The atmosphere at the Jenkins home was rather tense as there was plenty things that carried reason for nervousness. The biggest thing for Jenny was the transfer of custody of John and Janice to her from her parents. James Harper Sr. and Elizabeth Harper might have a loving marriage, but that didn't mean they were great parents or that their "love" worked in the way one might expect. In fact Jenny considered it something of a minor miracle that James Harper Junior and John hadn't been lead into becoming clones of their father and Jenny and Janice being bullied into being clones of their mother. All of it was something to get away from, particularly as her father had displayed no intent to admit being wrong. Jenny couldn't let John and Janice stay with them, especially after what had happened at the wedding.
But that would take some time and until that could be handled that could well mean that there would be hurdles to clear, particularly if James Harper Sr. fought it once he was released from the hospital. And until that happened, certain things, like Moon Lake's secrets, could not be mentioned. Jenny had revealed her status as a werefox to her younger siblings and to James Jr. as John and Janice would need to be aware if they lived in Moon Lake, and James Junior had been good enough that she felt willing to take the risk. That reveal had gone fine, and Janice had even expressed interest in being a weremer, but that reveal had not been made to either of the Harper parents. And with Elizabeth Harper being brought to the Jenkins home for dinner, there was the need to make sure none of the weres in the Jenkins family were transformed and that there were no conversations on the subject, and Jenny had some worry that something would lead into an accident that could make things worse.
"You guys came back," John said to Jenny and Harry as he and Huck came in and carrying grocery bags.
Harry was pleased to see Huck moving about with plenty of strength and as though he had before one of Dieter Wilhelm's goons shot him. He did however make a clear effort to take some of the grocery bags to help them into the kitchen while Jenny gave John a small hug.
"Of course we came back, Harry and I will still have school tomorrow..." Jenny said slowly, "and there will also be the work to secure yours and Janice's emancipation."
"Okay," John nodded.
"Did you have a good day?" Jenny asked him as they walked toward the Jenkins kitchen.
"Pretty good," John said slowly, "Janice and I went for a walk... ran into a couple of young weretigers."
"I heard," Jenny commented, looking over to Janice who was sitting at the small kitchen table and was drinking from a glass of water, "Once you and Janice are safe to stay here, it'll be nice to have friends here."
"Well they were nice," John answered thinking back on the meeting with Fred and Ginger, though he really wasn't sure on which he really had interest in.
"And there is nothing wrong with being friends with both of them," Jenny assured him, "and also remember that while you with me and Harry and the Jenkins... there is no pressure to be the "family were." I fill that role... and you are free to be who you want to be. No one will force you."
"Thanks," John managed a small smile as he remembered the conversation with Huck that he'd had. Huck had pretty much said the same to him, though he'd also given Huck a bit more information, but for the moment he wasn't ready yet to admit that to Jenny or to admit it in front of Janice.
"Though... your big brother and Mr. Jenkins will be bringing mom here for dinner," Jenny said slowly in warning, "mostly so the hospital can get some work done with dad and in the hopes that he'll be healed up to be sent back to Alabama."
John blinked nervously, "Mom..."
"Yes," Jenny nodded, "and it will mean no mentioning of weres, okay?"
"Right," John sighed.
"Don't worry, you're in good hands," Huck smiled from elsewhere in the kitchen, where he was helping Harry and Lisa Jenkins put some of the things that had been bought at the grocery store, "my baby bro won't let anyone do you harm."
"And neither will I," Jenny added and caught a small and slightly confident smile from John.
The sound of a car engine outside soon caught Jenny's ears, and even in human form she could pick the sound of the engine as the sound waves passed through the Jenkins house. On some level, given all the issues that surrounded the Harper family, there was something about it that was rather ominous. As if Elizabeth Harper was as confrontational with Jenny or with John or Janice as she was at the hospital the previous day, there was potential that all it could do was lead to a fight, and that was something that Jenny didn't want.
The group soon moved to stand in the living room as the front door opened. A few moments later, Betty came in in clean clothes and walked straight up to Huck before hugging him. As she reached him, she looked to Lisa before speaking.
"Henry is back and he has guests," Betty said slowly.
"Yes, that will be Jennifer's mother," Lisa answered, "she is joining us for dinner."
