by Mac Flynn
"How about you dry these things while I clean up the table?" he suggested as he tossed the drying town into her face.
"You're still avoiding the question," Stephanie scolded as he stepped over to the dining table.
"Yep," Chuck answered. He scrubbed the top as ruthlessly as he scrubbed the dishes. Stephanie wondered if any of his own furniture still had its original shine.
"You're not going to answer me, are you?" she asked with a deep sigh.
"Nope," he replied, and she let out a barking laugh.
"Well, I can be just as stubborn as you can," Stephanie shot back while she got to work on the dishes.
"Yeah, but you don't have as much patience," her partner pointed out. "You'll break down and give up before I do."
"Then why don't you just tell me who's good enough for me?" she wondered in a huff. This was getting a little old. "Then we wouldn't be having this argument at all."
"Well, I'll tell you this," Chuck agreed as he moved back over to the sink. He caught her eyes and his face was serious. "You sure as hell won't be very happy with Bob for very long since you've figured out what a lazy guy he is."
"I know, the whole get-a-divorce-from-him thing," she sighed. She still wanted to keep that option off the table for two reasons. It would be both emotionally and financially painful. "But what's the point of divorcing someone if there's nobody else good enough for you?"
"You really want to know who's good enough for you?" he finally asked as he tossed the washcloth onto the back of the sink.
"Yeah, that's what we've been arguing about for the last few minutes," Stephanie pointed out. She would have laughed at his question, but he looked so serious and pale she thought maybe he was getting sick, too. "You feeling all right? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"Better now than keeping it a secret," he brushed aside her suggestions. He stood straight and she was taken aback by his cool demeanor. "I think...I think somebody like me'd make a pretty good match for you."
Stephanie wasn't entirely unprepared for that, but to hear him say it was practically like a declaration of love. Maybe even as heavy as a marriage proposal. The big problem was she was already married, and this made their partner relationship a little more awkward.
"I...I didn't know..." she replied.
"I'm a great actor," Chuck complimented himself with a bitter smile. "But I can see you're not taking this very well. You'll probably end up getting sick if we don't get these dishes put away and me out of here."
"No, don't say that," Stephanie argued. She didn't want to push him away like that. He was still her friend. "I just need to let it sink it, that's all."
"Listen, how about you just forget I said anything?" he suggested. "It's...it's no big deal. Really." She turned to him with an expression of disbelief mixed with scolding.
"I really don't think my mind can work that way," she pointed out. She playfully batted at his shoulder and when he turned to look at her, she threw the drying towel back at him. "Stop being so serious. I can certainly understand how any male within twenty feet of me can find me attractive," she teased as she flipped her hair back.
Chuck pulled off the towel and took a healthy look at her body. She felt like he had x-ray vision as he carefully inspected her starting from her feet and going up. He definitely paid attention to the chest area, and she wished her shirt didn't feel so tight as it did right then. She scowled and wrapped her arms in front of her, and that got a sheepish grin from his lips as he looked into her blushing face. The perusal had only taken a few seconds, but she felt it was intensely intimate.
"Well, like what you see?" she dryly asked. She felt like she was the front window of a popular store, what with Gregory, Chuck and even that little rat Chism staring at her so many times. She self-deprecatingly thought that perhaps they were all a little desperate for any booty they could get their hands on.
"I didn't mean it that way," Chuck defended himself.
"Sure you didn't, and I'm the Easter bunny," Stephanie teased as she rolled her eyes.
"I don't know about that, but you'd look pretty good as a Playboy bunny," he replied. He noticed her expression change from playful to a little concerned. "Too much?"
"Maybe that is breaking the boundaries a little too far," she admitted. She pushed off from the counter and walked away from him to the dining area. "It's just...I suppose it's just one more thing on top of everything else. I think too much has happened to me lately that I can really handle much more."
"I'm really sorry about putting this on you," her partner apologized. He, too, moved away from the counter, but his direction was toward the door. "I think I need to leave."
