It was well after dawn when Virginia woke up, laying in her fursona diagonally across her bed. She'd slept well enough after everything, though Harold's scent from the other night's lengthy and passionate bouts of love making was still there. The fact that he was not there only served to remind her on the events of the previous night, which made her sigh a bit. Alice Decrux's schemes had seemed to hit them doubly hard in that she'd tried to drug the participants in the Halloween Dance with her aphrodisiac, Love Potion Number Nine. The drug was technically legal, as those who had taken the drug, even normals, had often reported MUCH better sex than they'd had before, and Moon Lake saw no problem with that so long as its distribution was well regulated. That way, no one would be taking the drug without knowing it.
And that was always the biggest fear of the drug, as its effects were powerful and at full force, a were, who already had a naturally high libido, would be driven to the point where they wouldn't be able to control their own lusts. The drug wouldn't effect normal humans to the same degree, but their ability to control themselves would also be greatly reduced. This was why the drug was often so heavily controlled and regulated, though had also raised arguments for getting the drug declared illegal. Though, because the drug was also being looked into as part of cures for other things that related to things like erectile dysfunction, Moon Lake kept it legal but heavily regulated. And for the most part there were no major incidents which had prevented real looks into the distribution of Love Potion Number Nine.
However, Decrux's latest stunt by putting it in the Halloween Dance's punch bowl had very nearly created a major incident that nearly cost Melissa Jenkins her humanity and had thrown Harold into a nervous state of worry. Something that probably didn't ease when Melissa returned home a were, anyway. Though, in her years of teaching, she had no reason to think that Trevor Tyson had done anything improper or to force anything on Melissa. He'd always been well behaved in class and his participation on the knowledge bowl team had been polite and well behaved, though that wouldn't ease a father's worries for his daughter, and that was just with regard to Melissa Jenkins. Virginia couldn't pinpoint when the drug laced punch came back and thus couldn't tell how many or who had drunk the punch, and by now, those who had drunk the punch would have started to burn through it by now, if it had been at full strength.
"But Harold won't care on that," Virginia sighed to herself as she sat up and moved to get up, rubbing one paw over her stomach absentmindedly, she'd taken her pill and wasn't in heat at the present time, but still she rubbed her belly fur there as she thought about Harold Jenkins, whom she loved very much, "His thoughts will be focused on his daughter, like a good father."
And that brought a bigger smile to her muzzle and made her look toward the south wall of her bedroom, which would also mean looking toward the Jenkins home. She liked the Jenkins. Melissa was nice and many ways seemed quite willing to go along with many of Moon Lake's eccentricities that related its were population and the mandatory were law and she'd originally made contact with them to make friends and show that Moon Lake's weres weren't like what was depicted in the movies and in folklore, which was something that she remembered even Decrux doing for her when she first moved to Moon Lake. Which made sense, as the were secret would make the mandatory were law something hard for people to swallow and thus once people were aware of it after moving to town, there was an effort to show that were-beasts weren't mindless slobbering monsters out to eat human flesh.
That made a lot of a new family's acclimation to Moon Lake a lot easier as the preconceived notions on were behavior were proven false, and as she made her way to her private bathroom, Virginia knew that her initial introduction and conversations with both Harold and Melissa had only been looking for that sort of friendship and show them that Moon Lake wasn't a scary place. She hadn't expected to fall in love with Harold or end up having to worry about Alice Decrux's schemes, which by that time, Virginia had heard all about Decrux often seducing normal and were men, getting pregnant, and then hitting them up for child support. But still, it happened, and in many ways, Virginia was very happy for it.
Virginia entered her private bathroom and privately marveled at the weretigress in the mirror. While her first relationship didn't work out as well as she would have hoped, she wouldn't give up being a weretiger for anything. A part of her even figured that if she hadn't become a weretiger, Harold wouldn't be the wonderful weretiger he was today, though while that was true, that didn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't still meet and fall in love. The specific path for both of them simply would have been different, though she preferred being a weretiger. The stripes were a nice touch and was certainly better than the bland monotone coloration that werelions and werewolves had.
