Martha Anderson and her youngest son Eric continued their morning preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. Usually hosting a family party of anywhere between 25-30 people, with most of the relatives still residing in Minnesota, they reduced the menu down to 10. Four Andersons, 3 Twists (unless they had other plans) and one Alex Ramsey if Ben wanted to invite his boyfriend. Of the two possible remaining, one was for Nate's mysterious girlfriend, if their oldest son ever came to his senses and let his folks meet her. Martha secretly kept the other slot open in case Eric got up the nerve to invite Spencer Lawson and she was able to accept. "Ten is a nice, easy figure to do math with," was her explanation to Eric.
Besides, regardless of how many didn't attend, the leftovers wouldn't last long anyway.
A little after one, his father William started jingling his car keys and announced, "Eric, it's time to go to the Lawsons."
"Just let me wash up first. But do you mind if we walk? It's only a couple of blocks away and I want to stay in shape for baseball tryouts next Spring."
"Really?" asked a surprised father, as he stared at his wife. "Does Moon Lake High even have a team?"
"I don't know, but you know how much I love baseball. Don't think it will hurt to try out, do you?" asked Eric.
"What? No. No. By all means," replied his father happily. William Anderson remembered many times when the two of them would sit and watch the Minnesota Twins play, or some other game on TV. He had tried encouraging Eric to try out for his Junior High School team, but Eric never seemed interested.
As they left the house, William started wondering how he could use this opportunity to talk about recent events, but Eric soon started chattering away without any prodding.
"...Then after Julie left Friday night after not finishing what she started, I went over to her place after dinner to talk, but found her and some were-otter in her swimming pool doing, well... you know."
"Not a good thing," agreed his father.
"Then, when I called her last night wanting to talk, her folks discovered that she snuck out. Probably with that otter again. That's when I told Mrs. Stovall me and Julie were through and hung up."
"I'm sorry," said William, putting a hand over his son's shoulder.
"Yeah. Julie's been trying to get intimate with me for weeks now," confessed Eric. "It's not that I wasn't interested, but when I do it, I want to do it for the right reasons, not just because I'm horny."
"Commendable," was all his father said, but a bit taken aback at Eric's bluntness.
"Besides, some of the older boys at school have a saying. Once you go were, you're always there."
"How does that make you feel?" asked William. Even if the life/mate bond he has with Martha as werefoxes didn't extend to the rest of his family to some extent, he does care deeply about his children.
"On one hand, I have nothing against sex, and when my time comes, I'm looking forward to it," admitted Eric. "And I do know that around here, doing it means I'll probably become a were too. My problem is deciding what KIND of were to be. It's a once in a lifetime chance, and I'll have to live with the consequences. I don't want the decision forced upon me like Julie kept trying to do, always trying to seduce me and talk me into taking the plunge, so to speak."
"I see," said his father in a flat tone of voice, but now secretly angry at the were-mermaid. "If you don't mind me asking, what about you and Spencer Lawson?"
"I was already beginning to like her as a friend. Do you know she likes Doctor Who?"
"That show about the guy with the blue box?" asked William, barely having any interest in the program himself.
"Yeah, and she's the one who told me I should try to work things out with Julie, for all the good that did," began Eric. "But even if things do develop that far between us, I'm afraid."
"Oh? Of what?" wondered his father.
"You do know she's a hybrid, right?" to which William simply nodded affirmatively. "IF I was to do it with her, there's no way of knowing for sure if I'd become a werewolf or perhaps a bi, if not outright gay domestic based werecat."
"And you know this because...?"
"Common sense and logic. I read that Moon Lake Handbook," answered Eric, not willing to admit he and Spencer had already discussed the possibilities. "As werecats, Mrs. Lawson is bi while the Twists are lesbians. Besides, werewolves are Nate's thing, not mine, and I shudder to thing how high the odds might be of becoming a natural hybrid like Spencer. After all, usually, according to that book, a child of a mixed species couple usually takes after the gender of the parent it is. Spencer's unique." And not just because of that.
William Anderson remained silent for a bit, thinking things over, and promising himself to have another look at that handbook for himself too, not knowing Eric was hiding it under his bed for the detailed pictures of female weres. Then, he finally said, "Listen Eric, I'm not encouraging you and Spencer to pursue a sexual relationship, but if the two of you reach that point naturally, then there might be a third option."
"Oh? What?" asked Eric, playing innocent as he stopped to stare at his father.
"What if you were already a were when you and Spencer decided to..."
Eric pretended to think about it for a moment, and then asked, "But how would I go about that?"
"IF things reach that point between you and Spencer, I could talk to my den leader. There are plenty of single, unattached female werevixens that would be willing to initiate a new member into the Skulk, and there'd be no risk to either of you forming a life/mate bond attachment so soon or quickly."
Eric was genuinely surprised that his father would come up with that suggestion. Then again, considering how hot and heavy he and mom always are...
"IF it comes to that point, I'll think about it dad. But like I said, when the time comes, I want to do it for the right reasons," Eric reminded him. Besides, Spencer and I have already figured out that a werepanther would be the most physically compatible to her hybrid nature. Then again, neither of us know a werepanthress who might be willing to help out if needed.