As our respective cast members prepare to enjoy this Thanksgiving with family and friends on an alternate version of Moon Lake reality, let's follow selected members...
THE STOVALLS parked on the shore of the titular body of water for which their town was named. After securing the car and throwing the keys into his waterproof travel bag, Martin Stovall led his wife Melissa and daughter Julie into the somewhat cold depths.
By the time they reached the bottom and headed through the waterways toward Oregon, all had assumed their full were-mer forms, including the classic fused tail.
Martin's tail scales were kind of trout-ish in appearance. His wife's were more salmon like, while his daughter's more closely resembled a goldfish.
Martin couldn't help remembering that fateful night years ago when he turned Alyssa, a normal human female who had love of mermaids since childhood, and was excited that her dreams were finally going to come true! She always referred to their time together, and that night especially, as magical. He recalled her new tail taking on a dolphin like tint as her hips became more shapelier and Alyssa's bosom expanded to—
"MARTIN! LOOK OUT!" shouted his wife, dragging him out of his memories and narrowly avoiding collision with a rock in their underwater path.
"Are you all right?" Melissa asked, genuinely concerned as she looked at her husband. Granted, their marriage had seen better days, but the last thing she wanted was to be a widow.
"Sorry honey. Just a lot on my mind. Ready to continue?" he asked, taking her webbed hand in his.
Melissa simply smiled at him, but allowed the gesture as they continued swimming together. With everything that's gone on over the last week or so, he's probably seriously overworked as it is, she thought, not knowing that Martin's real problem was one of his old flames coming to Moon Lake next week and wanting to see him again.
Meanwhile, although not at risk of swimming into any rocks, their daughter Julie had heavy thoughts on her mind as well.
Mom grounding me until the end of the year blows, but the biggest shock? Finding out that I'm actually starting to miss Eric Anderson! For a normal, there's just something about that guy, and he would make a cute were-merman. When I get back to school Monday, I'm gonna see if there's any chance of EARNING Eric's love and trust, like I should of done in the first place!
AT THE ANDERSONS' HOUSE back in Moon Lake, the boy on Julie's mind was too busy with thoughts of his own as he helped his mother in the kitchen make sure everything was set so they could leave it all unattended without any worries for a couple of hours.
I hope Spencer has a good time with her relatives, even if she's still stuck in her were form until her arm heals.
"Come on folks. We've got to get moving if we want to get a decent parking space, let alone good seats to watch Ben's football game," William Anderson reminded his family, standing by the door with his car keys in hand.
"Be right down," shouted his oldest son Nate, who had gone upstairs to defur from his werewolf form and put on some clothes so he could go out.
"Say mom, I was wondering about something," Eric said as they walked out of the kitchen to join his father. "When everyone comes over later, were any of you guys planning to go downstairs?" he asked, referring to their house's basement, where his parents held all their sexual activities involving other adults.
"I don't know Eric. Why?" asked Martha Anderson, glancing up with a concerned look at her husband.
"I was just wondering, if you do, will it be okay if Spencer and I go back to her house then?" asked Eric.
"Sure. No problem," answered his father. "Now, why don't you go outside and open up the car for us. Okay?"
Eric grabbed the car keys from him and ran out the front door, eager to get going too.
Being alone for the moment, Martha moved nearer to her husband and whispered, "Whew! That was close."
"You're telling me," said William. Eric and Spencer's relationship was growing deeper every day, but sooner or later the problem with Eric being a normal (and still a virgin) human while Spencer was a hybrid were with no guarantee of the outcome if she had sex with a normal, would have to be addressed.
"That brings up another question," whispered Martha, looking to make sure neither of their sons were around as she asked, "What if we want to have our... fun and Nate's new girlfriend is still here. Do we invite her too or..."
"Good point," agreed her husband. "Even if she's agreeable, it'd be awkward asking this Kenya, considering dinner will be our first meeting with her. Besides, we don't even know what kind of a were she is. We'll just have to quietly spread the word that the extra... dessert won't be served until after she leaves," realized William, as they heard Nate starting to come downstairs.
THE LAWSON family home was a similar buzz of activity, as Evan loaded the trunk of their car, which was still parked in the garage at the moment.
"Okay. I think that's everything. Right Maggie?" he asked his wife.
After a moment to go back over her check list, Maggie agreed, saying they were ready to go to her sister's.
"What about me?" asked their daughter Spencer, as she entered the garage through its interior house door. Because she had to stay in her were form until her arm healed, it took over an hour (with her mother's help) to take a shower and change clothes. The only good news was that instead of that old over sized sweat shirt that her father sometimes wore in his were form during military training exercises, she was now wearing an old maternity smock of her mother's, the bottom hem of which barely came down past her upper thighs.
"Sorry baby," apologized her mother. "We left the back seat empty for you and have a blanket ready to cover you up so you're not seen in public."
"I'll be glad when my right arm's out of this dang sling. I hate being treated like cargo," complained Spencer, as she got into the car.
"Well, you're very SPECIAL cargo," her father reassured her, as Spencer laid on her left side.
"We go back to the hospital first thing Sunday morning for fresh x-rays." Then Maggie covered her daughter as if tucking Spencer into bed for the night, and asked, "Can you handle the rest once we're on the road?"
"Sure mom, but can we please get going soon?"
"Just another minute or two," announced her father, as he pushed the 'open' button on the automatic garage door control.
As Spencer laid back and hoped she'd enjoy another "cloak and dagger" ride, there was one comforting thought on her mind. At least I'll get to see Eric when my folks go to his house for dessert tonight, regardless of what's on the menu.
THE TWISTS were already at the field for the high school football game. Samantha and Frances had their seats, waiting for the game to start, while Alex Ramsey was as close to Ben near the edge of the sidelines as he could get without violating any rules.
"Go knock them down, or whatever it is you're supposed to do stud," Alex said, half jokingly. He knew what the objective in football was, but still liked to tease his boyfriend.
"Say handsome, after the game..." began Ben, wondering if...
"You win today and come back to me safely, and I promise you a howling good time tonight!" swore Alex, giving Ben a quick peck on the cheek before going to join Samantha and Frances in the stands.
_________________________________________________________
AFTERWARD: DIMENSIONAL DIFFERENCES
Stovalls: On Earth's 1 and 3, were-mers form serious monogamous relationships with "their destined soul mates". For some unknown reason(s), this doesn't apply to the were-mers in the Moon Lake of Earth-2, hence the Stovall's troubled marriage and Julie cheating on Eric, which caused him to break up with her before he started dating (and falling in love) with Spencer Lawson.
Andersons: Earth-2's William helped his Martha happily embrace her bi-nature back in college, which led to a strong and very sexually active open marriage long before they moved to Moon Lake and became werefoxes together.
Lawsons: Spencer is a natural hybrid were wolf/cat cross. While sex with a normal would change that human into a were, it's unknown if the lucky boy (or girl) who mates with Spencer would become a werewolf like her father, or a bi if not outright gay werecat like her mother.
Twists: At any Moon Lake, Samantha and Frances Twist are still a pair of happily married lesbian werecats, but on Earth-2, it is their adopted son Ben who is seriously dating fellow werewolf Alex Ramsey.—tmw.