Fic: Coyote Breakfast (LOST/True Blood, Luna, Ana Lucia)

[lilacsigil]

Title: Coyote Breakfast
Fandom: LOST/True Blood
Written for: fandom_stocking
Recipient's name: facethestrange
Rating: General Audiences
Pairing/Characters: Luna Garza, Ana Lucia Cortez
Word Count: 800
Notes: Thanks to st_aurafina for betaing.

Summary: Bats, nudity and the breakfast menu.



Ana Lucia had seen some weird things as a cop, but she had never seen a goddamn coyote turn into a goddamn naked chick in someone's yard. The summer sun was rising and she had to blink hard to make sure she'd seen what she'd seen, but Ana Lucia was not one to doubt herself. The old lady who lived here had reported someone in her yard for the last three mornings, and this time Ana Lucia was in time to catch the intruder.

"LAPD! Hey! Naked woman! Hands where I can see them!"

The naked woman froze in a half-crouch and glanced around.

"And you better not turn back into a coyote, or I'll shoot!" The closer Ana Lucia walked, the younger the woman looked. She must be no more than a teenager. She was scrawny, too, looked like she hadn't eaten well in a while.

"It's not illegal to turn into a coyote," she said, sulkily. "Can I get my clothes now?"

Ana Lucia was secretly relieved that the coyote thing wasn't a hallucination. "Yeah? Well, it's illegal to be butt-naked and it's illegal to be in someone's yard. Especially when you're scaring old ladies, prowling around like that."

"If you let me get my clothes, I'll be dressed and I'll get out of here, no problems." The naked woman didn't try to cover herself up at all, but she was definitely scared of Ana Lucia's gun. That was weird in itself: most people covered their privates first, unless they were really fucking high. This woman didn't look high.

"Okay, no sudden moves."

The woman retrieved a cotton dress, well-worn panties and a pair of flip-flops from behind a concrete bird bath, and quickly got dressed. She had a plastic shopping bag with her and it looked like that was the total of her belongings.

Ana Lucia sighed. "You wanna come get some breakfast? My treat, if you promise not to come back to Mrs Varzi's yard. Deal?"

The woman hardly even hesitated. "Yeah, deal."

The McDonalds was part of Ana Lucia's lone officer patrol anyway, and she was due a meal break. She ordered up big from the breakfast menu and pretended not to see as her guest hid a few things in her bag, as well as stuffing her face.

"So, what should I call you? I'm Officer Cortez if you're feeling formal, or Ana Lucia if you like."

"Luna."

"You got somewhere to stay, Luna?"

Luna shook her head. "I did, but the full moon's tonight. And I gotta eat. It takes it out of you, changing skins."

Luna seemed so matter-of-fact about it. She must know other people who could do the same thing, Ana Lucia thought, or she'd be scared out of her mind, not planning ahead. "What about other people who, uh, change skins? Can't they help you?"

"I can't find any. After my grandma died, my family didn't really want me around, but I have a cousin in LA who was close to my grandma. I came here with her address but she's not there anymore and she's not answering her email." Luna looked close to tears. "And I eat and eat as a coyote but then the transformation uses up all the energy anyway."

"Can you change into other things?" Ana Lucia was fascinated. She'd heard stories about werewolves and skinwalkers and so on – and the vampires confirming their existence made anything seem likely – but she'd never met one.

"Uh, sure, any animal that's nearby. A bat is easiest for me, but I can't eat enough as a bat."

"I like bats. They used to fly around at dusk, near where I grew up. My mom hated them and said they all had rabies, but my abuela said they were eating all the insects, so we should encourage them. And they were pretty cool to watch."

Luna's face lit up. "You like bats? Most people hate bats, but I think they're great. And it's amazing to fly."

"Yeah, yeah it would be." Ana Lucia could sort of imagine it, swooping around in the dim light, everything made clear with echolocation. She shook her head. She had a job to do. "Your cousin here legally?"

"Yeah, she's on my dad's side. Navajo. She hasn't lived on the rez since she was eighteen, though."

"Okay, I bet we can track her down, then. She knows about the turning into bats thing?"

"Uh huh. It's not a problem." Luna shifted uncomfortably, which Ana Lucia took to mean that the cousin could probably do it herself, but Luna didn't want to give her away.

"Finish your breakfast, Batgirl, and we'll find your cousin."

Luna leaned forward suddenly, and held Ana Lucia's wrist. "I hope you get to fly one day."

"Me too, kid. Me too."


Also at AO3.