oceancove

Who: Kirk Alden & Tess Graham.
What: The full moon occurred the previous night ... and that's all that Kirk remembers about it.
When: Morning after the full moon.
Rating: R
Status: Complete.

The days after a full moon were always a little on the rough side for Kirk. Despite having been a lycan the entirety of his life, the transformation often took a lot out of him now. Before going to Iraq, the shifting from his human form to his wolf was something that was just a part of his life, and often not trying in any degree when the moon held its sway. But upon arriving home from his tour of duty, and after having suffered years of blackouts, the full moon could sometimes render him exhausted and weaker the following day. It was never anything terribly debilitating, but on those days he did prefer to just lay low and nurse the headache and the slightly aching muscles that he inevitably received. It was something that he had gone through and experienced for over one hundred years, and aside from his blackout phase, which had ended a few years ago, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the process (well, from the standpoint of a werewolf).

That is, until the night previous.

Kirk woke up slowly, his eyes slowly blinking open, watching the sunlight filter in through the leaves on the trees. Groaning, he covered his eyes and rolled over onto his back, letting out a sound of discomfort as a tree root dug into his back. Realization dawned that he was outside, and his eyes flew open as he removed his hand from obscuring his vision. He was in the woods, or what would classify for words in the little subdivision he lived in, he recognized that much. Sitting up slowly, his eyes scanned his immediate area.

He hadn't remembered arriving there.

The more Kirk thought about it, the more worried he became, as he hadn't remembered arriving there amongst the trees. Standing up carefully, he held onto a nearby tree to aid him in slowly finding his feet. Kirk was able to piece together bits of the previous evening, but it had all been before he'd actually changed. He recalled going down to the living room and moving furniture in anticipation of changing, just in case, and then ... and then ... and then waking up in the forest. Kirk whirled around, attempting to gauge his exact location so that he could get home. The woods ran close enough to his house that he didn't run the risk of anybody seeing him. He hadn't blacked out since roughly a year before his release from prison, and the painful memories of what he'd done the last time he blacked out prior to being incarcerated hit him in the gut with enough force to render him breathless momentarily.

Turning in the direction of home, Kirk caught sight of his hand just within the peripherals of his vision and stopped in his tracks. There was dried blood on his palm, and after inspection of his body some on his chest and legs as well - none of which was his own. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself. It was just an animal. It was just an animal. It was just an animal. As he got closer to his house, he was relieved to find a deer - or what was left of it. Inspecting it closely, he was able to pick up his own scent on it, and breathed a sigh of relief. While the fear of having hurt someone went away, there was a lingering fearfulness that he couldn't remember what had happened.

Upon arriving home, Kirk stood in the entryway to his living room, surveying the little bit of destruction that he had caused. It wasn't too bad, but a chair by the window had obvious bite and slash marks from his fangs and claws in it, and he'd knocked his bookcase over, leaving texts and photo albums strewn across the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and heaved a heavy sigh, then grabbing his jeans off of the floor and putting them on, before moving to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee to clear his mind do he could begin to wrap it around what had happened.

Who: Kirk Alden & Tess Graham.
What: Rainy days promote staying in bed and contributing nothing to society.
When: Early morning.
Rating: R.
Status: Complete.

It was the kind of day that promoted the doing of absolutely nothing - the sun was hidden behind an impenetrable wall of clouds, a light misty rain occasionally breaking free from them, a chill that hung in the air and refused to go away, and fog rolling in from off the water. Besides being the perfect day to do nothing, it was also the perfect day to stay in bed, which Kirk was more than happy to do. While beyond the covers was a little on the cool side, beneath them was anything but, and Kirk likely had the other occupant in his bed to thank for that.

Lingering somewhere between being asleep and being awake, Kirk rolled carefully onto his side to look at Tess, who was sound asleep with no indication that she would be waking up any time soon. As was a constant with Tess, her body was warm to the touch, and could easily be felt without touching her, simply by being so near to her. Her body had effectively warmed the blankets and sheets as well, although not uncomfortably so, certainly not for a day like today.

