Jenny felt very happy as she and Harry returned to the Jenkins home. She was now Jennifer Jenkins, happily married to the best man in Moon Lake and things were generally looking up for her. A part of her really wished that she could have enjoyed a longer "honeymoon" with Harry, as their night in the cabin and the woods was wonderful and to a certain extent felt natural, though she supposed that was a part of her instincts as a werefox. The vixen in her felt more at ease there, though that also puzzled her in a way, as the Fennec Fox was a desert animal and didn't naturally live in forests. Maybe that was just some general thing that related to all weres, regardless of what species and what form their were-form took.
However, she and Harry both had college and for the moment had last minute things that would need to be done regarding the main difficulties that they'd had in the build up to the wedding the previous day. Her father had proved to be the same piece of work that he'd always been and her mother wasn't that far behind, and while she didn't wish her father to have a heart attack that would put him in the ICU at Moon Lake General, Jenny wasn't about to leave John and Janice in the care of her parents. Her father's anger would only mean he'd come down on them harder than may have done otherwise, and emancipation was about the only thing that would really give them a shot at a normal life. And since the Jenkins family had the space and means to help her and Harry, she figured it best that they secure legal custody for John and Janice rather than put any pressure on her older brother and his fiancée.
That would likely mean some consultation with a lawyer and the court system regarding all the appropriate jurisdiction. For Jenny, given that she was already eighteen, that didn't matter. By law she was already an adult and could go her own way, however, Janice and John weren't and that was where the questions would come in. In theory, Jenny could make the claim for custody, but the question would be under who's law would it apply. Would it be Washington State and Moon Lake, based on her location and claim? Or would it have to be Alabama for the fact that James Harper Sr. and Elizabeth Harper were Alabama residents? And while Jenny had the appropriate breaks in her schedule at Moon Lake's college to at least start that process, she knew she didn't have the time to drop the ball on that matter.
"Here we are... home sweet home," Harry said with a small smile to Jenny.
"Home sweet home," Jenny smiled, "and a happy one for us and hopefully for John and Janice..."
"I'm sure it'll work out fine," Harry said to her with an arm around her waist as they made their way from their car to the front door, "and if Mrs. Tachibana continues to help us financially we'll be able to handle the legal fees that will go along with it... and there is the chance that your folks may accept the idea of emancipation. After all... if they end up concerned on their medical costs over raising your younger siblings and so on... they might go along with it. And if they don't want to go back... once they're here... anything more that your parents may do won't cause any trouble."
Jenny nodded and reached for the doorknob to the Jenkins home... HER home now that she had married Harry. They might have to wait awhile for their added in apartment to be added, a result of both Huck being shot and the fact that the construction/alteration of the attic space would take time, but it would be worth it. Jenny could see it working well for their privacy as weres so that they weren't disturbing Harry's parents at night and would allow for the space for John and Janice to have rooms of their own. If things played out well, it'd be a good start for them and would let them be there for Henry Jenkins Sr. and Lisa Jenkins.
They entered to find a fair amount of activity going on in the kitchen. They could hear various cooking utensils clanging or clicking against each other, and guessed that they had arrived in time for lunch. As they came through the front they noted the fold out bed had been folded back into a couch, which was a sign that Huck was probably doing well enough to go home, with his appointment to check and make sure he'd healed enough from his gunshot wound being the following day, there was some sense that progress was being made. Jenny couldn't really dwell on any concerns regarding Huck as her ears soon picked up the conversation going in the kitchen.
"Well... you and your brother did seem to have an interesting morning," Lisa Jenkins spoke.
"Yes, Fred and Ginger were very nice," Janice answered, "they talked with us were very fun, though they had to go inside and that's why we came back."
Harry and Jenny both wondered who "Fred and Ginger" were, but only quietly made their way through the living room.
"And Fred seemed kind of cute," Janice answered, "Would there be any rule against being with him as a weremer?"
That made Harry and Jenny both blink. They'd gone through with letting John and Janice know about what happened to her and thus lead to her greatly enhanced figure when she became a werefox, and while James Junior and the younger Harpers did respond well enough to it to their knowledge that all of them were human when she and Harry left for their honeymoon. That left them both wondering if Janice had gone out and got herself transformed already. They thus moved into the doorway that lead into the kitchen to find Lisa Jenkins working on some sandwiches with Janice standing by watching Lisa go about her cooking. A few concerned sniffs soon confirmed that Janice was still a normal human being.
"Welcome back you two," Lisa spoke as she looked up, "Did you have a good time?"
"We had a great time," Harry answered, "though I think that's about all you'll want to hear about that."
Lisa gave a small chuckle, remembering back to her own honeymoon with Henry Sr. years ago, and how Huck was conceived in the process. It was a happy moment and a reminder of just what happened on a honeymoon. Janice stood by quietly for a moment and said nothing, though Jenny and Harry both saw her smile at their return.
"Well, that's good," Lisa answered, "I know you didn't have time for one that was long or fancy, so I do have some something celebratory planned for dinner for the both of you."
"That's nice," Jenny gave a small smile, "though, I'm a bit more curious over this talk of weremers and being with people..."
"John and I met a couple of weretigers, Fred and Ginger," Janice answered, "they're a bit older than us and we were walking along and they hopped out of a tree."
"The O'Toole's cubs," Lisa spoke.
