FIC: Moon Dreams I - Wolf Moon Rising (2/7)

["another_soul_lost" <anotherlostsoul@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title:  Moon Dreams I (2/7)

Disclaimer:  Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and a lot of other people own
the show and all the characters.  The plot and the story are mine. 
This cannot be sold or used for profit in any way, shape or form. 
Please don't sue me, because I really don't have anything to take.

* * * * * 

I sat there for a long while without moving, pondering the great
mystery of not only how I ended up sleeping on my balcony, but
possibly even more importantly, of how I ended up outside& naked.  The
rush of adrenaline spawned by waking up in such a state was slowly
working its way back out of my system, but I could still hear the
pounding of my heart echoing in my ears loudly.  Even the grating rasp
of my own breathing seemed unnaturally loud in the stillness
surrounding me as I hastily sucked the warmer, indoor air down my
throat by the lungful.

With a conscious effort, I closed my mouth and forced myself to breath
more slowly through my nose in an attempt to help calm myself down. 
As I drew in that first, slow deep breath, I caught the faint scent of
the deep woods and for a moment I saw flashes of last night's dreams
in my mind's eye.  Visions of the black depths of the forest as I ran
through it like a wild creature. I felt that same primal feeling of
joy stir in my heart at the memory.  It had to be my imagination
though, a ghost of a memory from the vivid, lucid moments of slumber
that had played out the night before.

I forced myself to take a few deep, slow breaths and I felt my body
begin to calm.  My heartbeat was slowing and the adrenaline rush
dwindled to nothing.  The tension in my muscles gradually relaxed,
leaving a pleasantly heavy feeling in my limbs.  I stifled a yawn and
found myself wondering just how early it was.  A quick glance at my
clock revealed that it was scarcely 5 am, a fact that meant I could
climb back into my bed and go back to sleep for a while if I wanted.

The idea of a little more sleep certainly did have some appeal.  So
much so in fact, that I slowly, carefully pulled myself up to my feet.
I moved cautiously, wanting to make sure my muscles didn't find too
much reason to protest over their recent treatment.  Pain, after all,
is so not conducive to sleep.  I managed to make it to my bed without
so much as a twinge, and slid smoothly under the blankets.  I snuggled
down comfortably, finding the cool, soft cloth of the sheets felt
quite pleasant against my still bare skin.  I figured I could look for
my night clothes when I got up again later, and I quickly drifted back
off to sleep.

Sometime later I was awakened by the sudden, obnoxious blaring of a
local radio station at what seemed like an obscenely loud volume. 
Some part of my brain recognized it as my clock-radio going off in an
effort to wake me up for school.  Of its own accord, my arm shot out
from under the warm cocoon of blankets I'd somehow wrapped myself in
as I was sleeping and swatted at the clock in an effort to silence the
damnable racket.

I connected with the plastic box on my first swing, and much to my
disgust it let out a bizarre squelching sound before my room fell once
more into a tomb-like quiet.  Curious as to why the device had gone
silent when I was fairly certain that my hand never even got close to
the snooze bar I was looking for, I opened my eyes and shifted around
to glance at the clock.  I was confronted instantly with the fact that
my only alarm clock was lying in a multitude of broken pieces on the
floor next to my bed.  But at least that explained why it was quiet again.

I groaned softly as I slipped out of my bed and stretched, praying
silently that a couple of hours in a nice warm, soft bed would have
relieved some of the aches from earlier.  To my great relief, I was
completely pain-free.  In fact, I physically felt better than I could
ever remember feeling before.  I felt energized.  `It's amazing what a
bit of deep sleep in a comfy bed can do for you,' I thought with a smile.

I walked casually over and pulled aside the curtain that hung on the
back of the mostly glass door to my balcony, eager to see what kind of
day it was going to be.  It was bright and clear, the beginning of a
beautiful day.  I opened the balcony door a bit and stuck my head out
to take a deep breath of the morning air.  The sun had already warmed
the air nicely and the slow drift of the morning breeze against my
body felt pretty darn good.  At least it did until I looked down and
remembered that I was still naked.

I stood there for a moment and stared down at my body.  Normally, the
idea of being naked and standing in an open doorway would have
embarrassed me to death.  In fact, just a couple hours ago when I woke
up on the balcony and discovered I was naked it'd triggered a
head-to-toe blush and a near-panic attack.  This time, though&
nothing.  No flood of embarrassment, no rush of shame, nothing.  It
was odd but it seemed like, for the first time in my life, I was
really comfortable in my own skin.

On that thought I walked away from the balcony door, nudging it shut
behind me, and stepping across the room to my closet.  I could hear
someone moving around downstairs in the kitchen and caught the faint
scents of coffee brewing and pancakes cooking.  Mom was cooking
breakfast.  I wasn't really surprised by it.  Mom always tried to cook
breakfast for me before school at least once or twice a week when she
was home.  

I scooped my watch off my nightstand and glanced at the time.  If I
hurried, I could grab a quick shower and still have time to eat
breakfast before I had to go to school.  As I pulled on my bathrobe
and opened my bedroom door, I heard my mother call up the stairs,
"Willow, honey?  Are you up yet?"

I smiled as I called back to her, "I'm up, mom, just gonna grab a
quick shower and I'll be down for breakfast.  The pancakes smell
yummy!"  On that note, my stomach growled loudly in agreement and I
realized I was starving, it seemed like dinner was a lifetime ago.  I
hurried into the bathroom, thinking that the faster I showered and
dressed, the quicker I could eat.

