{{First, my apologies for not getting back here sooner, but work has been a real <censored> lately. Second, our episode title comes from an old phone company commercial pitch.—tmw.}}
Amy Howler and Tad Decker were on their way home from school, while walking hand in hand together.
It was just a simple act, but one the fledgling couple were quietly enjoying.
"Where have you been all my life?" said Tad, absent mindedly.
"Excuse me?" said Amy in return. Although most weres have excellent hearing even out of their fursonas, she wasn't sure she had heard her new boyfriend correctly.
"I said, Where have you been all my life?" repeated Tad.
"Right here. Moon Lake born and bred," answered Amy, leaning closer to him, "and I'm not going anywhere," that doesn't involve being by your side, she silently added.
"Even if I wasn't a werewolf, my dad's various military assignments kept us from settling into one place for too long. So it was hard to make friends, let alone... anything else as I got older," said Tad.
Amy stopped and looked at him. "That was the past. This is the present," before giving him a brief but romantic kiss. And hopefully you're my future.
"Speaking of which, are you going to be arriving at the Halloween dance already in costume, or will you have to change once we get there*?" wondered Tad, as they resumed walking, now holding Amy a little closer to him.
"Your queen will be dressed in her finest royal attire and furry, waiting for you, your majesty. Why?" replied Amy, to which Tad started to blush a little.
My queen? I like the sound of that, Tad thought happily, before saying, "I was just wondering who's riding with who."
"I'd prefer to go with you and your mom, if she's going. Jay and Leon's costumes will take up most of the back seat."
"Why? What are they going as?"
"Well, unless they've changed their minds since they had their first transformation last night, my now wolfy brothers were planning to go as R2-D2 and C-3PO," answered Amy, as they continued walking.
MEANWHILE...
After the unexpected phone calls, Jen Decker was on cloud 9.
WOW! Both Tachibana Industries and the Town Hall want to interview me for a position! she would tell her only child as soon as he got home. Even if it's just a take out pizza or a meal at the diner, we're definitely celebrating tonight, she thought, unaware that Tad was hoping to make up for lost time with Amy tonight.
ELSEWHERE...
"That's right Austin. As our Alpha, I thought you should know that Jay and Leon had their first transformations earlier than expected. As of last night, both are now proud werewolves," said Mrs. Howler over the phone.
"That's wonderful news!" said Austin Perry on the other end of the line. "Now, of course we have to have a formal pack welcoming for the new cubs, but scheduling is a bit of a problem at the moment. It's too late to arrange anything tonight, and tomorrow night's the dance," he added, not mentioning the fact that he was calling some of the adult wolves hoping they would attend the wedding of Jennifer Harper to Harold Jenkins tomorrow morning to help keep the peace.** "Since we don't schedule anything Sunday through Thursday nights during the school year except on an emergency basis, the earliest I could schedule their welcoming party would be next Friday. Is that okay with you?"
"Sure. No problem. Did you want to discuss details now, or..."
"I'll call you back at the beginning of next week to make arrangements," promised Austin.
CONCURRENTLY...
"Are you sure we have the right address?" the man in the passenger front seat of the unmarked vehicle asked the man sitting behind the steering wheel.
"Yes," the other replied.
"I don't like this. It's too quiet. There hasn't even been any mail or paper deliveries today. How do we even know if the suspect is still inside?"
"Does it matter?" the man behind the steering wheel asked. "Besides, our orders were to observe and report, while avoiding direct contact as much as possible. Either way, we're doing as we were told, which is always honorable."
AND INSIDE THE HOUSE IN QUESTION...
"Honey, is everything all right?" his wife asked.
"Sure honey," called out Dymixious from the living room, after covertly taking another peek through the closed curtains. Whoever they are, they're good. If not for the fact that this is a pretty quiet neighborhood and I am always aware of my surroundings at any given moment, they might have caught me off guard, he admitted to himself. They are just on the outer edge of my senses, staying parked on the opposite side of the corner intersection, and the fact neither of them have moved all day indicates they are simple watchers, nothing more. Yet the fact that anyone is interested in me is cause for concern. Perhaps I should contact my father and—
"Honey? Are you coming with my milk, or do I have to get it from the cow myself?" his wife asked jokingly.
Knowing that she was very pregnant with their first child, Dymixious said, "Just a second dear," and went back to caring for her.
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*While they share a basic continuity setting, it is Friday, October 30th, 2015 for Tad. Moon Lake: Andersons and Moon Lake: Jenkins are still on that Thursday afternoon, with the Harper/Jenkins wedding scheduled for that Saturday morning.
**As revealed in recent episodes of Moon Lake: Andersons.—tmw.