hexwood info:   

Note: This started out as a Halloween snapshot, but it kept growing, and
this is the result.  Includes definite weirdness and some sex.  The title
alludes to the movie _Prelude to a Kiss_.  If you've seen the movie, lucky
you, you have a slight heads up on what might happen in the nearly
nonexistant plot.  If you haven't, don't worry about it., All the usual
disclaimers!  Come after me and I will . . . run and hide. 

Prelude to a Dream  

by Meadow Lion 

**************************************************************************
*********************************************** 

"Auuuuoooooooooooooooo . . . . . . ! "  The howl cut through the relative
stillness of the night and stirred Ray from his sleep.
 
 "Aw, Dief, cut it out, would ya'?  I know it's Halloween and all, but
come on.  Just lemme get some sleep!"
 
 "Auu, auu, auuuuoooooooooooooooo . . . . . . !"
 
 Raising himself up on one arm and readying a pillow with the other, Ray
searched the room for the offending wolf.  "Dief!  Where the hell are
ya'?  Just cut it out, or this pillow is headed straight fer yer . . .
what the hell??"
 
 Fraser was sitting beside him, wearing nothing but an innocent
expression.  Glancing down at himself, Ray realized he was still naked,
too, from their earlier round of lovemaking.  Fraser looked at Ray. 
"Auuoooo - "
 
 "Yeah, yeah, you said that already, Frase.  What the hell are you doing?"
 
 Fraser's voice answered, but Ray couldn't see his lips moving.  "Oh,
dear.  I should have known he would do it again sometime."
 
 "*Who* would do *what* 'again sometime,' Fraser?  What are you talking
about?  And why are you doin' the, the, the ventrilisam thing?"
 
 "The term is 'ventriloquism,' Ray, but I am not using that technique. 
No, this is far more difficult a situation than that."
 
 Still all that Ray saw was Ben sitting there on the bed looking at him,
though he knew the other man was speaking, *somehow*.  "Look, just tell me
what's goin' on here, cuz I sure don't get it."  He stuck one pale, lean
hand out and began tracing lazy circles on Fraser's thigh.
 
 Fraser voice came out tinged slightly with laughter.  "Ray, you may not
want to do that right now."
 
 Ray's hand slid higher on Fraser's leg, then slipped down to cup his
groin.  "And why not, Fraser?  You got somethin' against extra sex on
Halloween?"  He was answered by strong licks on his face, courtesy of
Fraser, and a burst of laughter at the same time, also courtesy of Fraser
. . . 
 
 "Hey, cut that out, c'mon, you're ticklin' me, and I gotta tell ya' it
ain't doing much for the mood here."  More licks, swiping at the end of
his nose.  Ray yanked his hand away from Fraser's crotch and swatted at
his lover's head.  "Fraser!"
 
 "Actually, Ray, I'm over here."
 
 Ray looked around wildly, finally seeing Diefenbaker over in the corner,
gazing at him with that mocking grin on his face.  "That's real funny,
Fraser," Ray commented, turning back to the man in the bed.  "I told ya'
not to do that vent..that throwing yer voice thing."
 
 "I assure you, I'm doing nothing of the kind.  The fact of the matter is,
Diefenbaker has taken the liberty of exchanging our souls for All Hallows
Eve again."  Ray stared at Dief, who was apparently talking with Fraser's
voice.
 
 "Um, yeah whatever you say, Fr..wait, what do you mean, 'again'??"  He
swung his head back and forth between man and wolf, unsure of where to
direct his words.
 
 "Well, Ray, he used to do it every year when we lived in Canada, but this
is the first time he's chosen to try since we've been living here in
Chicago."
 
 Ray shook his head and pressed his fingers against his temples, trying to
sort everything out.  "Okay, so assuming I believe you and assuming the
stuff you're saying is true, how did he do it?  And what does it mean?" 
The figure beside him just sat and stared at Ray and the wolf, one eyebrow
raised.
 
 "Ray."
 
 "And how long does he get to stay you and keep you as him?"
 
 "*Ray*."
 
 "Or can you undo it?  And - "
 
 "RAY!!"
 
 Ray glanced up, meeting Dief's - er, Ben's eyes.  "Yeah?"
 
 "Dief came into my dream tonight and performed the ritual there.  He has
shamanistic powers that are much stronger at this time of year, so he
chooses to exchange his lupine form for mine and use it to his advantage. 
Generally, he returns the next morning, just before I wake, and returns to
his own body."
 
 "I don't know *how* you can say all o' that so matter-of-factly,
Benton-buddy.  And why didn't you mention any of this before so I might
know what to expect come tonight?"  As he talked to the being that looked
like Diefenbaker, Ray found himself absently rubbing the back of the
creature that looked like Fraser as though he were petting Diefenbaker. 
It was a very odd situation.
 
 "Well, as I said, Ray, Diefenbaker hadn't been attempting the switch
since we had come to Chicago, so I had no inclination this year would be
any different.  I'm not even sure why he chose this occasion for it, after
all this time."
 
 "Ah."
 
 "What do you mean, 'ah,' Ray?"
 
 "Nothin', I'm just doin' one of yer ah's."
 
 "I see."
 
 "Oh, no, ya' don't!  Yer not beatin' my 'ah' with yer 'I see,' uh-uh,
Fraser."
 
 "All right, Ray."
 
 Ray glared at the wolf across the room.  "Y'know, Frase, Dief is looking
better and better over here . . . "
 
 Fraser's body whined.  //Just don't fight.//
 
 "That's just silly, Ray."  Fraser's voice had just the slightest hint of
doubt to it.
 
 "Izzat so?  I see a beautiful man who happens to have more animal
instincts than usual, and I see a know-it-all, talking wolf.  Which would
you pick?"
 
