“I take it you had a good visit with Spencer.” William said smiling at his son in the rearview mirror. Eric nodded, and stared out the car window.
“What’d you guys do?” Eric asked.
“Well, I had a nice chat with Jenny. And your father had a… fairly interesting conversation with Harry.” Martha said, glancing at her husband.
“Really? What’s going on with them?” Eric asked. He hadn’t spent much time with the two, but during his brief encounters with them he liked them enough. Jenny was really sweet, and Harry was like the older brother he’d always wanted (no offense to Nate).
“They’re expecting a baby, and…”
“Wow, already? That was fast.” Eric said.
“Ya, that was the general response.” William sighed. He didn’t think Eric needed to know about Harry’s and Jenny’s problems. Although it was a good way to put him off sex.
“Oh god what am I going to do? Oh god, oh god, oh god!” Harry had called right after they left the doctor’s office, and sounded like he was on the verge of tears. William was right to assume he was having a panic attack. Jenny took the phone from him, and told William what happened.
William told Martha while Eric was visiting with Spencer, and then she’d called Jenny. They were acting like giddy schoolgirls, and poor Harry was close to having a mental breakdown.
“Harry, for the last time. Your parents are not going to disown you, chase your through tow with pitchforks, or turn you into a coat.” William had said repeatedly. But Harry wouldn’t listen to reason.
“When’s it due?” Eric asked.
“Eric, they only just found out today. They don’t have a due date yet. Though one can guess it will be in the mid to late summer.” Martha said. Which was good for them. Some of the more serious things wouldn’t happen until after school was over for Harry and Jenny.
Eric didn’t waste time to go back inside, where he again sped up to his bedroom to reread the Moon Lake guide on weres. Nate was finishing his homework in his bedroom, which left Martha and William to talk.
“Do you think Harry will be able to handle being a father?” Martha asked.
“I don’t think he’ll have a problem with being a parent. Most of his nerves are over his parents.” William said. The two sat in the living room, and cuddled up to each other on the couch.
“What’s you talk about with Jenny?”
“Just girl talk. She wanted to know everything an expecting mother would want to know. If things are as bad as everyone says they are, what it’s like after, raising toddlers into children, and then into teenagers.”
“And you’re certainly the right person to ask.” William said, nuzzling his head into the crook of Martha’s shoulder. He wasn’t transformed, yet, but he still found the movement oddly comforting.
“You ever wonder when we’ll have to give Nate or Eric that talk?” he asked.
“Do you know something I don’t?” Martha raised an eyebrow.
“No, but they are getting older, and leaving the den.” William pointed out.
“I know, I know. But I really doubt either of them are going to jump right into parenthood after high school, or even college. Can you honestly see Eric and Spencer raising a bunch of babies while trying to search for their first job, post college life?”
“Good point. But Nate might. Things seem more serious between him and this Kenya than we thought.”
“So you’ve said. But I’m not going to believe anything until I actually see the two together. Nate’s been known to shop around.” Martha said, knowing her son has had a myriad of dates over the years. None of which panned out for more than a few days.
“Well, don’t be too surprised if things do work out for him and Kenya. I think he’s really going to try this time around.” William said.
“Mmm. I don’t think I’m ready to be a grandmother just yet.”
“What about a mother?” William asked. Martha looked up at him surprised. Why was William bringing this up again? He knew she wanted them to have some time for themselves after their kids moved out.
“In time, sure. But I’d like a few years for just us after Eric and Nate are gone.” Martha reminded him.
“Uh-huh. Do you think we’ll have a girl next time? Maybe two?”
“William!”
“What? It’s be nice to have a little girl running around the house. I’ve raised two sons, I think I’d like a girl. And I KNOW you want one.” William said, kissing his wife’s cheek.
Martha couldn’t deny she still wanted a daughter. But William was acting awfully frisky for some reason. Even for a fully grown werefox.
“What’s gotten into you?” she asked.
“I dunno. Love seems to be in the air. It’s that wonderful time of the year. Guess I’m just feeling a little… I don’t know. Mushy.” William said. His kisses strayed lower and lower, until Martha asked him if they could move this “party” to the basement so they wouldn’t disturb Nate or Eric if they came downstairs.
“Care for a lift?” William asked, standing and offering Martha a now furry hand (paw). She accepted, her own arm growing red-orange fur, and small claws poking out of her hands. William swept his wife up, kissing her growing muzzle, and slips to their basement for some privacy.
Upstairs, Eric has fallen asleep with the guidebook on his chest, pleasantly dreaming about Spencer. Nate’s across the hall, trying to focus on his math homework. But he finds himself doodling on his notebook. Nate shakes his head when he sees he’s doodled a picture of black panther across his algebra notes.
“At least it’s a panther this time,” he thought, glancing at his AP Government notebook, which unfortunately had a doodle of a panther with a long bushy tail, and streaks of gray on her back. That was really concerning.