Betty nodded as Henry, James Junior, and Elizabeth Harper entered. To Jenny's surprise, Elizabeth Harper entered looking rather submissive and moving in her older brother's shadow, a far figure from the woman who'd made the threat of disowning all of the Harper children and borderline argued in the defense of groups like the Klan. It was a look that Jenny had seen before, but it was usually only with her father and not with anyone else. Seeing her acting that way around James Jr. was surprising and not helped by the fact that he didn't look entirely easy with it either.
"Hello, dear," Lisa greeted to Henry, "How did things go?"
"About as well as can be, all things considered," Henry Jenkins said to his wife, "the hospital wants an angioplasty done and we did manage to get that in order... though they still have other things they'd want to do to make sure Mr. Harper is healthy... but that's a mess right now, given whatever insurance policy Mr. Harper has."
"A cheap one that won't charge much for monthly payments and has a low deductible," Jenny grumbled, "though also with correspondingly low coverage."
"But there is the hope that they can get in contact with a local hospital and clinic so that Mr. Harper is essentially transferred from hospital to hospital," Henry spoke to finish update. He then paused as there were a few nods from the others and the room was rather quiet, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was Elizabeth Harper who spoke and broke the silence.
"You have a nice home," Elizabeth spoke, looking a bit enviously at the furnishings and décor of the home she'd been brought to. It wasn't rich by any means, but things looked well maintained and better than the home that the Harpers had in Alabama.
"It's not much," Lisa said slowly, "but it's been home to Henry and I for some time now... where we've seen our boys grow up into honorable young men and holds many fond memories."
There was a sense that Lisa was trying to force a polite tone, but it was noticed and Elizabeth looked down as she sat down on the couch. It left and odd an eerie silence as John and Janice watched their mother sit quietly and as James Junior sighed and shook his head. Eventually Huck broke that silence with a question of his own, "so how far away is dinner, mom?"
"Dinner isn't too terribly far... maybe fifteen minutes at most," Lisa answered, "though, Henry, if you and Harry could extend the dining room table... I think will need it with all the guests we have."
That set off a flurry of motion. Lisa returned to the kitchen with Betty following close behind while Harry followed his father back into the entry hallway that he'd just come through from the front door. However, instead of going straight, Henry and Harry then made a left and went into another room. Jenny could soon hear the sound of some small grunting as the two Jenkins men went to extend the dinning room table. That left Elizabeth with James Junior, Jenny, Janice, John, and Huck. Elizabeth seemed to just sit quietly and twiddle her thumbs for a few moments while Jenny stood by, wondering what would happen and what had triggered this shift in behavior. James Junior only sighed and glanced over to Jenny.
"I trust the honeymoon went well?" James Jr. asked with a small smile as he looked to Jenny.
"Yeah... I wish it could have longer... but it did go well," Jenny answered, "tomorrow when Harry and I have some time between classes we'll see what we can do in terms of researching into what we can do here in terms of emancipating Janice and John... for their own safety."
"Right," James Junior nodded, "I may be able to help with that... though... there will be something you and I will need to discuss in private..."
Jenny watched as James Jr. glanced over to their mother and then back to her. She guessed it was something that he didn't want anyone, or at least Elizabeth to overhear. She then nodded in agreement.
"I'm losing everything..." Elizabeth said softly in a tone that was half defeated and half broken.
"Not everything," James Junior sighed, "if you wish to stay with dad... that is YOUR choice. But you know full well that he's not the most forgiving of human beings..."
"He came here to demand on who I can love," Jenny answered, "and in anger or in his sense of discipline... he's beaten us... and he's beaten you. He's not going to change unless he realizes he was wrong..."
"And until then... even in his present state... he'd be a threat to Janice and John," James Junior added. Privately he wanted to add that she was also part of that threat, given that she continued to accept the things James Sr. demanded regardless of how bad they were, including disowning him and Jenny and having John and Janice committed to schooling that was liable to keep them isolated and without real freedom, but he figured that now wasn't the time and place for that. "Do you really wish them hurt, mother?"
"No," Elizabeth Harper admitted honestly and weakly.
"And that is why we're doing this," James Junior finished with a sigh.
Elizabeth only sighed and looked down. Jenny thought there might have been some recognition, but at the same time she really couldn't be sure if there was. The one thing that Jenny could be sure of was that dinner was going to be awkward.