"Did anyone else hear that?" asked Spencer Lawson, standing up so fast that she knocked Eric Anderson off the arm rest of the sofa.
"Hear what?" asked Nate Anderson. Although Spencer was the only one in the room currently in her fursona, as a werewolf Nate's acute hearing had heard the explosion too. But since the lights came back on and the guard left the Teachers' Lounge, Nate figured that if anything was truly wrong, the guard would have come back in by now, which no one hadn't.
"It sounded like an explosion. Mom?" said Spencer, turning to look at Maggie Lawson.
"I didn't hear anything," she replied, taking her cue from Nate.
Maggie saw everyone else in the room nod in silent agreement as Eric was picking himself up. While every were in the room had heard some kind of explosion, they weren't about to get Spencer worried. Especially since she was still recovering from her injuries acquired from facing Jeremy Bower, Junior.
"I'm tired of just sitting around doing nothing. Maybe we should go help?" suggested Spencer, as she started heading toward the exit.
"And do what?" asked Eric, now placing himself between his girlfriend and the lone door to the Teachers' Lounge. "You told me that Bower Senior was very bad news, while your father and his buddies are all werewolves as well as Navy SEALs. Even if you weren't injured, what could you do that they can't?"
"But he's my father," protested Spencer.
"I know honey," said Eric, as he embraced his girlfriend. "If it was my dad out there, I'd be worried too, but your father is more than capable of doing what he does without having to worry about you being out there too. After all, you and your mom are who he's fighting for."
Considering that in her fursona, the hybrid were wolf/cat was almost a full foot taller than her boyfriend, the best Spencer could do was hug Eric in return and kiss the top of his head. "I love you," she whispered in his ear, unable to hide the tear that escaped her eye.
While Eric had talked Spencer out of doing anything rash, the others had placed themselves between Eric and the door, on the off chance he was unable to reason with her.
Now they couldn't help but stare and turn away to attempt giving them some privacy in the windowless room.
"They not only make a cute couple, but Eric's turned out to be a positive influence on Spencer," observed her mother. "In the past, Spencer would have been already off the school grounds and half way to wherever Evan and his men are right now."
"I just hope that when the time comes, they're able to work out the problem of Eric still being a normal," whispered William Anderson, knowing there was no guarantee what would happen if his son had sex with Spencer as is.
"Well, between us, we've offered him a chance at becoming either a werefox or a werewolf," noted his older son Nate.
"But you heard Frances," his mother Martha reminded him. "Whatever Eric decides, he has to reach that decision on his own without any influence from us."
"Yeah," was Nate's public reply, but as he turned and watched his brother and girlfriend together, hugging each other close and kissing the best they could, Nate couldn't help thinking, I hope they do come up with a solution soon, because I believe they'll need it sooner than the rest of you hope they do.
MEANWHILE...