But it was daytime and if she was going to shower, she would need to change back to human form. As a weretiger, she had no problem with getting wet while in her were form. Jumping in the lake on a summer evening/night was actually quite fun after a hot day, but showering was different as was the pipes that ran water to her sinks and tub and took that water away. If she took a shower in her fursona, there was the real risk that loose hairs would end up clogging the drains, which was something she didn't want. And so she began to change back, sighing as her fur receded back into her skin. Her claws shrunk down and flattened becoming human finger and toenails while her fingers and hands became more human like.
"It feels like I'm rejecting who and what I truly am," Virginia thought to herself as her hears got smaller and painlessly slid down to the sides of her head and as her muzzle shrank back with her teeth also getting smaller and far less sharp, "but she'll always be there when I need her and Harold seems to love both of my forms..."
And she smiled again as her feet shrank down and her tail was sucked back into her spine. To anyone on the outside it would look rather weird, but in many ways it was a natural part of the process for a were when transforming back to their human shape. Virginia McCoy was no different from any other were in that regard. Her smile though, had more to do with her continued thoughts of Harold Jenkins and the happy romance that she never expected. Her initial meeting had only been to say hello, make friends, and welcome the Jenkins family to the neighborhood, but the more she learned about Harold Jenkins, the more she liked.
She turned to the tub and pulled the shower curtain to a side and turned on the nob that soon got the shower running and Virginia could hear the water running the through the pipes and then pattering in the tub before going down the drain. She occasionally stuck a finger under the water to see if it was warm enough and it wasn't until she felt the water was warm enough that she got into the tub and closed the curtain. Once that was done, she lifted the latch that moved the water from the tub faucet to the shower head and let the warm water cascade down onto her body. If felt good and let her mind wander to thoughts of Harold Jenkins and the man she'd come to love and could claim as her fiancée.
She hadn't set out to claim him as a lover. After learning that he was in mourning for the death of his first wife, Eliza, Virginia was even more hesitant to truly act on the feelings of attraction that she found herself having, because that would be improper, but still, Virginia couldn't deny that she'd found a lot to like about Harold Jenkins. He was kind and protective, the very thing you'd hope for in a single father, which showed in how well adjusted Melissa was, even if the time that they had been without Eliza Jenkins was only brief. He was also greatly interested in history, which Virginia liked as it would give her someone to talk to on the subject. Sure, Harold taught at the college level, but an interest in history was an interest in history, and while Moon Lake High had a couple weres that had been around for a while, that didn't mean they shared the interest in history that she had. Having someone who could talk and discuss those things would be nice for at least a platonic friendship.
But she also found Harold somewhat attractive and was very pleased that he seemed to adapt to her visiting him, especially when it came to discussing books and things she wanted to use in her classes. Sure, the college level would be different from the pretty generic way that history was taught at the High School level, but it would be nice to get Harold's input on what to use. And a lot of the input and conversation that they had had, had been enough to further draw Virginia to him. Of course, Alice Decrux had had her own games as well, but in its odd way the fight Decrux caused that had lead to Harold becoming a weretiger had lead to the revelation that he had been attracted to Virginia too. As soon as she was free to be with him, Virginia made sure to lay claim to Harold Jenkins let him lay claim to her, as she'd found that she loved him dearly and was overjoyed that he'd asked her to marry him.
"Of course... romantic encounters happen quickly fairly often in Moon Lake," Virginia privately admitted to herself as she turned her back to the shower head and reached for the bar of Dove Body Soap that was on its shelf, "even with control over themselves... a were's libido kind of leads to that..."
And Virginia had found that out when she first moved to Moon Lake. Yes, it meant she had to become a were, but it wasn't so bad, and the weretiger meetings were rather fun. While they didn't cooperatively hunt in the way that werelions and werewolves might do, there were plenty of tests of strength and skill and even some brain teasers, which were always fun. There could be the potential for some "adult fun" that seemed to go hand in hand with just about every group's events. About the only group that didn't really engage in that during their meetings were the werefoxes, and that seemed to be more that they were so formal about everything, though it wouldn't surprise her if they simply went home with their bonded mates and had their fun there. It was something that Virginia had to adjust to and found some things rather fun, especially as she found herself far more willing to engage in than she would have otherwise as a weretigress.
