WILD [JENLISA]

13

When Lisa's phone rang at five thirty on a Thursday evening just a little over halfway through the lunar cycle, she knew immediately that she was in trouble. It was Jennie, and these phone calls had become a daily ritual. Lisa's stomach flip-flopped happily that Jennie was finished at work and they would be together soon. But worry niggled at the back of her mind, the ever-present awareness that soon a night would come they couldn't spend together, up to three nights, if Lisa really wanted to play it safe. Even if she wasn't forced to shift the day before and after the full moon, its pull usually affected her for a solid seventy-two hours. Jennie would surely notice that she was hornier than usual.

Coming up with an excuse to be away from Jennie for even one night would be hard enough. Especially when being with Jennie had become the best part of her life. Lisa simply didn't want to be apart.

Picking up the phone, she said, "Hey, sweetheart."

"I've been thinking about you all day."

Lisa warmed at the happiness that shone through in Jennie's voice. "I've been thinking about you, too. Only every second."

"Good answer." From the slight hiss of background noise, Lisa could tell that Jennie was calling from her car. "Want to hang out with me tonight?"

"We should just agree that we don't need to pretend I might say no." Heart soaring at the thought of being together again, Lisa took a steadying breath to tamp down her excitement. Jennie made it very hard to play cool. "Of course I want to hang out. Always. This minute."

Jennie laughed. "Have you ever been to the Castro Theater? They play older movies."

"No." Lisa couldn't remember the last time she'd gone to a movie theater. She'd been a teenager, certainly, before her first forced transformation. Once she'd gone into hiding, being in a crowded room surrounded by other people didn't appeal to her. But now that she was with Jennie, doing something as painfully normal as going to the movies intoxicated her. "What's playing?"

"Ladyhawke. Have you seen it?"

"I haven't."

"It's one of my favorites. It has everything... fantasy, romance, humor. The tragedy of star-crossed lovers, kept apart by a curse."

Jennie's excitement made Lisa's decision for her. "Sounds great."

"Yeah?"

"I'd love to go on a date with you."

Chuckling, Jennie said, "I guess this is like a date, huh? Our first real one."

"You mean where we go out and do something fun first, then come home and have sex?" Lisa was confident where their evening would end, in bed. "I'm up for it if you are."

"I'll even buy you dinner."

Lisa snorted. "Well, then I guess I'll have to put out."

"Damn right," Jennie said. "Listen, I'm about five minutes from your place. If you can get ready quickly, we could grab something to eat right now. That should give us just enough time to make the movie."

Unable to believe this was her life now, Lisa shook her head as she struggled against face-splitting joy. "That sounds perfect. I'll just throw on my shoes and meet you outside."

"Awesome." She could hear Jennie's anticipation in her voice. "See you soon."

"Bye." Lisa hung up and sighed deeply. Things were going so well with Jennie that she hated to rock the boat. With a week and a half left until the next full moon, she had to figure out how to juggle a girlfriend and her transition for the first time. It definitely put a damper on the thrill of dating, but Lisa wouldn't let it bring her down tonight. Not when she was about to go out and have fun like a normal person.

"A movie," Lisa murmured. "Look at me."

***

Spilling out of the theater onto the crowded Castro sidewalk hours later, Lisa could hardly believe what she'd just watched. Leave it to Jennie to pick a movie that so closely hinted at Lisa's dual nature.

As it turned out, Ladyhawke was a fantasy movie about a pair of lovers who were kept apart because of a curse, by day she was transformed into a hawk, and by night he shifted into a wolf. Consequently they could never be together as human beings, at least not until the end of the film.

"Are you okay?" Jennie asked as they walked down the street toward the car.

Lisa choked out an embarrassed laugh. Not one to get emotional over films easily, she had tears pouring down her face by the time the lovers got to be together. The idea that happy endings might be possible even in the most impossible of circumstances definitely stirred her and made her own situation that much more painful. Because real life wasn't a movie. And though the thought of a fictional character who turned into a hawk or a wolf enchanted Jennie, Lisa doubted she would be so understanding about her own girlfriend being able to shift into either at will. Even less so about the fact that once a month Lisa turned into a monster who couldn't remember her nocturnal activities the next day.

"It must be that time of the month," Lisa lied. "I'm just a little emotional."

"I think it's sweet." Jennie clasped Lisa's hand, tangling their fingers together as they strolled down the sidewalk. "It's a beautiful story, isn't it?"

"Yes." Hesitating, Lisa tried to decide if she wanted to offer an explanation as to why the movie had touched her so much. Jennie seemed content to chalk it up to hormones and good storytelling, and that was probably best. But despite her need to maintain secrecy, Lisa craved a deeper connection with Jennie. She wanted Jennie to understand her as much as possible, even if Lisa could never tell her a lot.

"It's just so sad. Not having any control over your life and your body, to the point that you can't enjoy the love you've managed to find with another person..." Aware that she was on the verge of tearing up again, Lisa forced a sheepish chuckle. "I'm just glad they were able to be together in the end."

"Me, too."

Exhaling shakily, Lisa swiped at her eyes with her free hand. "I'm not usually this sappy." She gave Jennie a sidelong glance. "Must be a consequence of all these new feelings you've inspired."

Jennie blushed, stopping them in front of her car. "I like it."

"That's a relief." Lisa wrapped her arms around Jennie and held her tight. After enduring two hours of tortured longing and shape-shifting that cut too close to reality, she was ready to take Jennie home and lose herself in physical pleasure. "What do you say we go back to my place and you cheer me up?"

Drawing away, Jennie dropped a light kiss on the tip of Lisa's nose. "I could definitely do that."

"I know you can." It had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the way Jennie made Lisa feel. Like she was worth loving. Like they could somehow be normal together, even if Lisa couldn't quite figure out how she might make that work.

Soon Lisa would need to find an excuse to keep Jennie away during her next transformation. And the one after that. And the one after that. It wouldn't be easy, but she needed to do it.

Real life wasn't a movie, and Lisa had no idea whether a happy ending was even possible for her relationship with Jennie. But she had to try to make one happen.