Harold Jenkins returned home with Virginia following close behind. There was a great deal of mixed frustrations and other issues that went over the back of his mind as he shut the door behind them. He let them out with a sigh as he turned back to Virginia.
"So... what will you want done with the improvised togas?" Virginia asked to him.
"Since they were spare sheets, it'd probably be best to take them back up to my room," Harold answered with a sigh, "I can handle folding them later."
The two of them had improvised togas out of old bed sheets in order to attend the High School's Halloween Dance, and for the moment that was the main source of frustration on Harold's mind. In many ways the dance had gone fairly well and there hadn't been any fights or open issues that Virginia as a chaperone for the dance would have to write up, however, it had also had one major issue that had the potential to ruin the entire night. Harold felt extraordinarily lucky that it DIDN'T ruin the entire night, as Alice Decrux had successfully managed to smuggle her aphrodisiac into the dance and mixed it with the punch.
He and Virginia started the night making sure that no one got into it, as a out of control were driven by the drug's effect on a were's already high libido could be disastrous. At first, he felt that they'd actually done a good job at preventing anyone from imbibing it, but then by chance after taking a moment to dance with Virginia with the drugged punch thought to be removed, it was found that the drugged punch somehow was brought back and that Melissa was being lead out by some group of weres heading out behind the school, which seemed to be the "local spot" for horny weres to enjoy each other's company. Thankfully, her friends had also noticed and rescued her, which Harold was thankful for as neither he nor Virginia had been able to find her in the woods, though it didn't exactly remove the problem that Alice Decrux had nearly caused.
"You okay?" Virginia asked him as she turned to him.
"We couldn't prevent Decrux from trying something and it nearly had dire consequences," Harold said slowly as he looked down and made his way toward the stairs, "Nearly got Melissa... I... It just feels to me like we could have done more."
He could hear some of the floorboards give a slight groan as he and Virginia made their way up the stairs. He knew this related a weretiger's urges to protect things, but he also knew that it was something that was worth protecting. Melissa was all he really had left from his life before coming to Moon Lake, and that made her precious. He couldn't let her be in danger of attack or being drugged or anything like that. He was grateful that Trevor loved her and would defend her as well, but for the moment as Melissa's father it was his responsibility to protect her.
"No... and the law will handle Decrux for what she's done," Virginia said slowly, "and thankfully, the worst of the actions didn't happen. Melissa is fine and happy... and if she is a were now... it's because she wants to be. Trevor Tyson is a good student and a good person."
Harold nodded as they made their way through the hallway and turned into his bedroom, "Yes... I feel I can trust him as he has been helpful and respectful from what I've seen. I just feel we could have done more to make it so that what went wrong didn't happen at all..."
"We can't prevent everything from going wrong," Virginia spoke as Harold removed the pins that held his "toga" together. It dropped to the floor to give her a nice view of Harold's muscular body and his tail slowly swishing behind him. "At least not without taking things beyond the point that the law would tolerate with regard to a weretiger's protective instincts. It's why I said to let the law handle Decrux. The fact that she's come after you... and went after Melissa... that'd be enough to lead to potentially fatal consequences. And trust me, I understand. A good part of the back of my mind is quite comfortable with literally tearing her apart for not just provoking the fight... but using it to make it seem like I attacked you. And that would go beyond what the law and Moon Lake would tolerate."
She carefully approached and collected the far corners of the blanket and stood opposite Harold. He blinked and nodded as the two went about folding the sheet. Once that was done, Harold set it on top of a nearby dresser while Virginia removed the pins that held her "toga" on. As Harold turned back, he saw the bedsheet that Virginia had had around her fall down and revealing her generous E Cup bosom with her dark nipples partially obscured by the white fur on her chest and belly. He carefully approached and began to help fold that set of sheets as well. Virginia looked up to him as he looked to her and their greenish gold eyes met for a moment and Harold couldn't help but feel a small smile form on his muzzle.
"And while things didn't go perfectly," Virginia spoke, "the worst was averted. So to that end, we did fairly well considering the circumstances, and I doubt that anyone will try this particular stunt again."
"Good," Harold answered as he took the now folded bedsheet and placed it with the other. He was about to turn back to Virginia when there was a loud knock on his front door. "Who could that be? It's too late for trick or treaters..."
Virginia only shrugged and the two slowly made their way back downstairs, though remaining in their were forms. Changing back would then require dressing which would take time, and if someone was knocking on the door at close to midnight, then it would have to be important. They arrived to find Officer Leprune standing there quietly and with a small pad and pen with him.
