Not realizing what had been going on in and around Moon Lake on what he personally considered a beautiful and lazy Sunday morning, Brian Walker stirred.
There was a soft, furry form laying against the were-otter, and a smile crossed Brian's face as he stared at his sleeping were-beaver girlfriend Patricia.
The two of them had grown close since first meeting on duty at the Elders' Council building, both physically AND emotionally closer than he had been with any other girl, and Brian was now sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the female he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
But his mother had reservations.
"You're too young," Emily Walker had told him, referring to the fact they were both 16.
Brian knew part of his mother's thoughts were based upon how her romance and marriage with his biological father George turned out.
But if it was one thing Brian did learn from the cheating no good bastard that dumped his family when Brian was still a toddler, it was what NOT to do in a relationship.
Yet while Emily wanted her son to be happy, one thing she had never explained to him was the concept of what some referred to as a "were-wedding", when two weres deeply in love with each other proclaimed that belief publicly to their partner and were thus married at least in the eyes of nature, if not the legalities of Moon Lake, Washington State, the United States of America, and the rest of the world.
The happy couple did their best to relieve his mother's fears, especially to the point of Patricia sometimes taking her were-beaver birth control pill in Emily's presence.
In fact, the last thing Patricia wanted to do was get pregnant before graduating college and starting whatever career path she would eventually choose.
Having come from a very rural community in the wilds of Canada, Patricia feared winding up bare pawed and pregnant before graduating high school, so her family moving to Moon Lake when her father got transferred by Knight Industries opened up a whole new world of possibilities to her.
Especially with Brian Walker.
Brian, seeing the sleeping furry beauty in his arms, just smiled and kissed the top of her head.
That made Patricia snuggle closer to him, but for the moment she was still asleep.
Brian knew he had been dreaming again before waking up, but even without that mysterious stranger who visited him before making another Rod Serling like appearance within his thoughts, Brian knew these were happy visions of the future.
He and Patricia would graduate high school together, and then go on to college.
It would probably be just the local facility in Moon Lake for him and a struggle financially, but it was still higher education.
Brian definitely intended to get some kind of a tech degree and, between that and whatever Patricia intended to do, they would get married after earning their diplomas and going on into the work force.
He knew that they would probably have to live with either her family or his mother for a while, but hoped that in time they could afford a place of their own, and maybe even consider starting a family together some day.
His life was now a far cry from back when he was considering becoming a male gigolo. The mysterious stranger showing Brian his own death if he continued on that path certainly helped change his mind, but Brian knew it was Patricia and her growing love for him that kept him on that course and wanting to do better in life.
Not that they were bad before, but his grades had vastly improved since they met, and despite the continuing financial hardships Brian and his mother faced because of George; he was especially feeling good about himself, Patricia, and their future together.
Staring at the sleeping Patricia made his heart swell, and Brian Walker found himself possessed to utter aloud the one phrase he had yet to say to his girlfriend.
"I love you."
The were-beaver stirred, her tail twitching against his furry leg as Patricia mumbled in her sleep, "I love you too."
With that, it felt like a great weight had been lifted off of him.
Brian smiled as he kissed his lady on top of her furry head again and held Patricia closer to him.
Then, looking at the clock radio on his night stand, Brian saw that it was only a little after 8 that Sunday morning.
His alarm would be going off at 9, and by the time his mother got home from her over night job at The Local Diner by 10, the two of them would be dressed and fixing breakfast for three.
Brian Walker just stared at Patricia and smiled as he drifted off back to sleep and his dreams of the future for the moment.
Despite the Code W alert and the mobsters in town, it was going to be a good day as far as he was concerned.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: The above might not be an official "were-wedding", but it is definitely akin to a "were-engagement" considering how Brian feels about Patricia.—tmw.