Either by the grace of some higher power, or a sudden willingness to play hooky or switch her shift, Tess didn't work that morning, which Kirk found slightly odd. But he would have been a fool to question when she'd shown up on his doorstep the night before with very clear intentions that she would be spending the night (it might have been the whole near-tackling incident). Kirk wasn't scheduled to work, and had never been more thankful for the opportunity to not go and make money.

Smiling to himself, Kirk reached over and gingerly played with her hair, letting the curls slide through his fingertips, doing is darnedest to not wake her up, as she looked so calm and peaceful.

Who: Tess Graham & Kirk Alden.
What: After considering everything Kirk has told her, Tess shows up at his house with an interesting request.
When: Evening of May 29.
Rating: R (and most definitely not safe for work).
Status: Incomplete and in progress.

Tess had spent the better part of the week thinking, almost in a daze - to the point where she'd moved from her apartment to work and back again in something resembling a trance, going through the motions on such a detached level that Mr. Ferguson had pulled her aside on more than one occasion to ask her what was wrong.

Nothing, she'd answered, forcing a smile on her lips that she hoped looked convincing enough. The answer was simple at best, but the truth was anything but - and, really, how could she even get into sharing it? She could tell by his face that he didn't believe her for a minute, but he didn't pry for the details, and he wouldn't, not unless she was willing to offer them.

Almost five days had gone by before she made a decision. She could either sit around, allowing herself to stew things over in her mind for yet another twenty-four hours, or she could take the first step towards closure. Kirk had shared everything with her, laid the truth of his past out in the open without any lies or withholding, and that alone was proof that she could trust him, regardless of what had happened years before he'd come here. She knew the feelings she had for him, and she knew how real they were becoming, and while a part of her was scared by how quickly she'd come to care for him, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she was doing the right thing by going to see him.

After work, Tess closed up in a rush and drove over to his place. Before she could convince herself to turn around, she was there, parked in the driveway, wringing her hands up until the moment she turned the key in the ignition and shut the car off. She marched up to the front door and squared her shoulders, her face determined as she lifted her hand to knock. There were a million greetings she'd practiced in the car on the way over, favoring some over others, but none of them came out by the time he opened the front door.

"I want to see it," she blurted out, and immediately flushed. "Okay, wait, no, that didn't come out quite right."

Who: Kirk Alden & Tess Graham.
What: Tess comes over for dinner at Kirk's, while he wrestles with telling her more about his past.
When: Evening of May 24.
Rating: PG.
Status: Complete.

Kirk had spent the entirety of the day in a state of perpetual excitement and apprehension. Seeing Tess that morning to get his coffee and give her his address had indeed reaffirmed that yes, he was still very much taken with the young elemental, and he had fought every urge to lean across the counter and kiss her. Mr. F had been staring him down and there had been a line-up of customers behind him. Kirk settled for knowing that he would see her that night.

The problem was that he could barely cook to save his life, and was very aware that in order to avoid being the biggest liar and downright jerk in the history of liars and jerks that he needed to tell her about his past. About his prison time, about the killings ... everything. With that plaguing on his mind, it seemed almost impossible to salvage the spiced cod and orange and pepper salad he was attempting to make. Kirk hadn't set anything on fire yet, but was well aware that he was being overly ambitious and wondered how the hell he could potentially mess up an orange and pepper salad.

Kirk had considered going through his home and removing all the pictures he'd put up - of his family, some dating back to the early 1900's, and one of him and Dianna on their wedding day - but decided against it. That would've just made his home look odd - no pictures? Tess would definitely know that something was up.

He glanced at the clock on the stove as he put the skillet containing the cod in the oven. Any minute now. He grabbed a nearby beer he'd been drinking and slugged back the remainder of it.

Who: Tess Graham & Kirk Alden.
What: After a very interesting first meeting at the bookstore, Kirk and Tess meet up for the previously agreed-upon date.
When: Early evening of May 21st.
Where: Staring at the bookstore, then TBD.
Rating: PG.
Status: Complete.

