After their brief cuddle to try and accept the realization that both of their sons were starting to grow up, Martha and William turned to focus on getting things cleaned up and get ready to turn in for the night. They both had their own hopes and excitement over having a daughter in the future, but between common sense and the surprises that Nate and Eric had delivered, things were far more mellow than they where when Nate first came home. The mood for "dessert" or going out into the woods for exploring and returning to the small meadow that the Hales had taken them to wasn't there. They simply focused on making sure the table was cleared and what leftovers there were were put in the fridge.
The process of doing this became something of an assembly line. Martha stood at the sink wearing a pair of rubber kitchen gloves and waited for William to arrive with the dishes to be washed. The gloves were a bit tight and didn't quite fit her hands at the moment, but she really didn't feel like transforming back to her more human form. She liked the warmth her fur in her werecat form. She liked the silky feel of it rubbing against her husband's fur, particularly when it was rubbed the right way, which William seemed to instinctively know since he became a werefox. The surprise at her little boys not being "little boys" anymore didn't change that. So, Martha stood there in her fursona and rinsed and scrubbed the dishes as William brought them to her, and remembered not to extend her claws, which would ruin the gloves.
"I'm sure things will be fine, dear," William said to her he brought plates to Martha at the kitchen sink and listened to the upstairs shower running.
"I know," Martha answered, "and you're probably right that this was bound to happen sooner or later... I mean... Nate is sixteen now. In two years, he'll be a legal adult and would be able to move out regardless of what we think and he'd be within his rights to do so..."
William nodded and watched Martha's tail twitch slightly as she scrubbed the dish. It was clear that her thoughts were drifting back to what had been discussed just before and during dinner. Some of his own thoughts drifted onto that as well. They knew full well that when they became parents that moments like this were bound to happen eventually. But yet, it still seemed to catch them by surprise.
"... but I'm not ready," Martha spoke, "I'm not ready for them to grow up and move away."
"I know," William answered as he brought the last dish in and set one of the serving dishes with the leftovers in it on the counter, "I'm not fully ready either, but Alex and Julie both seem like good people and in that... I'm more than fine with them being our son's love interests. About all we can do is make sure they don't rush into anything and wait until they're at least eighteen... And both Eric and Nate are smart enough to realize that they need to wait until they're eighteen to get into that at the absolute earliest."
As he talked, William had retrieved the plastic wrap from one of the kitchen drawers and proceeded to cover the serving dish with the leftovers in it. It wasn't too hard, as the box the plastic wrap was in had a perforated edge that made cutting the plastic easier. He quickly got the leftovers covered and placed that serving container in the fridge. By this point, the sound of the shower had shut off and William and Martha could tell that Eric would be drying off and likely soon Skyping with Julie. They had noticed that Eric did that every night.
"I'm sure they won't rush into anything," William finished as he shut the refrigerator door, "and by the time they turn eighteen... perhaps we will be ready by then."
"I hope you're right," Martha said to him.
With that the two moved to make their way toward their own bedroom. Martha carefully pulling off the gloves and leaving them on the counter by the sink before following William and shutting off the lights. The room immediately darkened, but William's red colored fox eyes and Martha's green colored cat eyes easily adjusted to the low light levels. They walked to the stairs and slowly made their way up them to the second floor. As they reached the second floor, their sensitive ears soon picked up Eric and Julie's Skype chat.
"How much?" wondered Eric.
"My mom? Practically everything, including Eric Junior and Melinda," Julie revealed, "My dad? At least the fact that we're engaged and destined to spend the rest of our lives together. If mom's told him any more than that, I'm unaware of it."
That made both the eyes of William and Martha widen with shock and surprise. Surprised and shocked thoughts of Eric and Julie being ENGAGED ran through their heads. The two of them came to a dead stop, and likely couldn't move even if they wanted to. Thankfully they hadn't gotten close enough to the point where Julie would have seen them walk down the hallway toward their bedroom. It might classify as "spying," but to both Anderson parents, it would be understandable. After all, they'd just agreed that their sons would at least wait until they turned eighteen before they rushed into something like an engagement. Assurances that Julie was "the one" for Eric and Eric was "the one" for Julie in prophecy dreams was one thing, but if that didn't necessarily mean that action had been taken or that those dreams were "right."
They continued to listen in as Eric and Julie conversed until they came to a section that was also fairly telling.
