thought of Mitch's driving, shuddered and devoted all
his attention to the food in front of him.
It took them another hour and a half to get everything and
everyone together. Chessie refused to leave home without
Smoke and Pumpkin, even though Beth pointed out that most
stores wouldn't want the animals to come in. Once they got
to town, they had to stop and feed Chessie, and once they
were inside the little "Mom & Pop" restaurant everyone else
got hungry. The waitress seemed more amused by them than
anything else, and she even found some food for Pumpkin and
Smoke.
It was mid-afternoon by the time they walked into the first
of the several shops. At first Joshua didn't think he was
going to find anything of interest, but then he spotted a
beautiful pair of ormolu candlesticks and a little mantle
clock, both in excellent condition.
However, Mitch and Beth kept catching each other's eyes and
grinning, and after a little while Josh started to feel a
bit like a third wheel. And so, he decided to try to
befriend Chessie.
The little were-kitten had been avoiding any of the adults.
She didn't seem shy, really, just uncomfortable around
people she didn't know. She had sat in the back seat with
him (Mitch drove and Beth was navigating), but had kept the
animals between them and only answered his initial questions
in a half-whispered voice.
While they were walking in one of the stores, however, Josh
found the little one staring at a doll with obvious longing.
Stooping down so he was on her level, he tried again to
chat with her.
"She a very pretty doll." He said it quietly, not wanting to
startle her, but Chessie still jumped a little. She looked
at Josh sideways, but said nothing.
The doll in question was a china doll, at least 50 years
old, Josh thought. She had long red curls, green eyes, and
wore a white satin dress. She was a ballerina doll, it
appeared, with fully jointed arms and legs. He glanced at
the price tag and was surprised to see how little was being
asked, considering that the doll appeared to be in very good
condition. Taking her carefully off the shelf, he turned
her about to verify this. Chessie watched him in silence.
On a whim, Josh looked at the little girl and asked, "Would
you like me to buy her for you?"
Chessie's eyes grew large. She had been looking at this
doll for months now, whenever Beth or Mama J brought her
into town, but hadn't thought she would ever own it. Was
this stranger _really_ going to buy the doll for her? What
would Mama J say? She thought a few minutes and made up her
mind.
"I could help you pay." Chessie reached into her dress
pocket and brought out a handful of crinkled bills and
several coins. It couldn't have been more than five
dollars' worth, and for some reason this offer made Josh's
eyes get all teary.
"Ok, let's go talk with the lady at the cashier," Josh said,
brushing the back of his hand across his eyes, and reaching
out his hand to take Chessie's.
The lady sitting at the cash register had to be at _least_
third generation Yooper. She was in her 60's or 70's, and
wore mostly denim and flannel. Even indoors, she had on her
Sorrels, those big, heavy boots that would keep your feet
warm at forty below. Her iron gray hair was pulled back in
a simple ponytail. Looking up from her magazine and seeing
Chessie approaching, she smiled broadly.
"Hello, sweetie!" She came out from around the counter to
give the little girl a hug. "I didn't see you come in. Are
you here with your Mama J or with Beth?" She eyed Joshua
with obvious suspicion.
"I'm here with Beth, and Mitch and Josh," Chessie said,
letting go of Josh's hand to give Old Mother Riipi a hug.
"This is Josh," she continued, smiling shyly at him.
Feeling a little awkward, Josh held out his hand.
"Pleased to meet you," he said, surprised by the grip she
had. "This is a nice place you have." He meant it, too --
it had rather surprised him, as isolated as he'd been told
Michigan's Upper Peninsula was.
Mother Riipi studied him for another moment. Whatever she
was looking for, he apparently received her approval, for
she relaxed and smiled. Josh relaxed, too.
"It's not much, but I enjoy running the place," was all she
said in reply. "Now, what can I do for you?" She looked at
the doll Josh still carried, obviously curious.
Suddenly the Chessie that Josh had heard about resurfaced.
"Oh! Joshua is going to help me buy her, isn't that just
wonderful?? I have _some_ money..." and the little girl
began to empty her pockets on the counter, "...and he's
going to help me with the rest! I don't know what Mama J
will say, but she can't say no, can she? I've been wanting
this doll for _ever_ so long, almost three months now, and
if she doesn't like that Uncle Josh helped me pay for her,
I'll just promise to pay him back. I get an allowance now,
you know, Mama gives me fifty cents every week, and another
dollar for every book I finish reading, but it takes me an
awful long time to read a book, since I'm just learning,
and..."
The two adults listened in amusement as the little girl
prattled on. he mused,
A few minutes later, as Chessie startled to wind down, Beth
and Mitch wandered up. Beth had found a pretty little set
of dessert glasses, and they were arguing about who was
going to pay for them. Joshua grinned at his fellow
Oakwoods denizen, and proclaimed, "Guests' privilege!",
thereby ending the argument. Beth sighed, acknowledging her
defeat with the promise to make them something wonderful to
enjoy in the glasses before they left.
They stopped in another little store, but none of them felt
much like shopping any more, and so Beth gave Mitch
directions to take them over to her principal's home.