Tess was the kind of girl who made friends easily, who had no problem chatting with complete strangers and listening to them talk about their lives. Her job at the coffee place made that easy. It was almost like being a bartender, only she got to serve up caffeine instead of alcohol - which had a similar ability to loosen the lips of the sleep-deprived. She was nothing but open in conversation, despite her choosing to stick to the lighter topics with the people she wasn't as close to. She wasn't best friends with everyone who walked in through the front door, but she was at least friendly, and if someone's day could be improved by a mood-lightening smile and an energy-boosting cup of coffee, so much the better.

She was the girl who latched on to newcomers, there was no question of that. What she wasn't was the kind of girl who accepted dates with strangers, even if said strangers were tall, handsome, and a little scruffy, with piercing blue eyes that were remarkably perceptive.

Then again, Tess, he's over a hundred years old, of course he would be perceptive, she reminded herself, as she stood outside the coffee shop after locking up for the evening. She'd sent Mr. Ferguson on home, even after the owner had insisted on looking after her until her date had showed up. "You're a sweet man," she'd declared, and kissed him on one wrinkled cheek and proceeded to send him on his way, and now she was waiting, buttoning up her coat to keep out the chill as the sun started to set, taking out her compact from her purse to check her appearance one last time in the mirror inside.

He wasn't late; if anything, she was early, and she didn't mind waiting. It gave her the chance to fiddle with her lighter while she stood there, letting the flame hop from one fingertip to the other.

Who: Kirk Alden & Tess Graham.
What: Crashing from a lack of caffeine, Kirk requires a boost.
When: Early afternoon.
Where: Next Chapter Bookstore & Bistro.
Rating: PG.
Status: Complete.

"Don't wander too far," his parole officer, Phil, had said to him on the phone that morning.

Kirk rolled his eyes as he pulled his shirt over his head, setting his cell phone down on the dresser and putting it on speaker as he got ready. "I've been here for months, now. Have you ever known me to wander far? Besides, I'm fenced in. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're a long way from Wichita, boy. Just looking out for you, is all," Phil said, and Kirk heard the rustling of papers on the end.

"Don't I know it," Kirk muttered. "Look, I don't work today. I'm just going to go for a walk, maybe get a bite to eat. Is that okay? Do I need a permission slip?"

Kirk liked Phil, he was a good man. He was human, but had taken a lot of time to learn about the supernatural community, and even seemed to be understanding of the circumstances involving Kirk's crimes and incarceration. That's not to say that he couldn't be a downright pain in the ass from time to time, but overall, Kirk could tolerate him.

"No, you don't," Phil said finally, sounding a little amused. "I'll loosen my reins on the leash." Kirk stilled and could practically hear Phil wincing on the other end of the line. "Sorry."

Laughing, Kirk walked over to the dresser and grabbed his phone. "Don't worry about it. I'll call you next week, okay?"

"Yeah. Don't make it sound like you get any amount of joy out of it. That's the court order talking."

Smiling, Kirk said, "Goodbye, Phil," before hanging up and shoving his cell phone in his back pocket.

Kirk truly didn't have any plans for the day, maybe just a bit of running around and doing some errands. They'd been keeping him pretty busy at The Trail Shop, and any time he wasn't working he'd been working on the house that Phil had helped him find. It was beyond fantastic to have a yard again (regardless of how small) and begin to make it his own.

Getting in his car, Kirk deemed that coffee was necessary. He'd spotted this little bookstore and bistro on his travels, not far from The Trail Shop, and it had seemed like a good a place as any. Upon arriving and walking through the door, he took a couple of moments to stare at the menu. He wanted just regular coffee - coffee flavoured coffee - and wondered how the heck to go about ordering it. It didn't seem to be on the menu - surely they would have regular coffee, right?

Furrowing his brow a little, Kirk scratched the back of his head and shoved his free hand in his jeans pocket.