A lot of that did relate to the high libido rates that weres had. They weren't out of control by any means, but it didn't take an awful lot to get them interested. It lead to a lot of things happening at a faster pace than elsewhere in the world, though that didn't mean it wasn't without its potential hiccups. That fast pace could mean mistakes could be made, which did happen on occasion. About the only weres who seemed to have little to no problems with finding true love were the werefoxes and weremers. The former was due to the unbreakable bond that would form when a pair found their one true love and mutually loved each other. Virginia guessed that weremers were similar, but the guides on were society didn't get too into those details and the weremers tended to be quiet about it.
And Virginia was no exception to making mistakes that went along with that higher libido, but she'd come to accept it and be fine with it. With Harold, there was also the fact that they already shared so many interests and that their talks had revealed a lot about who he was that Virginia found herself liking more and more. And as he began reciprocating her more romantic approaches once she was allowed to do so, their courtship hit full speed and she soon found herself engaged, which she loved. She may not have a werefox's ability to form that sort of unbreakable bond that is so strong they can consciously know of it, but in some ways that was part of the "fun" of dating, and yet in some ways she did get some sense of assurance that Harold Jenkins was the man for her, and she was happy to have him, and while he may worry for his daughter, as any father would, Virginia figured Melissa was in safe hands with Trevor.
And those thoughts of joy and love remained there as she showered, lathering her body with soap, and then rinsing it off and then getting a bottle of shampoo that she used to clean her hair. When she turned the water off and got out of the tub to dry off, she felt clean, invigorated and ready to face a new day, happy that it seemed the worst of what could go wrong was past them. She would be reinstated at the High School as the only violation she would have was transforming during the day and would have to pick up where she left off... and would likely have to accelerate some plans as she'd probably lost some time to get through certain activities, but that she could handle easily, and in the end, while Alice Decrux's scheme had caused some disruption at the Halloween Dance, there was a certain amount of thankfulness on Virginia's part that Melissa didn't lose her choices and at least was with someone she had interest in.
"We certainly did get lucky there," Virginia sighed to herself as she dried her hair and returned to her bedroom to set about dressing herself for the day. "Of course... there's still the question on Decrux, as the officer got a call never even bothered to get Melissa and Trevor's statements..."
She figured that even if something happened that would put an end to Decrux's schemes and games that the police would still want statements from Melissa and Trevor as they were the most affected parties. The fact that they had their own romantic moment together would only add to the questions law enforcement would have, as they'd want to make sure that no one took advantage of Melissa in the state she was likely in after being affected by Love Potion Number Nine. Virginia was happy that Melissa was happy with Trevor and had no reason to think Trevor would have taken advantage of Melissa, but she also knew that law enforcement wouldn't know that and had to make sure all things were covered to keep the peace.
"Maybe what other statements they got at the dance in concert with the security camera footage that they had to have collected, maybe they felt they had enough," Virginia sighed as she got dressed and then prepared to head for breakfast.
Her home wasn't very big, only a single floor and was relatively simple, but it was for the most part comfy. However, it's smallness soon became apparent as even in human form she was easily able to cross from her bedroom to the living room and then to the dining room/kitchen. This raised other questions in her mind that ultimately came back to Harold and Melissa. She could invite them to move in with her, as she would have room to accommodate their personal things, though things might be a bit cramped for her and Harold, but the smallness of her home might come off as being potentially cramped with two weretigers and a growing werecow in the same small space, and that wasn't even taking into account the prophecy dream that Harold had told her about, about them having a son together. That'd definitely be too small...
"Of course... maybe I could move over with them," Virginia mused as she collected some bagels and started brewing a pot of coffee, "they have some more room... and it wouldn't be that hard a move... and if need be, I can sell some things with the house."
She continued to think over these things as she went about making her breakfast. When she eventually sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee and two bagels slathered with cream cheese and jelly two textbooks caught her eye. Remembering them, she looked through the open doorway into her living room and couch where the two books presently sat. The school district was preparing to change their American History textbooks, particularly at the high school level and get the latest additions. The school board had narrowed their choices down to two books before they asked Virginia on what her input was, and she'd still need settle that.
"I might finally be able to ask Harold about them later," Virginia sighed and took a bite out of her bagel.