Earlier in the afternoon, the small parade of cars came from hospital to the home of Henry and Lisa Jenkins. It had been a trying day for the Harpers and there were many things that were left to be settled, but the present there wasn't that much that could be done. Just about everything that they could do would take time to do. The courtroom papers and dates would have to wait until Monday and James would need some access to get some emails out to let all their appropriate schools and jobs know that they had run into some unforeseen consequences that would delay their return, but given that it was Saturday, even that wasn't too pressing. James Harper stretched and walked around to the front driver's side window and looked down to Samantha, seated behind the steering wheel.
"Thank you for all you've done for my sister," James Harper Junior said to her, "I mean it... Thank you."
"You're welcome," Samantha gave a small smile and pulled away, leaving James to turn back to his family, which were gathering around the Henry and Lisa Jenkins' car inside the garage.
James walked in just as the others got out. Jenny and Harry had climbed out of the back seat of Henry and Lisa's car and were soon joined by John and Janice. Henry and Lisa had also gotten out and were ready to go in as well. Henry moved to one spot near the wall and pressed a small button that began closing the garage door. The machine made a clear noise and a light came on that was connected to the machine that opened and closed the door. James slowly nodded to Henry Jenkins and waited for his sister to come around the car with Harry on her arm.
"Sorry to put you through all this," James Jr. said to Henry Jenkins Sr.
"We may be cramped, but we can manage," Henry answered.
"And you're family now... and least family willing to accept Jenny," Lisa commented from the door that lead into the house.
"I've always accepted her," James Jr. gave a small smile and looked over to Jenny, "tried to let dad be focused on me when I could."
Jenny smiled back and let James look back to Lisa who had opened the door and then waved John and Janice in, though her eyes stayed focus on James Jr.
"And that's noble," Lisa spoke, "but for now, let us relax and welcome Halloween. We have candy to hand out and some planning for who sleeps where. As Huck and Betty should still have the fold out bed on the couch."
"For the moment, James can take my bed..." Harry offered as they all walked in.
"Wouldn't you and Jenny be using it?" James Junior wondered.
"Not for tonight," Jenny gave a small smile, "We've been given access to a cabin out in the campground area to the north of town and near the lake. Harry and I intend to have our honeymoon there for tonight and most of the day tomorrow. And we would have been there regardless of whether or not Dad went nuts over things."
James shrugged, "I guess that could work then... at least until something more appropriate can be arranged."
"We have some old cots up in our attack above the garage, if need be we can bring them down," Henry said to James as he lead James in, "and we've kept Huck's room as a sort of guest room. In that we can offer it Janice or John."
"Okay," James nodded and they made their way in.
They entered through a well kept kitchen with a modest table with four places, likely set for Henry, Lisa, Jenny, and Harry. They might need to eat in shifts or find some other chairs if they were all to eat together, but that really didn't draw any attention. What drew their attention was the sound of a game show on the television. They followed into a larger living room where they found a male weredog, fully transformed, with his breed based on the Pomeranian. His longer fur on his chest puffed up his shirt a bit and his brownish black furred ears at erect and perked forward. He was seated on a fold out couch bed with his back resting against the back the couch and with a young woman seated next to him. The woman sat close by and held the weredog's furred hand closely.
"Oh..." the weredog spoke as the group entered the room with Janice and John moving to Jenny's side for the moment, "I... uh..."
"It's okay, Huck," Harry spoke, "they're okay."
Huck looked to his brother and then to his parents and noted the curious looks from the two younger Harpers, though they stayed close to Jenny. The older brother looked back to him, but stood quietly. Eventually Huck managed an actual question.
"So... how'd he fair in the end?" Huck asked referring to James Harper Senior. He remembered catching the end of the confrontation/argument, but he and Betty came back to the Jenkins home while the others went to the hospital. He was healing well from the gunshot wound, but he would follow the instructions given to rest and use his were form to help accelerate his healing until the doctors fully cleared him.
