Trevor was quite happy has he drove up to the Jenkins home as noontime arrived. If Melissa hadn't eaten, perhaps they could either go out to eat before heading back to the farm to put together a costume idea for her, if she so wanted to wear a costume, or he could make something for her since she had been so kind as to make the sandwiches for their date the night before. It was a kindness that Trevor wanted to repay and was something that seemed to draw him even more to Melissa. She was smart and at times could be funny. She got along well with his friends and had seemed to think things through quite thoroughly when it came to either becoming a were or which were group to join.
It wasn't that Trevor didn't like those who came to a rapid decision, as there were some people who were quite eager regarding were society and had a good idea on what they'd want to be even before they knew about the mandatory were law. It was just that Trevor knew that this was a decision that no Normal could take back. Once one became a were, there were no take backs and the new were would have all the specific strengths and weaknesses of that were species. The fact that Melissa had talked with him, his mother, with Megumi, and with Megumi's grandmother showed that Melissa was clearly thinking things through and wasn't rushing into anything, which would mean when she became a were, she would be happy. And seeing her happy was something that Trevor had liked the most.
He'd initially approached Melissa to be friendly and provide her with some comfort as she did look a bit "lost" at the time. Which was understandable with new arrivals to Moon Lake. His mom had stories of feeling about the same when her family first moved to Moon Lake. To Trevor, no one needed to feel threatened or unwelcome. Even with the mandatory were law, that was not Moon Lake's goal, and thus why he'd moved to make friends with Melissa. However, as things went, as he got to know her and saw her smile, Trevor found himself falling for her, and when Melissa smiled, his heart soared. As he'd found her beautiful in ways that truly mattered. She might only have a normal human's build, but physical attractiveness wasn't everything. There were times when it seemed like many of the other weres his age were more interested in sex than anything else or in truly getting to know the individual. Melissa wasn't like that. Just as she had done her research into what were to be, she also seemed curious and interested in who he was as a person, which Trevor did enjoy. It was something that let him show that he wasn't a rampaging bull in a china shop, though just about everyone in Moon Lake generally knew that werecattle, despite their greater size and strength than other weres seemed to be very kind and gentle by nature. That made him happy just to be with her.
The house was fairly quiet as he approached and there was some of the lingering scent of what Melissa's father and Virginia McCoy were up to the previous day, but now after several hours, the scent wasn't quite as strong as it had been the night before. He calmly knocked on the door and waited patiently for an answer. It was Harold Jenkins that ultimately answered, fully dressed and in a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt.
"Hello, Trevor," Harold said in a calm voice, "I hope you've had a good day."
"So far," Trevor answered, "and you?"
"So far," Harold nodded, "Come in."
Trevor entered and slowly followed Harold into the living room where he overheard Virginia talking to Melissa.
"You want me as your maid of honor?" Melissa said in surprise, "aren't there other teachers, friends, or weretigers you might feel would fit the role better?"
"I have friends... but, in a way... I'd like this to be a bit more private that what many would look for," Virginia answered, "just immediate family and so on. Something private and intimate. That sort of thing."
"I see... well... in that case, I'd be more than honored to be the maid of honor," Melissa answered just as Harold lead Trevor into the living room. Melissa soon noticed him and got up. Harold moved to stand closer to Virginia, but remained standing. Trevor ignored that and returned the smile Melissa gave him. "Hey, Trevor."
"Hey, Mel," Trevor smiled back to her, "You ready? If you haven't had lunch yet, I can put something together for you or we can go out to eat..."
"I don't want to impose on your family," Melissa began.
"You wouldn't be," Trevor answered and then glanced over to Harold, "especially as my folks would like to meet you, Mr. Jenkins and essentially let both our families get to know each other."
"They'd like to meet me?" Harold blinked.
"Yes," Trevor nodded, "as while you are a weretiger, and thus not a member of any werecattle herd, if things between Melissa and I get as far as marriage, you would be family and my dad would like know everyone... It's nothing too big to worry about."
"Okay," Harold shrugged, "I don't see any problem in that... So what was your dad thinking on?"
"He figured dinner tomorrow evening would work best," Trevor spoke, "you and Mel could come by at around seven in the evening. Mel could even give you directions."
"Okay, we'll see you then," Harold spoke, remaining quiet on being at the dance as a chaperone with Virginia. Harold figured that going would give him the opportunity to even dance with her a little bit.
Trevor nodded and then glanced to Melissa, "So... are you ready?"
"Pretty much," Melissa said to him, "I just got to get my bag before we go and then I can go meet your dad and siblings before moving on to finding a costume."
Trevor nodded and let Melissa head upstairs. Once he heard her reach the top of the stairs, he nervously looked around the room. He was glad that the police had determined enough to release whatever restrictions they'd had on Virginia, as she had seemed like a fairly good teacher, but in many ways before he started dating Melissa, about the only contact he'd had with Virginia McCoy had been at school. There was a bit of an eerie silence as the three stood in the living room for a few moments.
"Just treat her right and you'll never have a problem," Harold said after a few moments.
"Okay..." Trevor answered slowly, guessing that Harold was referring to Melissa, "and you two... are doing okay?"
"Yes," Harold answered, "More than okay... Virginia has helped me in many ways that make me very happy."
"Well... that's good," Trevor glanced between Harold and Virginia, "it's always good to see someone smile."
There was again a fairly nervous silence and Trevor found himself looking around and looking to photos on the walls the couch that Virginia was seated on and the entertainment center on the far wall. He could hear Melissa's footsteps approaching the stairs again, but felt he had at least one thing to say before he and Melissa left.
"And, Ms. McCoy... it's good that you were cleared of any wrong doing," Trevor spoke as Melissa came back down the stairs.
"Thank you," Virginia said politely and watched as Melissa re-entered the living room and came up to Trevor.
"Okay, I have everything that I need," Melissa said to Trevor, "Let's go."
Trevor nodded and looked visibly a lot more comfortable to Virginia. He soon turned and moved with Melissa toward the door. As they left, Melissa and Trevor left, Melissa looked over her shoulder and called to Harold, "bye, dad. I'll see you sometime tonight."
"Have fun," Harold spoke in reply, "and remember what Virginia said about going out behind the school."
"Daaaaad," Melissa gave a groan and then departed.
Harold soon heard Trevor's truck start up again. That gave him the knowledge that he and Virginia would be alone for a little while, though his mind was focused a bit more on this dance that Melissa had mentioned earlier.
"So... do chaperones have to dress up?" Harold asked Virginia.
"They can," Virginia gave a small chuckle, "while the dance IS something that's originated with only the high school... it's also become something of a whole town event. You'll occasionally see even adults who don't even have children going to the dance. Though you don't HAVE to have a costume if you don't want to wear a costume."
"Will you be in a costume?" Harold asked curiously.
Virginia only smiled, "Of course, it's Halloween. Though, if you want one... we may need to do some searching and brainstorming. As I'd doubt that anything you had for Halloween costumes before will fit you now."