"BRIAN! DINNER!" yelled Emily Walker, to which her son dutifully yelled in return, "OKAY! BE RIGHT THERE!"
He had just hit send to give Julie Stovall his homemade worm, thankful that his mother had neither taken away his computer or interrupted his work before now*.
Washing his hands in the hallway bathroom of their small, one story house, Brian stared at himself in the mirror. Things had not gone well for him today. He had been hoping for more time with Alyssa Cooper, and whoever she might bring along to join the fun, so didn't make any plans for the weekend other than being with the older were-mermaid, but those were shot all to hell now, thanks to Julie.
She'll get hers. It's just a matter of time now, he thought happily, before going to eat.
In the kitchen, Brian saw a simple fare (as usual), with his mom already waiting for him.
Despite the circumstances, at least she was home for once.
The two of them ate in silence for a while, and then his mother began to say, "Brian, I–"
"Did I screw up? Truthfully, I don't know," he admitted to her, stopping Emily Walker before she could complain some more about his behavior. "Sheriff Cooper confirmed the truth about how me and his cousin met at the lake Monday night. What she and Julie Stovall were doing together before I arrived is anybody's guess," was all he said on that. "Like the Sheriff said, with me and his cousin both being active weres, we didn't break any laws. And I was home by curfew every night, alone, as I'm sure the neighbors can tell you if you ask."
"What's this about Julie trying to attack Eric Anderson and Frieda Knight?"
"Truthfully? I only heard about it after the fact, but it caused quite a commotion in the cafeteria. Apparently Julie wanted to turn Eric into a were-merman whether he wanted to be one or not, because he dumped her after finding out what an unfaithful girlfriend she was," said Brian, not adding that Julie was cheating on Eric with him at the time. "There's rumors that she made a previous, but failed attempt to do so the day before, but your guess on that is as good as mine. Anyway, apparently Julie was going to try again during lunch Tuesday, but not only discovered Eric sitting next to Frieda Knight, who Julie thought was her friend but now considers a traitor, but that Frieda had already turned Eric into a werepanther so he could be with his girlfriend Spencer Lawson."
"Wait a second. Why did Frieda have to..." began his mother.
"Eric was a normal. He and Spencer are in love, but Spencer is a hybrid, and couldn't do it herself because she didn't know what Eric would transform into afterward."
"Okay. I'm starting to follow this. But Spencer's a hybrid what?"
"From what I hear, between her parents, part werewolf from her father, and part werepanthress and part werecat like her mother," replied Brian.
"Sounds like an interesting combination."
"I guess. I've never seen her fursona. Anyway, Eric somehow got Frieda to do the honors before Julie could have her way. Julie got mad when she found out and tried to attack both of them. Not only was that stupid to begin with, but they were sitting directly across from the teacher's table at the time."
"Geez," said Emily, while setting her utensils down and ignoring her meatloaf for the moment. "But you and the Sheriff's cousin..."
"She was nice. We had fun."
"Fun? Is that what you call it? You had—"
"Mom. I checked. She takes her were birth control pills."
"Well, at least you had some common sense," said his mother, staring at Brian. "But you know how I worry about you," she added.
"I know," conceded Brian, "but I'm not dad either," he pointed out.
"What does that no good–"
"Mom. You told me all this before," complained Brian. "I know it's not your fault that dad left us before I started elementary school, cleaning out the bank account and running off with that bimbo from the supermarket in the process. But it's not my fault either, no matter how much you think I look like him."
"Well, it's also not my fault that the jerk also maxed out all the credit cards without me knowing about it before hand, leaving us with a boatload of debt either," she said angrily.
"Then complain to him!" said Brian in return. "You work two jobs and barely keep the creditors at bay as it is. I'd love to give him a good swift kick in the ass if I ever see him again."
"So would I," admitted Emily, "but he totally up and disappeared when he left Moon Lake with that bimbo. My lawyer's never been able to find him to serve the divorce papers, so that's why I never got any alimony or you any child support. Plus, being a were-otter like you, we're skittish about trying to legally get him declared dead. Besides, he never left a will, and I sold off anything of value that jerk left behind that we couldn't use ages ago."
"I've offered to get a part time job every summer since my tenth birthday, but you keep saying no," pointed out Brian. "I may not earn much, but it would at least help out around here some."
"Brian Smedley Walker," said Emily, using his full name, knowing he hated it. "As much as I appreciate the offer, you know that unless you get a full scholarship, I'm never going to be able to afford to send you to college after high school. I just want you to get good grades and enjoy being a kid while you still can."
"My grades are good. But I just need to relax every once in a while."
"But I don't want you to—"
"Accidentally knock someone up, keeping them from going on to college, like dad did with you?"
His mother never answered the question, so Brian asked, "When was the last time you were able to just kick back and chill?"
"I do. I'm in the middle of a new book from the library right now and..."
"Mom. You know what I mean," said Brian. "I can't recall the last time you ever went for a swim at the lake, and I bet you can't either. Besides, when was the last time you just let your hair down and..."
"That is none of your damn business young man!" complained his mother. "Now, if you're finished eating, go back to your room. You're grounded until at least school Monday morning, but I'll see you for breakfast before I leave for work in the morning."
"Okay," said Brian, getting up to leave, "but you know I'm right," he added, walking out of the kitchen.
When she was alone, Emily (nee Johnson) Walker just sat in her chair and stared off at nothing in particular.
The were-mermaid thought she was in love when she met George Walker in high school, despite the fact that he was a Senior and she a Junior. They dated, a lot, and he was always a perfect gentleman, not even pushing the issue of sex until the night of her Senior prom.
A miscalculation as to how long that morning's were-mermaid birth control pill should have lasted, since they were out so late that wonderful night at the lake, along with her not taking Sunday's because she didn't get home until that afternoon, led to her giving birth to Brian that summer after she graduated high school.
Her wedding photos, before she destroyed them after the cheating bastard left, only showed her from the shoulders up. They also never revealed the fact that the ceremony was a double shotgun wedding, with both sets of parents insisting George "do the right thing".
Emily was at her day job as clerical support (secretary) at Moon Lake General when she saw the text message on the hospital's computer when she checked her e-mail during a break.
The anonymous message and her contacting Sheriff Cooper led her to calling in sick at her night job as a waitress at the local diner, so Emily would never know about Frieda Knight's private event there or the big tips everyone on duty got afterward.
Emily was also completely in the dark about her son's future plans about Alyssa Cooper helping him set up a secret career as a gigolo. All Brian could see was enjoying the great sex that lied ahead while using the money to secretly helping out his mom. Her greatest fear was her only child turning out like his father, a path Brian was already on in his own way.
Not knowing what else to do, Emily cleaned up the kitchen and did all the dirty dishes by hand at the sink, eschewing the dishwasher to save money on the electric bill.
Then, more emotionally than physically tired, Emily decided to call it a night early, hoping to catch up on both her sleep and the borrowed romance novel from the Moon Lake Library.
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*In the recent episode "Brian Walker faces his mother and Sheriff Cooper", and Brian's early conversation with his mother also serves as a convenient recap of some of our current events for those just joining us on Earth-2.—tmw.