"To next Friday..." Karen Yuletide said with a smile, before kissing her fiance Peter Talbot.
"And all the days there after," he added, after their lips parted.
"Oh, what should I wear..." Karen said, kiddingly, as she took his arm in hers.
"Whatever you have on when I pick you up Friday night, and whatever you want to wear when we come back Sunday evening. I don't think you'll need much in-between," Peter whispered in her ear, while hugging her.
"By the way, do were ladies wear sexy lingerie?" wondered Karen, while looking deeply into her future husband's eyes.
"They've been known to. There's this place in town called Awareness that caters to weres by making clothing that will adjust with them as they switch to and from their fursonas. We'll have to make an appointment for you after..."
"I understand. The main thing is for the two of us to be together. Always," replied Karen, while leaning against him.
"Now, there are a two things that you should know..." began Peter, starting to sound a bit more serious. "The first is, it will be at least an hour after swallowing it before your werelioness birth control pills start to take effect, so during a romantic dinner for two before..."
"I understand. I remember the college infirmary also advised me to take a second within 24 hours of the first pill, then daily afterward unless I wanted to have cubs," recalled Karen.
"In time darling," promised Peter, taking her hand in his. "At least the two from your drawings, if not more."
"Out of curiosity, could you tell anything about them from my drawings? I drew by heart and feeling, but all I know is that one will be a couple of years older than the other and that we shall love both of them with all our hearts as much as I love you, I have absolutely no idea about their genders, actual age..."
"Well, like I said before, a naturally born were doesn't experience their first transformation until puberty. As for the rest, does it matter? That they will be our cubs and that we will love them is good enough for me right now," replied Peter. "Sometimes, despite such talk as premonition dreams and other stuff among weres, I feel it's best not to know too much about your future."
"You're right," conceded Karen. "Right now, maybe it's just the part of me that's still a regular human at the moment and not a future were talking. Pre-wedding jitters or whatever. But you said there were two things I should know. What's the other?"
"That we still have to deal with them before we leave the gym tonight," answered Peter, pointing to his cousins Joy and Ife Talbot waiting for the happy couple on the other side of the dance floor.
MEANWHILE...
At first, Kenya Adaeze wasn't sure where Ben Twist was driving her that night, but then quickly realized his destination. It wasn't long before Ben parked his car as close as he could, and then escorted her the rest of the way to "their spot": the clearing in one section of the multitude of woodlands that helped comprise Moon Lake with the fallen log near the little stream that eventually connected to the crescent shaped body of water that the town was named after.
"Here we are," Ben said proudly, before laying out the blanket he had from his car trunk.
Kenya could still smell the lingering scents of her and him from the last time they used it as Ben spread the blanket out on the dirt near the edge of the log.
"You hopeless romantic you," Kenya said with a smile, before the werepanthress kissed her werewolf boyfriend.
"Guilty as charged," confessed Ben, once their muzzles parted.
"You know, the one thing we didn't get to do at the dance was actually dance," realized Kenya, with some regret, as she set the food from the party down on the log.
"We can take care of that right now," said Ben with a smile, as he pulled Kenya closer to him.
"But there is no music," Kenya pointed out.
"Yes, there is," replied Ben, moving to whisper in her ear, "the music of our hearts."
Kenya simply smiled and laid her head on Ben's shoulder as they started to dance.
Eventually, the two sat together on the log and ate the pizza they took from the Halloween dance at the gym and enjoyed some bottled water together.
Then Ben said, "Kenya, how often do you think about the future? Our future together. That is, the more logistical parts like where we'll live, what each of us will be doing when we're at our respective jobs. Stuff like that."
"Regularly. Why?"
"Well, my feelings for you are not in doubt. But sometimes I do wonder what I can do to help support us once we're married. Because even though my mom's have said that, between them and my biological parents that my college tuition is covered*, we'll still need a place to live, have bills to pay, and—"
"Ssshhh, my darling werewolf," said Kenya, gently laying a finger against the tip of his muzzle. "Your concerns are noted and appreciated, but do not worry and have your luscious fur turn gray prematurely," she added, before running her paw across the top of Ben's head between his ears. "I come from humble roots too. Remember? While my future was incomplete until you entered my heart, I was striving to secure my life too. I will have my business degree at the end of the coming Spring semester. I have applied, but have yet to hear word, on that internship with Tachibana Enterprises for next summer. But even if the odds are against me and I don't acquire it, I shall find a job somewhere and support us until your art career blossoms."
"But that's just it. I don't want everything to be on your shoulders. I want to be able to contribute and do my fair share too," said Ben.
"You will honey. I have faith in both you and us," Kenya said with a smile.
Then Kenya grew silent for a moment, contemplating what she was about to say, before asking,
"Ben, exactly why do you love me?"
"What do you mean?" he said, looking at her. "You're smart, beautiful, funny, loving... There are plenty of reasons you have my heart, in or out of your fursona."
"I know, my wonderful werewolf. The night I first saw you in these woods, my heart spoke to me.