"Chuck, wait," Stephanie spoke as she hurried to him. She put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from putting on his coat. "I don't want you to leave like this."
"Bob might come back any time," Chuck pointed out as he turned to face her. "He really wouldn't like seeing us together like this. He'd probably take it the wrong way." Stephanie scowled. She was so tired of stepping around the oaf's needs and wants.
"To hell with how he'd take it!" she replied, and he was surprised by her outburst. She looked up to him with an expression of determination and anger. "To hell with all of this!"
Before either of them knew what was happening, Stephanie reached up and grabbed his collar. She pulled him down to her level and locked their lips in a passionate, lustful kiss. Chuck was too shocked to return the gesture, and after a moment she moved back to allow them both some air. They were breathing fast and heavy, and her eyes were lidded. His were open and wondering at her blushing red cheeks.
"Wow," he breathed out, and she smirked.
"I was hoping you'd say something like that," she teased.
"Now it's my turn," Chuck replied.
Stephanie didn't get a chance to agree or object before he'd swooped in and captured her lips in another passionate embrace. This time they didn't keep with just a kiss as their hands groped at each other. His slid along her hips to grab her butt, and she moaned into his mouth when he began to massage those mounds. She reached up and tangled her fingers into his shirt buttons, and before she even knew what her hands were doing, she'd undone the top few. Her hands were persistent, though, as they slid inside his open shirt. She gasped in surprise to find tense, flexing muscles beneath his small, wiry frame.
Chuck broke their embrace to plant soft kisses down her neck. He turned them both and placed her against a wall as his hands slid to her hips. Stephanie was gasping for air as his firm chest pushed up against her pert, swelling breasts. Her shirt was tightening and she rubbed her legs together as the heat between them pulsed. She could feel the bulge in his pants from his large need for her. Her hands traveled down to his pants and she went to unbutton his jeans.
He stopped her efforts, though, and pulled himself away from her pulsing neck. He was panting hard now and his eyes were alive with the bright, lustful need. There was regret in those depths, though, and she was confused. He pulled her close to him again, but this time in a simple hug.
"I don't want us to do something we'd both regret later," Chuck insisted as he buried him face into her soft, flowing hair. He breathed in the scent of her, and he shuddered.
"I guess..." Stephanie answered as tears rose to her eyes. Even though his words were meant to be kind, she still felt so rejected. Like maybe she really wasn't good enough for him. He heard her sniffling and pulled her way to arm's length.
"Come on, no sniffles," he teased with a smile. "You're too pretty to be dirtying that face up with sadness."
"I can't help him," she argued as she wiped away the tears. "First you tell me you want me, and now you say you don't." She gave a bitter laugh. "I can't even get my own husband to sleep with me."
"It's not that I don't want to make love, real, passionate love, to you," Chuck countered. She tried to look away but he leaned his face the same direction and caught her eyes. "I just think this is too sudden. It's too quick."
He clasped her chin between his fingers and turned her face up to look into his own. There was a smile on his lips. "Besides, you're a married woman. I'm not." She had to laugh at that, and he wasn't sure what was so fun.
"No, I suppose you're not a married woman," Stephanie teased. The tears were slowing and her eyes were shining again. "And maybe you'd better go. I don't really know when Bob'll be back. He always comes back at a different time. Probably depends on when he loses all his money."
"Well, I'll leave you to wait with baited breath for you loyal husband to come back," Chuck replied. He regretfully released her and buttoned his shirt back up. There was a twinkle in his eyes. "You sure are fast at getting a guy's clothes off."
"I had a lot of encouragement," she answered. Her disappointment was wearing off, but there was still a lingering heat between her legs. She still wished they would have gone through with it, but Chuck was probably right. She would've probably regretted such a quick and spontaneous fling, especially if Bob would have caught them in bed together.
