{{Yes folks, this is still the Earth 1 story, AKA: the main thread that started it all. EPISODE #450 to be exact!
But to honor a request on the CYOC.net forums, thought I'd try labeling episodes and see how well the practice is received.—tmw.}}
"So Harry, if you'd like to, please tell me about your dream," requested Doctor Frances Twist.
"Well, it was the second wedding ceremony. The first went off without a hitch and Jenny and I were married," said Harry Jenkins with a smile, while reaching over to grab his fiance's hand. "But just as we were starting the encore ceremony, in crashes Jenny's entire family, with her loudmouth father in the lead."
"He can be quite... boisterous at times," conceded Jenny.
"Go on," urged Frances.
"Anyway, as you might expect the Harpers tried to stop the wedding, but stopped in their tracks when they thought they were interrupting the wrong ceremony, because none of them recognized the 'new' Jenny. After all, I've always loved the person, and now the vixen, inside; but you must admit that physically Jenny's outer appearance has changed considerably since joining were society," observed Harry.
"Yours has changed too honey," pointed out Jenny. "Not that there was anything wrong with the old Harry..." she added, before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Then what happened?" wondered Frances.
"Jenny stood up to them! You and everyone else involved with the wedding would have been proud of her. But before any of the Harpers got a chance to respond, a guy that I assume is Dieter Wilhelm stepped out from behind them," continued Harry.
"What did he look like?" asked Frances.
"About 6 feet tall. Black hair. Maybe a little above average build but with a bit of a pot gut on him, probably from already living the 'high life' too long," answered Harry, which made Jenny shudder.
"Is something wrong Jenny?" asked Frances with concern, as she turned to face her patient.
"H-Harry just described Wilhelm to a T, at least based upon how he looked when I last saw him. But I've only ever told folks around here OF him. I've never described how he looks to anyone, let alone carried anything but unpleasant memories and thoughts of the jerk with me from Alabama," explained Jenny.
"I see," said Frances. "Well, with both of you being werefoxes, the life/mate soul bond is more than just emotions. Your concerns are Harry's and vice versa, so that special link probably picked up some of your stray memories of Wilhelm. After all, for better or worse he has been on your mind a lot lately," pointed out the therapist, not mentioning what she really feared. "Was there more?" she asked Harry.
"Yes. Like I said, Jenny stood up to her father. Then I said, I'm Harold Jenkins. Your daughter and I love each other and are already married. This ceremony you're interrupting was staged in case you tried to stop us.
"Then Wilhelm appeared and said, Really? Then I guess either my Jenny's getting an annulment or else I'm marrying a widow today, before he pulled a handgun out of his suit jacket and shot me in the head."
"Oh Harry," cried Jenny, reaching across her chair to hug him.
Doctor Frances Twist waited until the couple composed themselves before speaking again. "While naturally troubling, I would say it was just a nightmare brought on from all the stress of the impending marriage and the other matters involved with it. After all, even if things were great between Jenny and her family, weddings are never easy to plan and hold. My wife Samantha and I just got married before a Justice of the Peace after I graduated high school, since she's a year older than me, but the way Samantha's mothers carried on about the event, you would think they were staging a much bigger production. Besides, grooms get pre-wedding stress too."
"Really?" said Harry, looking at her.
"Sure," said Frances, reassuring him with her best smile. "Now, speaking of dreams, have you had any more conferences with your alternate selves?" she asked Jenny, referring to her patient's past dreams where her old, pre-transformation self and her were-vixen fursona met and advised 'current' Jenny on future events, while doing their best to boost her confidence.
"No, but I do get the feeling that they're close by. Like guardian angels perched on my shoulder or something," replied her patient.
"Interesting," said Frances, thinking that over, before carrying on. "Now then, we still have our appointments tomorrow through Thursday already scheduled. What about Friday, the day before the wedding?"
"Other than school and dinner with Harry's family, neither of us have anything planned," answered Jenny.
"No bachelor or bachelorette party?" wondered Frances.
"No. Other than my dorm mate Karen Yuletide and you, I don't know that many people here in Moon Lake that I would even consider inviting to such an event," replied Jenny.
"Besides, we decided it'd be best to stay focused on Saturday morning and the weddings," added Harry, thinking of the two ceremonies. The first where they would be officially married, and the second for the Harpers to attempt stopping, although by then it would already be too late.
"Under the circumstances, that might be for the best," conceded Frances. "The reception?"
"The following Saturday, because we don't want to interfere with the big annual Halloween Party the town's having that night," said Jenny.
"Besides, all we can, or want to do for a honeymoon is pitch a tent on the shores of Moon Lake and have a nice romantic weekend together before we go back to college on Monday," added Harry.
"Okay. So would you like to schedule a session this Friday?" asked Frances, to which Jenny nodded affirmatively. "Very well. Just tell Rudy on your way out and he'll make the arrangements. Meanwhile, don't hesitate to call me if you need to. We'll discuss more positive answers to any questions your folks might raise tomorrow, along with other confidence boosting exercises, but keep repeating your mantra."
"I am Jennifer Harper. Soon to be Jennifer Jenkins, and I am my own person," Jenny said confidently.
"Yes, you are!" said Harry, before kissing his wife to be on the cheek.
Frances walked the happy couple back to the outer office of her practice, where Rudy made the arrangements for a Friday afternoon session.
Then, after Jenny and Harry left, Frances turned to her office manager and said, "It's 11:50. Please shut the office down for lunch now, switch the phone to the answering service, and then go get both of us some lunch to bring back here. I'll reimburse you when you get back, but I need to make a couple of private calls right now," explained Frances.
"Everything all right?" asked Rudy, concerned about his employer and friend.
"I hope so," was all Frances said before going back into her office.
There, she sat in her desk chair, thought over the entire conversation between Jenny, and especially Harry, one last time, and then pulled her cellphone out of the desk drawer she kept it in during office hours.
With it in hand, Frances sent a quick text to her wife Samantha.
911! Call me NOW!
New danger on the wedding front!