* * * * *

I managed to get showered and ready for school in record time, though
picking an outfit for today had been surprisingly difficult.  I had
suddenly realized that everything in my closet seemed bulky and baggy,
and none of it was really particularly flattering.  It was no wonder
Xander had yet to notice that I was a girl, seeing as my wardrobe was
intent on concealing that fact from everyone.  I'd finally settled on
the new outfit Buffy had given me for my birthday earlier this week.  

At the time, I'd pretty much thought there was no way I could ever
wear an outfit like that out in public.  It consisted of a pair of
form-fitting hip-hugger jeans and a deep emerald, peasant top that
showed off my shoulders.  Buffy was right, this outfit looked damn
good on me and might just cause a certain Xander-shaped person to go
non-verbal.  I smiled and decided that I really needed to take Buffy
with me and do some shopping.  She has a great eye for clothes.

I was still smiling when I scooped my book-bag up and headed
downstairs for breakfast.  As I entered the hallway again, I was
practically assaulted by the smell of pancakes and maple syrup.  My
stomach growled loudly again as it was reminded of just how hungry I
was and my mouth started watering so abruptly it was almost painful. 
I practically flew down the stairs, and bounded happily into the
kitchen.  

"Willow, honey, you're just in time& take these and go sit down," Mom
said with a smile, passing me a serving platter loaded with pancakes.
I was just about to take a deep sniff of the air, wanting to savor
the smell for a moment, when I caught the distinctly familiar sound of
someone letting out a sharp breath.  A quick glance toward the
breakfast nook revealed Xander Harris sitting there, staring at me in
shock.

"Morning, Xan," I said cheekily, "Lemme guess, you smelled my mom's
pancakes all the way from your house and just couldn't resist?"  I
felt a deep satisfaction brewing as I watched for several moments as
his mouth opened and closed soundlessly, reminding me of a fish out of
water.  

I stifled a laugh, but couldn't help grinning broadly as I walked to
the table and sat down, placing the platter in the center of the small
table.  I did notice that he seemed unable to tear his eyes off me as
I walked.  `Definitely non-verbal,' I thought happily, `guess he can't
help but notice me now&'  

He still hadn't really moved or spoken yet as I began to load my plate
up with a few of the yummy smelling pancakes on the platter, so I
boldly winked at my best friend and asked innocently, "What's the
matter, Xan, cat got your tongue?"

"Willow, wow.  Good Morning," he finally managed to gasp out after
apparently finding his missing vocal cords.  "You look, wow&"  

"Why thank you, that's sweet," I responded, the warmth of a blush
rising quickly in my face as my nerve faltered under his gaze.  His
eyes took on a strange, almost hungry look, and I didn't think it was
the pancakes he was thinking of.  "It's the outfit Buffy got me for my
birthday, are you sure it's okay?"  What the hell was I thinking
wearing this?  I mean, this was so not me.  I was just not the kind of
girl that could pull off wearing an outfit like this.   I felt an
overwhelming urge to just hide behind something, anything to make him
stop staring.  

I reached out for the glass of orange juice mom had put in front of me
as my confidence continued to drain away.  Unfortunately, I grabbed a
little too hard and the glass shattered in my hand, spilling the
contents across the table.  "Oh shoot, mom!" I called out immediately
grabbing at some napkins to try and stem the flow of juice toward the
floor.

Quick as a flash, mom was behind me with a handful of paper towels. 
"It's okay sweetie, I got it," she said soothingly as she began
cleaning up the mess I'd made, "You go ahead and eat, or you'll be
late for school."  

"Geez Willow," Xander teased, "Guess you don't know your own
strength."  My eyes shot back from the mess I'd made to see him giving
me his trademark goofy grin and the moment of awkward tension that had
made me so nervous slipped away.  `I can do this,' I realized
suddenly, `I can be the kind of girl who's comfortable being dressed a
little sexy.'  I smiled broadly again.

"The glass was probably already cracked," my mom offered suddenly. 
"When you grabbed it, it just finished breaking.  No big deal."

The explanation made sense, but something was just slightly off as my
mom said it.  It sounded like she was trying to rationalize something
that was inexplicable.  That's something I've gotten used to hearing
since I met Buffy.  People will believe almost anything as long as it
doesn't involve the supernatural things that go bump in the night. 
What made it really odd, in my mind, was that my mother almost never
offered up explanations like that, not unless someone asked something
specific.  

Xander just nodded his head at the explanation and began helping
himself to the pancakes as I shot a questioning glance at my mother. 
There was a strange look in her eye, almost like she desperately
wanted to tell me something but couldn't for some reason.  I opened my
mouth to ask, but she cut me off with a brief half-shake of her head
and looked pointedly toward Xander.  Whatever it was, she didn't want
to talk about it around him.  
 
I thought back to my dream once again and the sight of the moon
hanging in the black sky above me flashed through my mind.  I shoved
the image aside and gave my mother a half-nod as I turned back to my
breakfast.  While I ate, I found myself wondering what the heck was
going on and why it seemed like my mom might know something about it.

I had the sinking feeling that it was going to be a Hellmouth-y kind
of day.
 







"It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
"I kinda love you."
Buffy & Willow, 'Choices'

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