Chuck put on his coat and moved over to the front entrance. Stephanie followed, and she was still of half a mind to plead with him not to go. She felt so lonely right then, and he was the best and only person she could think of with which to find comfort.
"I'll see you tomorrow, right?" he asked as he opened the door.
Chuck paused so suddenly and his head snapped to the back of the house. Stephanie noticed his eyes dilate and one corner of his lips twitched in disgust. She turned around and glanced to where he was looking, which was the sliding door, but there was nothing there. She glanced back at him with a worried, and somewhat scared, looking on her face.
"Are you all right?"
"Oh, um, yeah," he assured her. He shook his head and the expression of disgust and anger disappeared. "But you'll be at work tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'll be there bright and early," she promised, but there wasn't much energy in her words.
Chuck noticed, and he suddenly swooped down to plant a kiss on her tear-stained cheek.
"Take care of yourself, all right?" he asked, and she nodded her head. "That's my girl."
Chuck stepped out to his car which was parked along the street, and he glanced back for one last look at her. Standing there in the empty doorway, she looked so beautiful and yet so sad. She deserved better than what she had, and he wanted to give it to her so badly. Maybe one day he'd be able to do that, but right now the time was too soon. Things were moving too fast and if he wasn't careful, she'd end up hating them both.
Stephanie's face was still aglow as he got into his vehicle and drove off. She stepped inside and leaned back against the closed door. There was a small, stunned smile on her face as she touched her fingers to her lips. The warmth of his own was still there, and a blush brightened her cheeks. It was nice for once to know she was wanted to passionately by someone she cared for.
She sighed and pushed off from the door. Time to finish up the dishes and hide the evidence that there was ever more than one person for dinner.
The feeling of comfort suddenly evaporated when Stephanie was seized with a sudden, terrible pain in her arm. She cried out in fear as she fell to her knees with her uninjured hand seizing her pulsing arm. The scar from the beast literally pulsed with life as her skin stretched out and then retracted.
Stephanie raised her shaking head and her eyes scoured the room. On the kitchen counter she spotted her cell phone. Against the pain she crawled forward toward the phone. She needed to call 911. The agony was just getting worse. She screamed as her skin broke open and long, thick fur pushed out. That's when something crashed through the back patio doors. Glass shattered to the floor and Stephanie glanced toward that part of the house. The counter dividing the dining area to the kitchen blocked her view. She couldn't see what was there, but she could hear deep, growling breaths. Her heart beat faster and faster. The pain in her arm was second to the fear shaking her body. Sweat poured down her face as she slowly crawled forward. Stephanie's breath caught in her throat as she gained a view of the living room.
One of the beasts from her nightmarish scene, the tall one, stood behind the television. In the light of the room the combination of her nightmare beast and the normality of the room was even more terrifying than in the alley. The creature's fur glistened off the house lights, and the claws on its hands twitched and flexed. The head twisted this way and that with its mouth partially open, revealing rows of sharp, razor-like teeth. It stood a good six and a half feet on long, padded feet with knees turned backwards compared to that of a human.
Its yellow hunter eyes were glancing around the room. It was searching for her. She slowly backed up, but her movement caught the beast's attention. The creature's head snapped toward where she lay, and she let out a slow, low sob as the thing growled. It raised its arm and knocked the tv to the ground, and sparks flew as the screen cracked and broke. Then it strode toward her, and she scrambled back toward the front door.
Stephanie crawled out of the kitchen with tears streaming down her face and her blubbering cries of fear echoing through the house. She reached the mat and screamed when she felt a clawed hand grab her leg. The young woman rolled over and kicked wildly at the creature. The beast pulled her to it, but then paused for a moment as it bent down and sniffed her leg. It snarled and she thrashed wildly when the creature reached out to grab her with one of those sharp claws.