 "Well, Ray, if that's what you'd like; I must warn you, though, that his
tongue baths are not always pleasant, and he uses his teeth quite a bit
less gently than I do."  No doubt there now - he knew he was winning.
 
 Ray's eyes shrank to slits.  "I don't even wanna know how you know
that."  Suddenly his mind revealed vivid images of what harsher biting
would feel like on certain parts of his lower anatomy, and he winced at
the very thought.  "Okay, okay, so you're still the better choice. 
Wouldn't want to give Dief any funny ideas about the rest of the year
anyway.  So how can we fix it?  Y'know, get you back into you and him back
into him?"
 
 "I don't know if we really can, to be honest.  I've never felt the need
to try, just let him have his fun for a night . . . and learned to never,
*ever* question him about what he did during that time."  At a questioning
glance from Ray, Fraser just grimaced and said, "Please don't ask."
 
 Ray shrugged, looking puzzled.  "So yer tellin' me there's no way we can
switch you back?"
 
 "I don't know.  If there is, it must involve somehow . . . "  Fraser's
voice trailed off, and then he said sharply, "Ray, come stand over here."
 
 Ray slid immediately off the bed and padded over to the corner of the
room, the frown on his face deepening.  "How come?"
 
 Fraser waited until Ray had settled himself in front of him, keeping his
eyes trained on the blank-eyed man on the bed, then responded quickly,
"Because if we continued discussing our intentions the way we were, Dief
would be able to read our lips and discern our plan."
 
 The wolf seemed to smirk at Ray, and the cop shrugged a little uneasily. 
"'Kay.  So, now, finish what you were gonna say."
 
 "I will, Ray, just please make certain you are positioned in front of my
face to prevent Diefenbaker from seeing it, and I'll keep my ears focused
to hear if he approaches us.  As I was about to say, any way that we might
perform this exchange must somehow involve getting into his dreams and
undoing the previous switch."
 
 "So why can'tcha try that?  And why's he just lookin' at me like that?" 
Ray glanced over his shoulder at Fraser's body, slightly unnerved by the
way the clear blue eyes of the man usually identified as his lover were
penetrating him.
 
 "Ray, he *always* just looks at you like that, you're just not used to
the look coming from my eyes."
 
 "Oh.  I guess you're right.  So how 'bout that dream thing?  Dief's just
sittin' there anyway, so you won't be takin' away his night of fun."
 
 "A fact which makes no sense to me whatsoever.  I cannot fathom what made
him decide to exchange our souls tonight if he wasn't going to make use of
my body in any way, unless - perhaps he was hoping that you would either
not realize what had happened . . .   Well, no, that's unlikely, since he
was howling to wake you up - I suppose it's possible he simply hoped that
you would indeed choose him over me for the night, Ray."
 
 The wolf's jaw flapped quite a bit as Fraser tried to analyze the
situation, and his head bobbed to the side just enough for the dark-haired
man in the bed to catch his last words.  The man let out a sound that was
both a groan and a howl.  //Typical//
 
 "Another thing I don't really wanna think about, Frase."
 
 "Ah."  Fraser ducked his head quickly back behind the cover of Ray's body
before continuing.  "Yes, well, in any case, I suppose an attempt at
trading our bodies back would be in order.  He and I both need to be
asleep, though."
 
 "I figgered as much.  Can you do that, fall asleep real quick and get him
to, too?"  Ray sounded dubious, which of course just challenged Fraser to
prove he was capable.
 
 "Of course, Ray.  I will just perform a series of deep relaxation
exercises with him, and we'll be asleep in no time.  We'll start with the
- "
 
 "No, Fraser, that's okay, I don't need details, just do it.  Pitter
patter let's get at 'er."  Ray stepped away and slipped back beneath the
covers, then reached over and patted his suspicious companion on the head,
winking at the wolf across the room.
 
 "Right you are."  The wolf trotted over to the bed, hopped up, and
settled in before the Mountie, who looked as though he were about to start
pouting.  Fraser's voice seemed very disembodied as he began to chant, the
lupine head moving very slowly from side to side.  Ray watched attentively
at first, then promptly fell asleep, followed moments later by Fraser and
Diefenbaker.
 
  . . . . . . . . . . 
 
 "Ray."  No response from the nude, scruffy, blond-haired angel lying
sprawled across two-thirds of the bed.  Fraser tried again, more
insistently this time.
 
 "*Ray*."
 
 Still nothing.  Fraser slid down to press his mouth close to his
partner's ear, and started to whisper the name again.
 
 "Ra - "  The man beneath him pounced, twisting him over onto his back and
holding him down with two strong fists curled under like paws.  For a
moment, Fraser's expression was one of shock.  Then it turned to
exasperation, and he let out a groan as the other man began to lick his
face, then lap excitedly at his chest, shoulders, and arms.
 
 "Auuooo?"
 
 "Oh, dear."  Ben tried to lift the head up from his torso.  He called
over his shoulder to where he'd lain his wolf on the floor after the
'transplant,' hoping to rouse Ray from his slumber.  Fraser tugged
insistently, complaining, "Dief, that wasn't fair.  You shouldn't have
allowed me to regain control of my own body if you were going to take over
Ray's."  He was ignored, and his partner pulled away and continued licking
at his chest, then the eager tongue twisted around one of his nipples, and
then down, and down, and down . . .
 
 "Oh. . . .  Dear. . . .  Now, Ray, you really . . . ohhhh . . . shouldn't
have . . . mmm . . . pulled that trick on me.  Ahhh."
 
 "Well, that was your trick, Frase, so now you're getting' yer treat. 
Happy Halloween."
 
 Diefenbaker raised his head momentarily and observed his friend gasping,
calling out the name of his lover.  He yawned, grumbled to himself, and
went back to sleep.  //Next year . . . //
 
  - end -