"Listen. With everything that's happened, I think I need to lay down for a bit. Can you boys fix your own suppers tonight?" asked Martha Anderson. Besides, I still have to call Kat and tell her about Wilma and my decision regarding us.
"Sure. Would you like us to fix you something?" offered her son Nate.
"Not right now. Maybe later, but thanks anyway."
"Sure. No problem," replied Nate, as Martha got up to head for the stairs.
"Say mom," called out Eric as Martha started to climb up. "Have you decided on a name yet?"
"Wilma," replied his mother with a smile, before ascending the staircase.
After she was no longer visible, the Anderson boys went into the kitchen to scrounge dinner, but Eric was strangely silent.
"Are you okay Eric?" wondered Nate, after realizing his younger brother's mood.
"About mom? Definitely. It's just that..." began Eric, trying to find the right words. "It's just that you and Alex have nothing to worry about, with both of you being guys. But Cassie and I have been going hot and heavy, as some people would put it, since she made me a werewolf. I really do love her and can picture a future together with her, but I seriously doubt either of us are ready for..."
"Whoa. Hold it right there," said Nate. "First off, as long as Cassie takes her werewolf birth control pill every day, you have nothing to worry about. After all, you heard mom. She forgot to take it the morning dad died and saw no reason to take it afterwards."
"That's kind of my point. What if Cassie forgets? Or runs out and we still do it that day? We're only 14 and I'm not ready to be a father," pointed out Eric.
"Even the adults aren't truly ready for parenthood when the time comes," observed Nate, "but they muddle through the best they can. When the time comes, and personally, I'm not ready to be an uncle any time soon as it is, this is a conversation you should be having with Cassie, not me."
"You're right. I'll call her from my room after we eat," said Eric, as he got up to help Nate raid the refrigerator.
NEXT DOOR...
"A BABY!" exclaimed Ben Twist, looking at his mothers.
"Yeah," replied his mother Samantha, with both her and Frances smiling at the news.
"How? I mean, I know how. I've had sex education in school, but considering when William died, isn't this cutting it kind of close?" wondered Ben.
"Close, yes," agreed Frances. "Doctor Tachibana believes that Wilma was conceived the morning of William's last day. Martha's already confirmed that with everything going on with their worries about Yvette Smith that she forgot to take her pill that morning, then the next day saw no reason to take one, and hasn't since."
"Geez," said Ben, taking it all in. "I shudder to think what would of happened to the baby if Martha had taken her birth control pill that next morning."
"Well, that is a scary thought," agreed Frances, "but thankfully one we don't have to worry about," she added, while Samantha happily nodded her head affirmatively. "Now then, sometime after the Stovalls come back from Seattle and Julie is back in Moon Lake General Hospital recovering, your mother and I promised Martha the three of us would go out and celebrate. But what say you go wash up, then the Twists will go out to dinner and celebrate right now."
"You've got a deal," agreed Ben, before giving both his moms a kiss on the cheek and leaving the living room. But next time I'm with Sasha Myers or anyone else, I'm definitely going to make sure they're taking their birth control pills instead of just assuming they are, even though they're supposed to tell their prospective partners if they're not and are considering having a baby, he promised himself.
"You're both right about the pill issue being a scary thought," said Samantha, once they were alone.
"Agreed. There'd be no Wilma, and Martha would of been sick for at least a couple of days, if not worse once she figured out what happened," realized Frances. "In the meantime, sometime later on we need to have a private chat."
"I think I can guess the subjects," replied Samantha, while looking at her wife.
"Yes. Martha, Wilma, and Coach Kat Johnson in regards to our friendship with our sister werecat and our futures with the rest," confirmed Frances.
ELSEWHERE...
Claire Robertson suddenly knew what she wanted to do about her future in Moon Lake concerning whether to be a were or a were ally, let alone which kind of were she wanted to be if she went the furry route.
She looked at Bob Simmons, standing before her in all his weretiger glory, and thought back to seeing the whole pride gathering naked and changing before her unashamed of both their nudity and their fursonas.
Then she thought back to Barbara, Sasha, Eric, and all the other weres she met since staying in Moon Lake.
But the one were her thoughts kept coming back to more than anyone else was Ryan. It was HE she wanted a future with, if Ryan was really as interested in her as Claire thought he was. She was definitely interested in him.
Even though she had made a decision, it would be unfair to act upon it without notifying him first.
"Can you excuse me for a bit. I really need to make a call," requested Claire, holding up her cellphone.
"Sure," agreed Bob with a smile. "I still need to finish getting the refreshment stand ready for when those who finish playing Capture the Flag come back in to rest and relax a bit before they get on to the more fun activities of the night." The fact that the head of his tiger penis was peeking out of its sheath was not lost on Claire.
Bob walked over to the far corner of the room and a table set up with paper plates, napkins, cups, bottled water, and other drinks and snacks.
When she was alone, Claire pushed the buttons on her cellphone and a few moments later, heard a masculine voice say, "Ryan Connor here. What's up Claire?"
"Hi Ryan," she said sweetly, thinking of him. "Listen, I've made my decision concerning my place in Moon Lake and were society. I—"
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OPTIONS FOR THE NEXT EPISODE IN THIS THREAD BELOW.
Personally, I'm still leaning toward Claire becoming a weretigress and eventually marrying Ryan, but what do Blackjack88 and the rest of you think?
And please don't forget the Author's Note at the beginning of this episode. Thank you.—tmw.