Harry then nodded. Jenny was still a bit lost on really who "Fred and Ginger" were, but then she was also still rather knew to Moon Lake and hadn't fully met everyone yet. However, Harry was fairly familiar with the O'Tooles. While the Jenkins family outside of Huck had remained human until recently and Harry joining the Skulk to be with Jenny, that didn't mean they didn't know their neighbors. Lisa could remember Halloweens past when the O'Tooles brought Fred and Ginger by for trick or treating, and their costumes were almost always coordinated. Harry remembered a couple of times when they'd met at Moon Lake's various stores, be it the Safeway on the west side of town for groceries, or the Target on the east side of town for just about anything else. The O'Tooles had seemed like good and decent people.
"And Fred had an interest in me and Ginger had an interest in John," Janice commented, relaying what she found the most important out of their meeting, "and they were really nice and Fred was kinda cute."
"Uh-huh," Jenny commented, "and this thing about being a weremer?"
"Well... I liked talking with Fred and Ginger, and I kinda found Fred cute," Janice spoke, "but I'd rather be a mermaid..."
"A mermaid?" Jenny asked slowly.
"Like Ariel," Janice answered, "It was something of a fantasy... to get away from dad, but if we get to stay here... it'd be real! I could be a mermaid and be able to swim as much as I like... and I wondered if there was any rule about who I could be with as a weremer..."
"I don't think there is any rule on who you could be with and fall in love with," Jenny came around and rested her hands on Janice's shoulders. At this moment she thought on the Andersons, essentially an added adopted family for her since coming to Moon Lake and becoming a werefox. William Anderson had been clawed by the same rogue that clawed her and his wife became a werecat. From what she knew the two of them had adapted well and were very happy as weres. "But that doesn't mean it's something to jump into..."
Janice looked up to her with a slightly puzzled look.
"Once one becomes a were, there is no going back," Jenny told her, "After I was clawed... I would be a werefox vixen for the rest of my life and I couldn't go back to being human if I wanted to... and neither can I change to some other were species. I am a vixen... and a vixen I'll stay until I die... hopefully at the end of a were's lengthy lifespan."
Jenny gave a weak smile to Janice as they stood together in the kitchen and tried to keep some very mixed feelings under control. She was glad that Janice was happy with Moon Lake and had responded well to her oldest sister being a were. In fact a part of her was even happy that Janice wanted to become a were and was instinctively ready help Janice achieve that. However, Jenny was also well aware of the things that went along with being a were and the potential difficulties that went with it. That fact that there was no going back and couldn't change were-species was one of the main concerns. It was something that Janice would have to be absolutely certain on and not having made that decision simply to get away from their father.
"And all of that shows that becoming a were isn't something to rush into," Jenny said to Janice, "And right now... there is still the issues related to securing yours and John's emancipation so that you can stay here. Even if you were old enough to change... doing so wouldn't be wise until AFTER Harry and I can be safely assured that YOU will be safe. Outside of that, with your age... if you truly desire to become a were, that's wonderful... but you'll need to be fully aware on everything that relates to being a were and that specific were. That way you could be fully sure on the decision."
"We don't oppose you becoming a were..." Harry spoke up, "we just want to make sure that you're completely certain on that's what you want."
"I can wait," Janice answered as she looked up to her sister, and ignoring a the ringing of a phone in the background, "But I would like to be a mermaid. They'd let me swim in the lake right?"
"I'd guess so..." Jenny said slowly, "but let's remember to think things over... okay?"
"Okay," Janice answered and came forward to hug Jenny. And Jenny soon had her arms around her younger sister and held her protectively. Jenny was happy to have Janice being supportive and even eager about Moon Lake. There would of course need to be some work to make sure that Moon Lake's secrets weren't revealed through the course of the hearings regarding emancipation, particularly if they end up being held in Alabama. While Janice might be excited and eager, that sort of excitement might not translate to others who may not respond so well.
As Jenny held her sister to her, and hoping for everything to progress smoothly, she looked up to see Lisa hanging up the phone on its wall mounting at the other end of the kitchen. Lisa Jenkins calmly looked to both of them.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"That was your father, Harry," Lisa spoke, "He and Jenny's older brother are at the hospital... making sure that Mr. Harper is doing as well as can be expected and that he's not giving the medical staff any trouble..."
"I'm sure he is giving the staff trouble," Jenny growled in irritation.
Lisa slowly nodded, "they've kept him somewhat sedated... but yes, he has been... irritable to the staff and so on. But he hasn't seemed to have any further difficulty... Though there have been certain treatments that only your mother could sign for. I think your brother did talk her into signing them, though."
"Hopefully she did," Jenny sighed, remembering the argument had at the hospital the previous day.
Lisa nodded, "Either way... the hospital wants to do a series of psychological evaluations on your father, see how he's coping after the heart attacks he's had, but to keep that clean, they preferred it that your mother NOT be there. James and Henry will be bringing her here for lunch..."
"Which will mean no discussion of weres at all," Harry finished with a glance to Janice, who nodded in Jenny's embrace.
"Your brother thinks something has gone on with your mother and that she might not be as much of a problem now..." Lisa spoke, "though I think he may wish to talk with you on the matter a bit as well..."
With that Jenny nodded, and new that lunch at the Jenkins home had the potential to be trying, but if it meant John and Janice were free to be happy, she'd endure it.