"Is something wrong officer?" Harold asked as he looked to the officer and with Virginia coming up behind him.
"Mostly just getting the necessary statements relating to the incident at the dance," Officer Leprune answered, "and make sure we have the evidence to see that justice goes forward. Do you have a few moments? Both of you?"
Harold glanced to Virginia and then stepped back. He held out one arm to let the officer in. Officer Leprune then followed in the direction of the living room where he turned to watch as both Harold and Virginia then moved to sit on one couch. Harold offered him a chair, but he remained standing, as he was on duty.
"So... what will you want to know?" Harold asked.
"Mostly details that relate to what I'd found on the security tapes," Officer Leprune spoke, "they revealed that you were both guarding the spiked punch and making sure people didn't drink from it. Neither of you left that area until after the spiked punch was taken away... Which means you had to have known it was spiked... or at least suspected it was, and has other potential questions..."
Harold gave a slow sigh, "well... we couldn't know for sure that it was spiked. However, given some of Alice Decrux's efforts to try and get at me and the fight she started with Virginia... Combine that with the fact that her sweets shop provides the dance with its candy prize, and there was the suspicion that she would try something like that."
"So, you blocked people from getting punch without anything beyond suspicion that it was spiked?" Officer Leprune asked.
"But it was spiked," Harold pointed out.
"Yes, we know that now, and in the specific circumstances, I don't think either of you is any legal trouble," Officer Leprune said slowly, "but there will be questions as to how you knew to act... and in future, it would be advisable to make certain before taking similar action. For suppose that punch WASN'T spiked and all that was added was more sugar. You'd both face criticism and potential disciplinary action for simply acting out of paranoia."
Harold and Virginia nodded, but said nothing. There was Melissa's seemingly sixth sense or women's intuition or something that had alerted her to the fact that the punch had been spiked, but if this was going into a police report that could be requested by anyone, including those outside Moon Lake, it'd make sense not to say anything for the moment. Officer Leprune, however, then finished.
"But... given the circumstances, you did quite well," Officer Leprune told them, "anyway... when you noticed that the spiked punch was brought back... what happened there?"
"It was a surprise at first, but then I noticed my daughter... Melissa... being lead out behind the high school," Harold began, "However, since none of the boys around her were her present boyfriend, I knew that something had to be up and went after her."
"And so, with other chaperones on duty, we both went out after her," Virginia added, noting Officer Leprune writing down everything as quickly as he could, "with the hope to catch up and make sure she was okay and that no one took advantage of her. Though by the time we could make it through the crowd she had disappeared into the woods and there were enough scents and sounds to confuse us as to which way she went."
Officer Leprune nodded. Weretigers, like all feline weres had a good sense of smell, but it wasn't as good as canine weres, which meant that too many scents could be just as troubling for them as too few scents. However, he didn't say anything and kept writing.
"Thankfully we weren't the only ones that had responded and come after her," Harold then concluded, "her boyfriend and his friends came out after us and DID find her, though Virginia and I didn't know about that at the time. In fact it wasn't until after Melissa had been rescued that I even knew that anyone besides Virginia and myself had come out."
"Did you know for sure if she was drugged?" Officer Leprune asked.
"We never actually found her," Virginia answered, "it was her boyfriend, Trevor Tyson, and his friends that found her. From what we were told she went with Trevor to get her things at his home and likely return here..."
"Though she did send me a text when we returned to chaperoning the dance which gave me the indication that she and Trevor were..." Harold said slowly, "being intimate."
One of Officer Leprune's eyebrows raised, "Do you think that he might have...?"
"Forced himself on her?" Harold gasped, "No... From the text I got, it would say anything like that... Though I would also say that she was very interested in him and wanted to be with him... If anything, I'd think that after something like tonight... she might have put pressure on him to be with her for fear that someone or something might take her from him or something like that."
"And Trevor Tyson really isn't the sort to force himself on anyone," Virginia answered, "he's been quite courteous to others in my class."
"People can be different when in public," Officer Leprune said slowly, "though I will also need to get statements from your daughter, Mr. Jenkins and potentially from Mr. Tyson as well. Especially to make sure that he didn't take advantage of her being drugged by Love Potion Number Nine."
Harold and Virginia both nodded. As they did so, Harold turned one ear as the sound of a truck's engine outside was soon heard. It came closer and sounded as if it was soon on the driveway next to Harold's own vehicle.
"And I think they just got here," Harold said slowly.