Samantha walked out of the elevator and joined Francis and the rest of the group. Samantha snaked an arm around Francis's arm and said softly into Francis's ear, "I'm tired. Let's go home. It's been a long day, and tomorrow doesn't look to be much better." Francis smiled, put her free hand on Samantha's hand, and nodded.
"Everyone," Francis started, looking at everyone else in the room. "I think it's time we all went home. It's late, and tomorrow looks like it's also going to be busy. Ben, could you take Eric and Martha home please?"
Ben nodded, pulled out his car keys, and motioned to the exit. Martha and Eric got up and followed Ben. Samantha and Francis followed the three and made their way to Samantha's car. The two got in, buckled up, and Samantha pulled the car into reverse and got on the road.
As soon as the car got on the road, Samantha started with, "I talked with the mayor before I left. He sends his thanks and appreciation for all you've done." Francis smiled at that. "First Julie and this Claire girl. Remember when things were simpler?"
"You mean like a couple of months ago when a new family moved into the area, and we had to tell them that one of them had to change or else?"
"And that was the worst of our problems in this sleepy little town," Samantha chuckled a little bit. "When it rains, it pours." After a few moments of silence, Samantha asked, "So, tell me about Julie."
"Well," Francis replied, "Doctor Tachibana tells me that she has an aneurysm in her brain. It's affecting her personality and memories a bit."
"So, that's why she thinks Eric and her are together, and that Eric is a were-merman."
Francis nodded and continued, "She'll need surgery, but she'll need to go to Seattle to do it. That'll take care of the physical problems, but the mental ones will take some time. Right now, Martin is trying to convince Julie to go to Seattle and get this taken care of."
After some thought, Samantha replied, "Well, if worse comes to worst, Julie is a minor, and not in her right state of mind, and Martin, as Julie's father, could force Julie to take the operation. Although, it would be better if Julie agreed."
Francis nodded, and then asked, "So, tell me about this normal girl. I heard you caught her."
"Yeah, although not without incident. She was armed with a rifle, but luckily, the police convinced her to disarm herself. We have her under arrest right now, and she's in a holding cell right now. She seems a bit upset and scared I think."
"I'd say so," Francis replied. "From what I gather, she's probably never been in trouble in her life until now."
"Tell me about it. She's a college student, 19 years old, probably the worst thing she did was have a speeding ticket. And now this." Samantha sighed, "I don't anything like this has really happened before. I mean normally, when a normal meet a were, the normal is turned into a were, usually by accident. It's more treatment than legal. I think this is the first time that I've been chancellor that a normal didn't accidently change to a were, and we're applying this law."
"Is there a way out for her? I mean, other than turning," Francis asked.
"Well, maybe. If we could destroy the evidence and convince her that what she saw isn't what she saw, then perhaps we could just simply let her go. Protecting this town's secret is the overriding goal here. But if Martin decided to execute Statute 2B, then that's the end of it. We let her in on the full secret, give her a week to decide which were-society she wants to join, and if she tries to escape or refuses, well..." Samantha trailed off as she didn't want to mention the rest. Francis nodded as she understood what Samantha was talking about. "Oh, anyway, could you do me a favor tomorrow?"
"What is it?" Francis replied.
"Well, I need you to talk to this Claire girl. Find out what she knows, how she feels about weres, and, in your opinion, whether she'd be open to joining were-society without force."
Francis stopped to think for a moment, and replied, "Sure, but I'll need you to stay by the mayor and support him. If need be, remind him of his rights as a father concerning Julie."
Samantha smiled, and nodded her head, indicating agreement. It was then that the car drove up to their house. "We're home," Samantha announced as she parked the car, and then gave a big yawn. "I could sleep for a week."
"Better not," Francis replied, "We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Samantha smirked at Francis, rolled her eyes, and then got out of the car. The two then made their way to the house.
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Ben, Martha, and Eric all piled into Ben's car, and then Ben drove off towards the Anderson's residence. The three were mostly silent throughout the drive. Eric was sullen and seemed a bit upset. Martha noticed this, and then asked, "Anything on your mind, Eric?"
This snapped Eric out of his thoughts and said, "This is all my fault. Everything that's happened tonight. If only I didn't change into a werewolf, none of this would have happened."
Marth frowned, and then said, "Eric Anderson, you stop that right now." The sharpness of her tone surprised Eric. "I realize that you might regret becoming a werewolf, but, truth be told, I'm more proud of you now than I ever had been. I know why you chose to be a werewolf, and I fully supported that decision. And think of what you'd miss if you didn't change. You wouldn't have met that nice Cassie girl. You wouldn't be taking as much responsibility for things that you are now. I'm telling you right now, stop feeling responsible for the choices that other people make, and start focusing on the things that you can change and control."
Eric sat still for a moment, unsure of how to react. It was at that time that Ben cleared his throat and told the Andersons, "We're home," as the car pulled up to the Anderson's driveway. Martha and Eric climbed out of Ben's car, and the two walked inside. As soon as they got into the house, Martha pulled Eric into a hug and said to him, "I want you to understand something. I love you, and no matter what happens or what you become, I'll always love you." Eric didn't say anything, but only hugged Martha back.