Promising to only be a minute, and admonishing them to just
leave the engine running, Beth hopped out and ran in to see
what was up now. She had come back from the store yesterday
to find a vague message on her answering machine, asking her
to stop by ASAP.
Fifteen minutes later, Mitch and Joshua were beginning to
wonder if one of them should go knock on the front door.
Just then, Beth appeared on the front porch. She exchanged
a few more words with the slight woman who'd accompanied her
out, exchanged hugs and headed for the Cherokee.
"What's up?" Mitch said, looking at Beth's face as she
slipped into the front seat. "Anything you want to talk
about?"
Beth shrugged.
"There's not much to tell, really." She ran a hand through
her hair and shook her head again. "MaryJane, she's my
principal at the high school where I do teen counseling,
she..." Beth paused, unsure how much to say in front of
Chessie. "She knows that we're not a typical family, out at
Birch Fields, and she knows the about the _other_ counseling
work I do, too."
Beth looked in the rear view mirror, and saw that Chessie
playing with her new doll, but still listening. "She thinks
she has a new client for me, that's all. There's been
reports of such in the area anyway." An unknown werewolf had
been spotted in the county, was what Mary Jane had actually
said, and she hadn't been too friendly to the locals.
Both Mitch and Josh could tell there was something Beth
wasn't saying, but respected her choice. Josh played
quietly with Chessie and the doll, and was pleased when part
way back to the farm she fell asleep against his shoulder,
the doll nestled in her arms. He was less pleased when
Mitch yawned for the third time in less than ten minutes.
However, before he could offer to take over at the wheel,
Beth pointed out the turn-off for their driveway. It had
been dark for an hour already, since night still came early
at this time of year in the North, and so no one was
surprised to see lights on in the living room and kitchen.
What did surprise Beth when she walked in was the scent of
food that greeted them.
"I figured you'd all be hungry from your shopping," Jeanne
said, stepping forward to take Chessie from Joshua's arms.
The little girl clung to her doll, looking nervously at her
Mama.
"Where did you get the pretty doll, Chessie?" she asked,
looking at the other adults in surprise.
"Josh helped me..." the little were-kitten started to
explain, but Josh interrupted her.
"I'm afraid I made a shameful attempt to get Miss Chessie to
like me." He smiled at Lady J, and half bowed. "I hope you
won't be offended, but I simply couldn't resist." He flashed
Chessie a smile. "Consider it a thank you, Lady Jeanne, for
all the hospitality you've shown us, if you wish."
Lady J frowned a moment, and then relaxed.
"Thank you, I know Chess has been wanting this doll," the
vampire said simply. "And I'm sure you will be among her
favorit-est people from now on."
Mitch had stood by patiently, bravely ignoring the smells
from the kitchen through this much of the conversation. But
there was only so much a hungry werewolf could take.
"Um, excuse me, I don't want to be rude, but..." Mitch
licked his lips. "Is that pizza I smell?"
It was indeed pizza they smelled, and it was demolished
quickly. Gideon and Jeanne just shook their heads when
their eyes met.
"I see I am going to have to charter a larger plane to take
us home," Gideon said, eyes dancing as he watched Mitch tuck
into yet another piece.
"Aw, boss..." Mitch's voice trailed off uncertainly. He
wasn't used to having his employer tease him. This trip had
loosened up even Gideon.
Beth was nearly asleep over her plate. Jeanne shooed her
off to take a nap. Josh said he thought that sounded like a
wonderful idea and excused himself to follow suit.
"I wanted Uncle Josh to play with my new doll," Chessie
complained.
"_Uncle_ Josh?" repeated Gideon incredulously.
"Buy her a doll and you could be Uncle Gideon," Mitch
suggested with a grin.
"Why don't _you_ go play dolls with Chessie?" came back the
retort from his boss.
Mitch shrugged and resignedly accepted his fate as
baby-sitter while Beth and Josh snoozed and Gideon and Lady
Jeanne retired to talk vampire shop or whatever they were
doing to pass the time. He looked at Chessie.
"Well, guess we need a name for your new doll," he said.
"How about... Gertrude?"
"That's a yuck name," Chessie said.
"Ermentrude? Chloe? Phoebe?" Each suggestion provoked
another face from Chessie until he had her giggling. By the
time he was down to suggesting "Iolanthe", they were great
friends.
"You gotta come sledding with me tomorrow," Chessie demanded
of him. "We've got this great hill, an' it's lots of fun."
"Where's the hill, Chessie?" Mitch asked, thinking about
what he'd half-seen outside the other night.
"Outside," came the reply. "Silly!"
Mitch said, "Okay, we'll go sledding tomorrow," and hoped
that the hill wasn't too near the woods.
"And you gotta show me your woof, too," Chessie pressed.
"My woof?" Mitch nudged Pumpkin with his toe. "She's right
here."
"No, silly, the one inside. Like I'm a kitten. You're a
woof. Mama J says I gotta learn to control it, but I don't
know how so you gotta show me. Promise?"
"I'll do my best," Mitch said, seeing her suddenly serious
expression. What must it be like, to be a child were? To be
born to the blood? He couldn't imagine. He reached down and
hugged her. "I promise."
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