Despite the fact it had never said anything to me before, I was wise to heed its words. I was falling for you then, and the only difference between that first night and now is how much stronger my feelings have grown for you. But, if I were to reveal something about myself that I have not said before, how would you react?"
"The best answer I can give you at this moment is that it would depend upon what you had to say," admitted Ben.
"Fair enough." Then Kenya paused again, before deciding that honesty was the best policy.
"When my family first moved to this country, they were dirt poor. Each generation has worked hard to achieve what they have earned, and my parents were no exception," began Kenya, turning to face her boyfriend. "When I was old enough to understand, I made a vow that I would earn everything I ever had honestly, but that I would not suffer the stress and strains of physical labor like my parents and all the Adaeze before them."
"Hence, wanting to go to college, let alone enter the business world," realized Ben.
"Yes. The last part was when I realized how good I was at math. It's like a second language to me. One I can as easily converse in as English or the tongue of my family's heritage back in Africa that they've taught me over the years. Anyway," said Kenya, gathering her resolve, "by the time I entered high school, I also discovered I was good at business too. I read the business section of the newspaper every day and understood it as easily as my younger sister understood the fashion column or my father the sports section."
Not completely knowing where this conversation was going, Ben simply nodded his head and let his girlfriend continue.
"When I could legally do so, I started investing in the stock market. At first my father had to act as my proxy, because this was sometime after I experienced my first transformation," said Kenya. "In the beginning, my parents were concerned that I might be wasting my money when I should of been saving it. But within a few months, I was able to prove to them that I knew what I was doing, so they allowed me to continue. After I turned 18, I could legally handle the account by myself. In time, I was able to start helping my parents out financially. Pay a bill here, help with groceries there. Stuff like that. The one thing I have never told my family is exactly how well I am doing in the stock market, let alone that I have widened my portfolio into other fields and investments. I only invest in businesses that put people first, like Tachibana Enterprises, but even maintaining my humanitarian focus, I have done very well."
"Err... do I dare ask how well?"
Ben's eyes grew wider and his lupine jaw dropped open when Kenya admitted to him, "I have already earned over $30 million dollars through my business skills. My current projections are to have near $45 million by the time you graduate high school next Spring, and I should be near $90 million by the time you graduate college four years after. I have already been secretly helping my aunt and uncle out financially, when necessary, besides helping them in their store and around the house. When she asks for help, I secretly send my mother money so they can make ends meet back in New York, because my father is too proud to accept help from me directly. After my sister graduates high school there in a couple of years, which is the only reason my parents decided to stay in New York when they insisted I should come out here for college and stay with my aunt and uncle, my father will retire from his job there to help hide the fact that he is a were and move my family here to Moon Lake. When he does, I intend to not only cover their expenses, but buy them a new home here to show my love and support and thanks for them, let alone help them, my aunt and uncle, and us out as much as possible, yet continue with my investments while holding a regular job too. I am already paying for my own education, without needing to borrow and face a high debt payment later. If needed, I would have paid for your college education too when the time came. I certainly intend to pay for my sister's, if she decided to continue her education past high school. Some may consider me rich, but I have no intentions of ever being idle."
"So all of this means..." began Ben, while scratching the back of his head with one paw.
"What I am trying to tell you Benjamin Twist is that financially, our future is secured."
Ben Twist just stared at Kenya, taking in all she said.
How another man, were or normal, might react in his position was open to debate.
What he would say left Kenya nervous, for her boyfriend was taking a long time to respond.
"Kenya," he finally began, "it has never been a question of wealth. I've never really thought about money, exactly. I've only worried about getting by in life. That the two of us might not make it in the ways that mattered most. The last thing I wanted was for both of us to be in a situation where we each had to hold down two or more jobs, let alone barely see each other or our children."
"I know what you mean Benjamin," said Kenya. "My father is still working hard and long hours over odd schedules just to help keep a rented roof over their heads and food on the table. My mother works long hours cleaning other people's residences when she isn't trying to take care of the apartment or babysitting children for their neighbors. I am no stranger to the concept of hard work, I just intend to work differently than other people. But is it not nice to know that money will definitely not be a concern in our future?"
"Let's get something straight right now though. I love you for you Kenya Adaeze. Money's never mattered to me before, and even with what you just told me, it doesn't matter to me now. Not that way. All I ever desire from you is your love, because you certainly have mine."
"You have that already Benjamin Twist, and you shall never lose it," vowed Kenya.
Then the werewolf and his werepanthress kissed.
One naturally led to another, and soon their Marc Anthony and Cleopatra costumes were discarded as the couple did a different kind of dancing.
One far more intimate that lasted until the first rays of the new dawn heralded the need to defur and get dressed for the day.
________________________________________________________
*Ben doesn't know that his birth parents left him a savings account with over $2 million dollars in it at the time of their unfortunate deaths. Samantha and Frances Twist have been maintaining it since he joined their family. It will cover his college expenses, with the rest going to him after he turns 25.—tmw.