{{Our episode title is also the opening line from a classic song by Frank Sinatra.—tmw.}}
As the brothers Knight and brother-in-law Rick Carpenter started to get to work, Lance's cellphone rang.
"It's the paper. Give me a moment," requested Lance, as he answered his phone.
"Hey Boss. It's George at the weekend desk. How much coverage do you want me to give these birth announcements?"
"Who had what?"
"According to the hospital, Maggie and Evan Lawson Senior welcomed Evan Junior into the world Friday night."
"Did you say Lawson?" asked Lance.
"Yes. L-A-W-S-O-N. Lawson," clarified George. "The other report is Melissa Stovall had fraternal twins before dawn this morning. A boy named Joshua and a girl named, appropriately, Dawn."
Lance couldn't help but smile, given his personal connection to both families. "Okay. Unless anyone else is born before press time, the usual procedures. Alphabetically, avoid the W word* at all costs, but you can make the Stovall announcement a little longer than the Lawson one. Anything else?"
"Not on my end, but Ella's been trying to get a hold of you. Something's developing on the local front."
"That might be her now," replied Lance, hearing his phone chime another call was coming in. "Got to go," he told George, before switching calls.
"Yeah Ella. What's up?" asked Lance.
"Peter Talbot was shot last night," began his ace local city/were reporter without any preamble.
"WHAT?" exclaimed Lance. "Is he all right? What happened?"
"Details so far: car jacking gone wrong in the parking lot of The Local Diner, gut shot, close for a while but Peter's expected to eventually make a full recovery," revealed Ella. "Suspect was apprehended fleeing town but Peter's 1966 Ford Mustang was totaled in the process. Arraignment's scheduled for 10. I'll be surprised if Leon isn't here at the court house, where I am, to see it himself. No W involvement, but the perp is a normal with known mob connections through his family."
"Who?" asked Lance.
"Daniel Parker. His father's known in some circles as Freddie the Shark."
"Does Mayor Twist know?"
"Uncertain, but so far Sheriff Cooper has managed to keep the curtain closed, if you know what I mean," said Ella, referring to the fact the outsiders had yet to discover or be suspicious about anything concerning weres.
"Okay. Stay on it and keep me posted," advised Lance, before ending the call.
"I overheard," said Rick, scratching his ear to indicate his were hearing, despite the fact everyone present was in their human forms right now. "Anything we should be concerned about?"
"Not right now," replied Lance, wanting to get back to work.
"Does anybody know how to use this thing?" wondered Benton Knight, holding the Allen wrench that was taped to the instructions.
MEANWHILE...
"Okay. Smile," said Frieda Knight, as she snapped the picture with her friend's cellphone.
Spencer Lawson was standing in one corner of her mom's hospital room with a big grin on her face as she held her new baby brother. The fact she was away from everyone else at the moment was because both her parents were still in their fursonas.
"Here you go honey," Frieda said with a smile, switching the phone for the baby with her girlfriend. "All you have to do is write a message and send it out to everyone on your mailing list."
"Thanks dear," replied Spencer, as she gave one of her mates a quick peck on the cheek.
"Isn't he just the cutest thing Eric?" asked Frieda, while moving closer to be near the girls shared boyfriend.
"Yeah," replied Eric Anderson, smiling at the baby and tickling his chin with one finger. "Someday..." he realized, knowing he was destined to father children with both Frieda AND Spencer.
"Girls when me and you are 25 and Spencer's 26, but we were thinking maybe a couple of years later you could help us add a couple of sons to our family too?" asked Frieda hopefully, staring Eric right into his green eyes.
"You and Spencer are cool with that?" Eric asked in return.
"I wouldn't be asking if we weren't," replied Frieda.
"As long as the two of you are happy and healthy, we can have all the children you guys want," answered Eric, thinking about his future as a father, once everyone graduated high school and he married Spencer with Frieda living with them for the rest of their lives.
"Hope that includes nannies, because you can only push grandparents so far," pointed out Maggie Lawson, laying in bed and trying to relax.
IN SEATTLE...
"How dare he!" screamed Jack Crawford, as he ran a paw angrily across his desk, knocking everything but his computer off of it.
"What's wrong dear?" asked his wife, Kenya Adaeze-Crawford, her werepanthress eyes gazing lustily at her husband.
"Benton Knight just barred me and Jack Ashford from having any more dealings with the elementary school construction back in Moon Lake," he growled, his own fur standing on edge.
"Does he know the two of you are the same person?" asked Kenya, a bit worried.
"Thankfully, no," replied Jack, not realizing the truth. "Both me and Ashford got separate e-mails on the subject. Benton just finally figured out we're responsible for the delays on the project."
"Took him long enough," pointed out Kenya, concerned that her husband was referring to himself as 2 separate people, but uncertain how to address the subject. "But we leave for Moon Lake tomorrow to take care of business there. Want to have some fun and stress relief now?" she asked, while running a paw between his furry legs.
"I would say you have a one track mind, but I happen to like the road it's on right now," said Jack as a smile crossed his muzzle as his cock began to appear out of its sheath.
BACK IN MOON LAKE...
Every werewolf of Austin's pack received a text message concerning the impromptu meeting Sunday night and the welcoming of a new member.
Considering Monday was Labor Day with no school, it didn't bother anyone to rearrange their schedule to go.
However, there was one wolf that was highly looking forward to the event.
Even if it's just for one night, soon you'll be mine Nate Anderson, and there's absolutely NOTHING you can do about it! thought Zylina Nash happily. Not knowing about his recent were-wedding to Jean Talbot, the young she-wolf had a crush on her fellow wolf since first spotting him in school last year and tomorrow night she was finally going to mate with him once and for all! Then you'll see that I'm the only one for you dearest. Maybe I'll even stop taking my werewolf birth control pill after we're married so I can bare you lots of healthy pups, she thought dreamily, before she started playing with herself in the privacy of her bedroom.
ELSEWHERE...
Martin Stovall walked wearily into his home after paying the cab driver the fare.
He was supposed to pack a bag for his wife and return to the hospital, but there was something that weighed heavily on his mind.
Especially since the house seemed so empty at the moment, despite his presence in it.
Tough love is one thing, thought Martin, while walking to his den, and a lot of her problems are her own fault. But despite how she's treated me, her mother, and everyone else in her life, Julie's still our daughter and deserves to know, he realized, while picking up the phone.
After pushing a button that his wife Melissa didn't know he had programmed, Martin waited until the party he was trying to reach answered. "Hello. Warden Creighton? Sorry to bother you."
"No bother at all, sir," replied the Warden of the special were-prison where convicted weres were held to serve their sentences, especially one particular were-mermaid. "Your daughter's doing fine, physically, but mentally still about the same. Julie Stovall still has that humongous chip on her shoulders."
"Sorry to hear that, but that's not why I called you," began the were-mer representative of the Elders' Council. "I was just wondering if someone could pass a message on to her. My wife just successfully delivered twins into the world earlier this morning and despite what a mess my daughter is, I figured she still deserved to know."
"Understood. Any more details?" asked the Warden.
"No. Just that. My wife has been pretty adamant that until Julie totally changes her ways on her own, we should have nothing to do with her, but..."
"Although my children never put my wife and I in a situation like this, as a parent myself, I understand. Congratulations on the new additions."
"Thanks, and take care," said Martin, before ending the call.
Alone in his study, he released a heavy sigh and then went upstairs to do what he originally came home for to begin with.
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*While a lot of local news involves weres, The Moon Lake Gazette does not publicize their existence for obvious reasons.—tmw.