Martha and Nellie both did their best to make sure they were washed up a bit before they headed downstairs. It wasn't a shower and amounted only to washing their hands and making sure there wasn't anything that would stain their clothing and for the most part it worked out well. They both heard William say something about getting the steaks in as they came down the stairs. As Martha reached the bottom of the steps, the scent of grilled steaks reached her and the two of them came around the corner to find William at the grill placing the fully cooked steaks on a large steal platter. John was standing nearby and Martha was quick to notice two young girls standing pretty close to John. The two of them were quick to take the lead.
"John, you made it!" Nellie said with a smile and moved to hug her husband.
"That I did, dear," John said in reply, and hugged her back, "Certainly a surprise to read that the Andersons had come here... but it would seem to be pleasant one."
"That it was," Nellie smiled as she felt her daughters come to hug her legs.
"Look who I found while shopping, Will," Martha said to William, though she didn't hug her husband so that the meat he was placing on the platter wouldn't be sent to the ground.
"I see," William smiled and passed the tray of meat to Martha and turned to make sure the grill was off and nothing would be wasted or dangerous if they left it alone, "Did you have a good time?"
"I had a very good time," Martha smiled, "It is great to have old friends here as "new" friends... and now so much more..."
William noted Martha's reference to Nellie and matched his wife's smile. Seeing her smile, seeing her happy, and seeing her confident made the fox in him smile, even if he was in his human form. There was a silence for a moment before a small voice spoke up.
"Who is she, momma?" Marsha asked from beside her mother.
"This is Martha Anderson, Marsha," Nellie smiled down to her daughter, "I worked as an aide with her in Minnesota before you and your sister were born and she is an old family friend. And now she and her husband came here and became weres, just like your father and I did."
"Oh," was Marsha's answer, though she stayed close to her mother's side.
Nellie then ushered both girls forward, and spoke to William and Martha, "Will, Martha these are my daughters... Marsha and Sally. The most beautiful girls in Moon Lake..."
"Apart from you," John said to Nellie with a smile.
Nellie smiled and then looked down to her daughters, "Martha teaches elementary school and she's a great teacher. And from what I've heard, she'll be teaching here next year. So you might get the best third grade teacher ever."
"You're a teacher?" Sally asked to Martha.
"Both William and I are," Martha said with a warm smile, "though you won't see William for school until you get into college and take your basic English and American literature courses or even courses on Shakespeare."
"Who is Shakespeare?" Marsha asked, "another friend?"
"He wrote plays," William smiled, "and good ones... though right now, you two don't need to worry too much on who Shakespeare was. Always learn... but let that go one day at a time."
"Okay," Marsha and Sally said slowly.
"Well, these steaks smell delicious," Martha commented and motioned to the door and heard Nate's footsteps as their eldest son came jogging back from walking Alex home, "why don't we go in, we'll get some potatoes baked in the microwave and we'll be ready."
"Okay, you two ready for dinner?" Nellie asked to her girls, who answered with a cheer.
With that William opened the door for Martha to enter with the tray of meat while Nate came running up. After a few introductions to John, Sally, and Marsha, and hearing from John that he'd grown a lot, Nate and William followed the group in. It became something of a parade through the kitchen with Martha setting the tray down on the counter and then ushering Lyons family into the dinning room at the other end of the kitchen. Nate trailed along behind them while William moved to collect some baking potatoes and getting them ready to be cooked and served.
Getting things ready took him a little time, but William felt glad that Martha and Nellie had come down as he overheard some conversation on John's job and the various interests that Sally and Marsha had. Occasionally he heard Nate give some comment on how great Moon Lake was in the sense of being a hidden were community. William had to stifle a chuckle when Marsha told Nate that they weren't hiding. Martha came into the kitchen occasionally to get drinks for everyone and eventually they made through enough that William was able to begin serving. Marsha and Sally's steak and potatoes were all cut into small squares, and they were served first.
"Thank you," Marsha and Sally chorused politely as William placed their plates down.
"It is no problem," William smiled to them. Both young girls were rather cute, though Marsha looked more like Nellie and Sally looked more like John.
The process was repeated as William brought food out and delivered it to both guests and present members of the Anderson family. Eventually, William arrived with the last plate, his own, and sat down next to Martha.
"It's a shame Eric isn't here," Nellie commented as William sat down, "Nate's grown so much and has done well... It makes me rather curious as to how Eric's turned out."
"He's found his soul mate," Martha commented, "and is head over heals in love with her. I'm sure that right now, he's enjoying the warmth she brings to his heart."
"But he is doing well," William added, "think a slightly younger and shorter version of Nate."
"Is he a werewolf too?" Sally wondered.
"No, Eric became a weremerman to be with the girl he loves," Martha explained.
"We all became different weres... and for different reasons," Nate added, "but I'd say it all worked out."
"That it did," Martha smiled to William and then looked to Nellie, "Eric might get back before you have to leave... Though I'm sure he'll be a bit puzzled when he sees there are two vehicles parked on the street in front of the house."
Nellie nodded at that, remembering that she had driven Martha back from Moon Lake's K-Mart and knowing that John had likely driven Sally and Marsha from home. It might confuse Eric, but the visit was worth everything to Nellie. She'd met and made friends with Martha again and the present setting struck her very much as a replay of dinner parties that were had back in Minnesota before the Lyons family moved and before the Anderson family hit the trouble that was fairly recently solved.