That's when both the young woman and the monster heard a crackling of glass as something ran inside through the broken back door. Before the first, taller creature could react, Stephanie saw the smaller wolf beast fly out of the living room and land on top of her attacker. Her leg was released, but the way was blocked as both creatures flew forward into the front door. The larger creature's head was slammed into the entrance and the smaller beast jumped off its back. She gasped when the new monster wrapped its arms around her waist and tried to run to the back of the house.
It was stopped, though, by its opponent, who had recovered from the initial blow.
She clutched at her pulsing, furry arm as she stood and rushed back into the kitchen. She turned back in time to watch the beasts rip and claw at one another. Their thick teeth bit into limbs and tore away fur as the walls and door were dented and scraped by their struggle.
Stephanie didn't wait to see who would win as she stumbled her way through the kitchen and dining room to the back exit. She crunched over broken glass and breathed the fresh air of the night as she rushed outside onto the lawn. She frantically looked around the fenced area and her flurried mind reminded her of the gate to her left. Her feet turned that way, but she didn't make it more than a few feet before her eyes lifted up toward the bright, cloudless sky.
Stephanie froze and her eyes widened as she glimpsed the waning moon high overhead. She was mesmerized by the beauty of the night light before pain brought her back down to earth. Her arm spasmed with agony and she fell forward onto the wet grass. She clutched at her limb as her fingers wildly twitched. Before her eyes she watched as her small digits stretched and thickened. Her fingernails lengthened to sharp points, and hair grew up from the back of her hand and along her fingers. Now her fingers looked nearly identical to those of the beasts inside the house.
A loud crashing sound distracted her from the agonizing pain and she looked to the home. The smaller beast was thrown against the wall which abutted the back patio and the taller monster stepped triumphantly into the broken doorway. Its lips curled back in a hideous grin as it looked into her terrified face. The thing moved forward, but it hardly made it a yard before the smaller combatant suddenly rammed it from the side. The taller beast skidded along the ground for a few yards and ended up only a few yards from Stephanie.
The young woman quickly crawled away from the beasts as the little one jumped on top of his fallen opponent and began punching and clawing at the thing's face and chest. The larger monster was unprepared for such a volley of attacks and couldn't block most of the blows. Blood flew fro
m the cuts and its mouth, and with one last, firm stroke the smaller beast aimed a heavy punch against the other's forehead. The blow knocked the thing's head to the side and its arms fell lifeless to the ground. It was knocked out.
The victorious monster moved over and knelt in front of her. She flinched back when it reached out its own furry hand, but it ignored her fear and gently clasped her limb. It raised the arm and seemed to assess the progression of the change. The beast's soft eyes showed apprehension, and she swore the thing shook its head in dismay. By this time, though, the neighbors had noticed all the ruckus and lights all around the block were turning on. People were stepping out of their houses and far off, barely audible but growing louder, were the sirens of police vehicles. Stephanie's terrified eyes glanced between the monster and her horribly mutated arm. If she were found in this condition, there was no telling what the authorities would do to her. The monster understood, and she yelped as it wrapped an arm around her waist again and picked her up.
Her captor turned to the fence wall in the back of the yard and ran toward it. As the creature reached out with its free arm, Stephanie closed her eyes to prepare for a battering. However, the creature grabbed the top of the fence, and in one clean jump vaulted over the wood and took a right down the alley which abutted the property. Stephanie flailed around without anything to clutch onto as the beast swiftly crossed the street to the alley on the next block. The young woman noticed police cars and neighbors rushing to her block, but she didn't cry out for help. She felt the beast giving her the free ride wasn't going to harm her. At least, not any worse than any mad, eager scientist could do to her.
The creature didn't stop until the commotion was gone, and by then Stephanie realized they were heading toward one of the many city parks. This one was surrounded by a long row of trees along one side, and to this the beast took her. It gently set her down on the grass and backed away as though to tell her it meant her no harm. Stephanie sat up and clutched at her arm. It still pulsed with pain, but there were no more evident changes in the rest of her body. She glanced at her captor, who she wasn't quite sure might have just saved her life from the other beast.
