{{Before we begin, my apologies to Blackjack88. I honestly thought it was you that initially posed the unanswered question of why Mister Jackson needed to see Claire. My bad.—tmw.}}
They decided to take Barbara's car, since it had a bigger trunk. Of course the fact Claire's vehicle was still in the Moon Lake Police Department's impound lot didn't help, but now that she was a weretigress, Ryan assured her that he could get it released by this weekend with no cost to her.
As Barbara drove, the ladies chatted. Claire would still have to take the makeup finals she missed that Thursday morning, then finalize her transfer to Moon Lake College afterward. Otherwise, provided they got everything in her dorm room packed by tonight, which really wasn't all that much to begin with beyond Claire's camera equipment, Barbara could load her vehicle while Claire took care of her academic responsibilities, and they could be back in Moon Lake by late Thursday night, with the new semester starting after the Christmas/Winter break.
Claire would be moving into Ryan's apartment as his new girlfriend, and neither of them would have wanted it any other way. Besides, Claire's quarters in Ryan's apartment building were temporary to begin with, and she couldn't afford a place on her own without checking into Moon Lake's on campus housing situation.
Along the way, Barbara and Claire discovered they had a lot more in common than just being weres and a certain handsome werewolf in a police uniform. Besides their mutual interests in photography, the ladies discovered they had similar tastes in music and books, although when either of them got the chance to read for pure pleasure seemed to be rare right now.
Then Barbara dared to approach the subject that had been on her mind for quite a while now.
"So, black with white stripes?"
"Huh?" asked Claire.
"Ryan says your new fursona is black with white stripes."
"Yeah, it is."
"Very unusual for any were. I've never heard of that pattern on any species, let alone a weretigress before," commented Barbara. "The closest comparison would be zebras or skunks, and even then that's not completely accurate."
"Don't know what to tell you. Given the family situation I grew up in, I've always tried to be different from my brothers or my father's expectations," was Claire's only reply.
"Can I see it sometime?" wondered Barbara.
"Sure. In private, of course," said Claire, noting that they had just crossed the state line from Washington into Oregon.
Barbara continued driving as the ladies resumed their conversation about other matters. Yet, the bi she-wolf couldn't help thinking about having a chance to show Claire how wonderful some private time between two women could be, let alone the possibility of a threesome between them and Ryan.
Despite being a weretigress for so short a time, Claire couldn't help noticing the strong scent of arousal coming from her friend, but never said anything about it out loud as they continued toward their destination.
MEANWHILE...
Coach Katherine "Kat" Johnson pulled the Anderson family car along side her own in the teachers' parking lot of Moon Lake Middle School.
It had been an interesting afternoon taking Martha to her first OB/GYN appointment. The widow Anderson was on the verge of completing her first trimester, the baby that would eventually be Wilma Anderson was doing fine, but it wouldn't be until after her daughter's birth that Doctor Olivia Watson could confirm that the new arrival was either a full werecat or a werecat/vixen hybrid, the latter of which was of interest to the Skulk, who were paying Martha's medical bills until the child's genetic legacy could be established, since they felt a debt of honor to the Anderson clan because of the rogue werevixen Yvette Smith killing Martha's husband William.
Yet that wasn't the only things on the ladies' minds.
Martha and Kat were starting to develop feelings for each other, even before the bi-werecat discovered she was carrying her late husband's last child. Yet that and other factors was starting to make the onset of any potential relationship... complicated.
"Kat," began Martha, staring at the weretigress in human form.
"I know. I was totally out of line back there at the doctor's office," Kat replied, while leaning against her own car. "But I'd still like to be your friend and Lamaze coach."
"I'd like that," admitted Martha, looking up at the slightly taller woman. "Listen, I know I said I wanted to wait until after I finished my temp gig here as your assistant before we... well, that is..." Then Martha paused before finding the courage to say, "What I'm trying to ask is, would you like to come over to my place Saturday night for dinner?"
"REALLY?" asked Kat, staring at the other woman.
"Yes. Nate will be out and about with his boyfriend while Eric will probably be spending the night with his girlfriend after her birthday party, so..."
"Martha, I..." began Kat, now finding herself speechless. "You know I've had feelings for you since we first met, but after that dream I had, and finding out you had a similar one..."
"I know. Moon Lake is quite an interesting town, isn't it?"
"I'm beginning to think that's a serious understatement," agreed Kat. "So, does this mean..." she said, hopefully.
"One day at a time, please," requested Martha. "We'll work together Thursday and Friday, and then see how dinner goes Saturday."
"Okay," agreed Kat, while trying to calm down from her excitement of being with Martha.
"And Kat..."
"Yes?" said the other woman.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how Saturday night turns out too," revealed Martha with a smile, before giving her potential new lover a passionate kiss.