"My dad had a huge heart attack," Jenny said with a sigh, "apparently seeing that Wilhelm was a crook and not getting blind obedience pushed him over that proverbial edge. It'll be a few days before he'll be cleared medically to go back to Alabama... And while he an my mother won't go along with emancipating my siblings, my dad's health will allow for the time for the paperwork to be filed... The one question might be that it'd be more me suing my parents for custody, but the principle should be the same. But that'll take some time to get to."
"But he'll live..." Huck commented.
"In theory, but my dad will be a shadow of who he was... though it didn't necessarily improve his personality," Jenny answered.
"In the meantime," Henry spoke, "we'll be hosting the younger Harpers until everything else can be sorted out."
"Sorry about the nonsense my dad got himself into the things that got you shot at," James Jr. said to Huck politely.
"Well... the guy who had me shot got arrested, so I'm fine with the results," Huck answered.
From there, Henry stepped forward, "this is my older son, Henry Jenkins Junior, though we call him Huck."
"He's not a fox," Janice said softly.
"Yes, I am a weredog," Huck gave a small smile, "it was the kind of were I chose to be... I didn't expect to be a Pomeranian, but I couldn't really control that..."
Huck watched Janice nod in response and then gestured to Betty, "and this is Betty Timid. She and I were friends when our family first moved to Moon Lake... But at the time... I didn't know she liked me as more than that and didn't want to force her into anything... If there was one good thing about being shot, is that brought us together... maybe in a way we should have been for years."
"You like each other.... but... wouldn't?" John began.
"I would need to become a were too," Betty spoke up.
"But that's more on how the were-virus works," Huck added, "while a were and a normal human can fall in love, the instant they are intimate with each other... the were will transform their partner, regardless of their exact intention. That's just how the were-virus works."
"And I've loved him for the longest time," Betty added, "I'll gladly become a weredog to be with him... though that will have to wait while Huck heals."
"Which for the moment we're spending watching television," Huck added, "you're welcome to join us. It's Wheel of Fortune. The words and phrases have all been Halloween themed."
"Okay..." John and Janice agreed and soon sat down on the edge of the bed.
John and Janice hesitantly sat down. James Jr. gave a small smile and then turned to Henry who smiled down on the scene as well. It was a calm scene, and James Jr. was grateful that the man who'd arguably gotten the worst of Dieter Wilhelm's schemes wasn't bearing a grudge against the entire Harper family. It'd make things easier over the next few days and would assure James Jr. that Jenny wouldn't be having to jump between her siblings and those out to hurt them, as Jenny deserved some peace in her life.
"In the meantime, Mr. Jenkins, I suppose we'd best look to see about these cots you may or may not have," James Jr. commented, "as we will need at least one while we're here waiting for everything."
Henry nodded and motioned for James to follow him. Jenny and Harry watched this and then looked to head toward Harry's bedroom, where they had some of their clothes set aside. They'd need to unpack things from her dorm room to bring to Jenkins home, but that would have to wait until AFTER their honeymoon.
"And we'd best get changed for Our honeymoon," Jenny said to Harry as they walked along, only to make Harry nod.
As they walked back they also soon heard a comment from Janice to Huck, which only made Harry chuckle.
"It's nice that you found someone to love," Janice was heard to say to Huck, "because you're very cute."
That line only served to get a groan from Huck, who frequently felt the need to argue that he wasn't "cue" over the fact that his breed was a Pomeranian. After all, the small dog, which was often classified as a toy breed wouldn't often be held by many as a tough breed. In this, Huck seemed to feel and act as though he had something to prove, ironically just like the actual Pomeranian breed around other dogs. Thankfully though, Huck held his cool and didn't get beyond the frustrated groan.
"What'd I say?" Janice asked.
"It's nothing," Huck managed after a moment, while Jenny and Harry did their best to stifle chuckles, "but I'd prefer "handsome" rather than "cute." That sort of thing."