Sunnydale AU: careful of the curse

[americas_son]

Tina is finally asleep. Richard has been and gone, leaving a mild sedative so she can sleep between transformations. Cal closes the guestroom door quietly behind him, trying to think through his own physical and emotional exhaustion (and low blood sugar, and nicotine withdrawal) to decide exactly where Sherlock will be.

Comments

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

. . . which means Sherlock has probably found her first.

It was a good plan in theory, anyway.

[if_inconvenient]

As it happens, no. He took a slight detour to see how Tony is getting along. He'll be there in a minute or two.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

A glance across the living room shows that Sherlock isn't there as Cal had assumed he'd be when he spotted Tina through the open door. He's okay with that.

"Hey." He takes a seat next to her. "Is your mom okay?"

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Worried. Glad I'm safe."

She shrugs. "This is so weird, Cal."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

He reaches over to put his arm around her.

"I know. It'll be okay, though."

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

She almost moves away from his arm before she relaxes into his embrace.

"I don't know."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"It will be," Cal says earnestly. "I mean, I know it sucks, I'm not saying it doesn't suck, but -"

Don't say it could be worse, he reminds himself, thinking of the conversation earlier.

"- but at least you didn't get turned into a vampire," he finishes. There are several reasons why that's the closest example he has to hand.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

She nods. She knows there's a big difference. But it's like saying you have lung cancer and not brain cancer. It's still cancer.

"I'm a thing. A monster, Cal. You can't- we can't-"

She sighs and closes her eyes. "Let's just watch the movie."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal looks at her, taken aback.

"That's not - you're not - you're Tina. You're - still Tina."

He still likes her. A lot. As much as he did this time yesterday.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"How can I be? I have to be locked in a room when the moon rises."

She's not crying. She sounds rather flat, actually.

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"But that's only then," Cal says. "It's only three nights out of the month. All the rest of the time, most of the time, you're still the same." He reaches over to take her hand in his free one.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

"Do you really believe that?"

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

"Yes."

He's thought a thousand things today, any number of them unpleasant, but not once has it occurred to him to think that Tina wouldn't still be herself. That's not how werewolves work.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

She rests her head against his shoulder.

"It's going to take me a little while to believe it. Everything's changed so much. But if you believe it, if you really do, I'll try."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

He wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head.

"I really do," he promises.

[take-youaway.livejournal.com]

If it were Cal this happened to, or her mom, or anyone she knew, wouldn't she think the exact same thing? That they were still them, just afflicted with a monthly sickness? If she thinks of it like that, maybe she can accept it for herself.

"Okay."

[americas-son.livejournal.com]

Cal smiles and kisses her again.

"Okay," he echoes.