It was a little after 9 am that Halloween morning in the Moon Lake Baptist Church.
All of their friends and extended (Skulk/were) family were congratulating the happy couple on "tying the knot" to officially become Mister and Mrs. Harold and Jennifer Jenkins when Daisuke Tachibana felt the cellphone vibrate in his jacket pocket.
He had turned off the ringer out of respect for the ceremony and the people involved, but left the device on in case anyone needed to contact him.
Stepping off to one side, he had a brief but informative conversation with the Skulk operative on the other end.
When the call ended, Daisuke quickly sought out Moon Lake Police Chief O'Hara and told him the news.
The Chief's mood changed immediately from one of happiness for the newlyweds to being all business once more. "Okay, start alerting all your security personnel and I'll do the same with mine, but let's get everyone out of here who absolutely doesn't have to be here for the second ceremony."
Daisuke nodded his head in agreement and went off to do so.
"Grandma-san," said Daisuke, bowing respectfully to Tachibana no Akane. "A moment of your time, please."
"Yes?" asked Akane, after shaking hands with both Harold and Jenny.
"Our agent in Seattle has just called. He reports that not only have the Harpers and Dieter Wilhelm been picked up at the airport by someone working for Wilhelm, but that he smelt a weapon on this person and more coming from the back of the van they are riding in to come to Moon Lake," revealed Daisuke.
"I see, and what about the Harpers themselves?" wondered Akane.
"None of them were armed when they left the airport, but it would be foolish to believe that at least Dieter Wilhelm will not be by the time they reach the church."
Akane sighed and then looked at her grandson. "Do what you must, but honor demands my presence here. I will not be talked out of this position," she added, before Daisuke could speak, "but it is a fool who faces trouble unprepared," said Akane, before spreading open the wide left sleeve of the wedding kimono she was wearing to show Daisuke that she had the sheath of a small katana strapped to her arm and was prepared to use it if necessary.
Daisuke simply smiled and bowed before Akane again before moving on to other matters.
"OKAY PEOPLE! LISTEN UP!" began Police Chief O'Hara, trying to get everyone's attention. "Our extra guests are on their way here now for round two, so I would appreciate everyone who doesn't need to be here to leave now, so your departure doesn't look suspicious when they arrive."
Harry could feel his new bride tense up next to him. "You can handle this Jenny. You're far stronger and braver than you give yourself credit for," he said, trying to give her a quick pep talk.
"I know that," replied Jenny confidently, "but that still doesn't make this a confrontation I'm looking forward to."
"You going to need any help?" asked Doctor Frances Twist, as she approached the new bride.
"Just with the second wedding dress," answered Jenny, as she spotted Akane, along with Keiko Tachibana and a couple of other ladies standing in front of the dressing room door.
"Then we better get to it," said Karen Yuletide, Jenny's maid of honor.
"Are you sure you have to be here for the second ceremony?" asked Karen's concerned boyfriend, Peter Talbot.
"As much as you, the volunteer lions, and everyone else who's staying does," replied Karen, before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Come on Jenny, we have to get your ready again," she said, grabbing her best friend's hand.
"See you again in a little while Mister Jenkins," said Jenny, before giving Harry a quick kiss.
"Count on it Mrs. Jenkins," said Harry, as Karen started to pull Jenny away after the kiss.
"And remember that. I AM MRS. JENNIFER JENKINS!" Jenny said proudly in a loud tone of voice as she was led off back to the dressing room.
"Okay folks. I can understand Doctor Twist needing to remain. But I honestly don't see any reason for you two," Police Chief O'Hara told Samantha and Ben Twist.
"She's my wife," Samantha reminded him.
"And my mother," added Ben.
O'Hara just shook his head and then answered, "Okay. If you're adamant about it, Mrs. Twist can stay, but you're leaving young man," he told Ben, while pointing to the exit.
"We'll take him with us," offered Mrs. Martha Anderson, indicating herself, her oldest son Nate, and Nate's boyfriend Alex Ramsey.
"Thank you Martha," said Samantha, giving her a quick hug.
"But it isn't fair," protested Ben.
"Fair is always doing what's right, no matter what your thoughts on the subject are," Frances reminded him.
"Mister Anderson, it's against my better judgement, but I've been asked by the bride herself to let you stay for moral support, if you want to," said O'Hara.
"Sure. Honey?" said William Anderson, turning to face his wife.
"Just be safe and come home to us, to me, as soon as you can," requested Martha, before hugging him.
"You better believe it!" promised William, before passionately kissing her.
"Okay honey, time to go," Martin Stovall told his wife.
"Yes," she agreed, making sure their daughter Julie and her fiance Eric Anderson was with her.
"You too, your honor," said Police Chief O'Hara, walking up behind the group.
"What?" asked Martin Stovall, turning to look at the man.
"I'm trying to reduce the civilian risks here, and I see no reason for the Mayor of Moon Lake to be at a potential trouble site when he doesn't have to be," explained O'Hara.
"Okay. I'll be at home with my family standing by the phone waiting for word of what happens here," said the Mayor, before taking his wife by the hand to leave.
"Good luck with everything!" called out Julie Stovall, as she and Eric followed her parents out of the church.
"Chief, we just got word from the border outpost," announced an officer in plain clothes coming up to him. "The suspect's van has just entered Moon Lake, but they appear to be headed for the college first."
"Why?" wondered O'Hara.
"They're probably going to try to collect Jenny's things before coming here," guessed Harry, standing near the altar while conferring with his parents and older brother. "Presumptuous bastards," he added, which got him a stern look from both his father and the minister. "But it won't do them any good. The college security staff has been told not to let anyone but my wife and Karen into Jenny's dorm room by Dean Myers himself."
"Damn. I didn't foresee that," swore O'Hara, which got him a stern look from the minister. "But I hope the Dean's people can handle themselves. Are we ready here?"
"My people are," answered Peter Talbot, looking around at the werelions in their human forms inside the church.
"As are the Skulk," said Daisuke, standing next to the Police Chief again.
"And my staff as well," said O'Hara, before checking his watch. "Okay, it's 9:27 now, and as far as the Harpers and that Dieter Wilhelm are concerned, the official ceremony is scheduled for 10. Let's make sure all our I's are dotted and our T's are crossed. Otherwise, all we can do now is wait," he realized.