"Me too. I can't wait until tomorrow, and all the days after when we can finally be together in every way a couple should. Marriage and everything," said Eric, his voice eager and excited. It even sounded hopeful.
"Let's not rush it Eric. We have our whole lives ahead of us. Remember, our children aren't on the horizon until after we graduate college and establish our respective careers, and I don't remember a specific time table for that," Julie replied in a voice that sounded rather patient and mature and in a sense reminded both Anderson parents of what they'd said to Nate earlier in the evening.
"Unfortunately, I don't either. Then again, being weres, we have all the time we need," said Eric, his voice sounding fairly accepting of what Julie had just said. It was like she both lifted him into the clouds and then brought him back down to Earth. In that, William and Martha finally found the ability to move begin to return to them after the initial shock of what they'd first heard. The commentary provided them with some sense of relief and ease that even if somewhere along the line that Eric and Julie had actually gotten themselves engaged to be married, that the couple wasn't racing into anything.
As Eric and Julie's Skype chat ended and they heard Eric beginning to turn off his computer, William and Martha walked on. They made it to their bedroom without Eric noticing, or at least they didn't think he noticed them walking by. As they entered, William looked to Martha and she looked back at him. After a few moments they both sighed and moved toward the bed calmly and quietly, too surprised by everything to even consider anything, despite the fact that both of them were still naked and in their fursonas.
"They're already engaged," Martha spoke in disbelief as quietly as she could manage. She sat down on her side of the bed and looked over to see William setting the alarm for the next morning and the Friday classes that they'd have, William at the college and Martha as a sub at the Middle School. "They're already engaged!"
"I heard," William answered softly, "but you also DID notice that Julie also urged Eric not to rush into anything... just as we urged Nate not to rush into anything."
Martha slowly nodded as William climbed into bed beside her and pulled up the sheets so that they covered the two of them. They both slid as closely as they could get together in the bed. As William softly ran his hands down Martha's arms and on her back as they came close and began cuddling in the bed together, Martha did nod.
"I did hear that," Martha nodded.
"So... in that we can be confident that Eric and Julie are smart enough not to rush into anything... or at least not to rush into the actual situation where they're having to do things before they're ready to," William said to her, "So for the moment, about all that engagement is... is akin to childhood sweethearts who have promised each other that they'll get married and live happily ever after."
"I'd think the intent is a bit more serious then that," Martha answered seriously.
William nodded. Even with her more feline face at the moment, he could easily see the worry and nervousness on Martha's face. He held his wife closely to him and licked at her muzzle and her cheeks. That did raise a small purr from her that assured him that his efforts to comfort her were working.
"The intent may be more serious," William said after a moment, "but then... maybe it's just a part of Moon Lake. After all, neither of us figured that our marriage would heal as rapidly as it has... and yet here we are... Bonded mates forever and always! A handsome werefox and his loving, forgiving, and lovely werecat."
He finished by rubbing the black triangle that was his nose in his werefox form to Martha's own nose, a brown triangle on her muzzle that was the same shade of brown as her fur. William then further nuzzled his muzzle to Martha's. Martha didn't say it out loud, but William's cuddling with her and assurances to her did make her feel a bit better. She gave a small purr and nuzzled him back.
"It's different from what we grew up with and what we knew," William continued, "but then... many things here are different from Minnesota."
"Including us," Martha let a smile form on her muzzle.
"Including us," William smiled back.
"Do we tell Eric that we overheard?" Martha asked to him.
"No," William answered, "he'd think we were deliberately spying on him or trying to be nosy. He'll tell us when he's ready. Until then... we act as though we didn't overhear them talking about being engaged. You know Eric. Eventually he'll tell us when he feels confident and secure in doing so."
"Okay," Martha replied and tried to hold back a yawn, but soon failed.
Martha's yawn only earned a yawn from William in response. The evening had had more than its fair share of surprises, but both Anderson parents felt some sense of hope for a good future and happiness for their sons. They might not be ready for them growing up at present, but they were realizing that they'd have no choice but to accept that. It all seemed to be part of the "new start" that William had come up with when the decision had been made to move to Moon Lake. And as Martha's fur rubbed against William's as they hugged and stayed close, Martha figured that so long as the "new start" remained happy, she could adapt to it. With that, the two cuddled until sleep claimed both of them.