Samantha Twist grew anxious as time passed.
She knew Frances closed her therapy practice by five each day, although paperwork could keep her at the office until at least 5:30; but it was now approaching 6:30 and there was no word from her.
Samantha thought about calling her wife and seeing how things were going, but she didn't want to put anymore stress upon Frances than she had already suffered of late.
It wasn't until about a quarter of seven that Samantha finally heard that fateful sound.
She looked out the living room window and saw the local car service dropping Frances off at the curb of their house.
Checking her appearance in the mirror one last time, Samantha rushed to the front door and waited to open it.
Frances Twist was tired.
Not that today specifically was a long and tedious affair, but recent events were taking their toll upon her.
After being at practically "Ground Zero" of the shootout between Dymixious Drake next door and the Moon Lake Police, let alone helping to deliver his now widowed wife's daughter into the world*, Frances knew she definitely hadn't caught up on her sleep, let alone had soothed her nerves as much as they were before all of this started.
Maybe we can take a vacation over Ben's winter break from school this December, thought Frances, as she approached her front door.
Frances was about to insert her key and let herself in when the door suddenly opened.
Doctor Twist felt the panic start to rise, but calmed herself when she saw it was her wife Samantha who opened it.
She was dressed in her finest "little black dress". The one that hugged her body to emphasize everything.
"Bon jour and welcome to Chez Twist," said Samantha with a smile, speaking in a pseudo-French accent that wasn't much better than Pepe Le Pew's.**
"Samantha?" asked Frances, as she was ushered inside.
"Tonight our chef has prepared all your personal favorites," said Samantha, maintaining the fiction, while taking Frances' outer coat and briefcase. "Then, for dessert, we shall have the one thing you have been desiring more than anything else of late."
"Oh?" said Frances, as she arched an eyebrow in anticipation of a night of hot Sapphic sex with her wife.
"A deep, heart to heart conversation," promised Samantha, before wrapping her arms around Frances and planting little butterfly kisses across her neck.
MEANWHILE...
Alex Ramsey had everything ready when his parents came home from their long weekend away.
There was nothing but casual small talk as he greeted his folks in the driveway, helping them bring in their bags.
Everything was fine, he told them. He and his boyfriend Nate Anderson behaved themselves while they were gone.
Alex, a budding chef, had surprised his parents by cooking dinner when he got home from school.
It was simple fare, a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs with all the trimmings, but his mother definitely appreciated not having to cook after coming home.
As everyone sat down to eat, Alex looked at his folks and said, "Well?"
Mister and Mrs. Ramsey looked at each other before his father asked, "Well, what?"
Alex said, "Is she or isn't she?"
The Ramseys looked at each other again before his mother turned to Alex and said, "No."
"HUH?" replied Alex, confused. "I thought the purpose of this weekend was to—"
"Don't get us wrong," began his father. "We had a serious discussion about having another child, and it wasn't from a lack of trying..." he added, which caused Mrs. Ramsey to blush.
"In the end honey, we decided that now wasn't quite the right time, let alone not the right reason, so I stayed on my werewolf birth control pills the whole trip," she said.
"Okay. I don't understand," admitted Alex.
"It's like this son. Maybe we're starting to feel the approach of what's called Empty Nest Syndrome because after all, you'll soon be graduating high school, let alone going to college and your future as Mister Alex Anderson ahead of you," explained his father.
"Truthfully, we still haven't decided if I become Mister Anderson or Nate becomes Mister Ramsey yet," said Alex.
"Either way, your father and I decided that facing being in this house alone wasn't enough of a reason to bring another pup into the world right now," said his mother. "Besides, we're not even in our sixties yet. There's still plenty of time for us weres to have more children."
"And a lot of fun to be had before creating the next member of our family too," said Mister Ramsey with a smile, before reaching over and giving his wife a peck on the cheek.
"Obviously you two are quite happy with your decision," said Alex, staring at his folks.
"Is there something wrong son?"
"Even with Nate here all weekend, I've been back and forth on what kind of a big brother I'd be to a sibling, let alone what kind of father I'll eventually make."
"That prophecy dream you told us about concerning that orphaned were Alice?" asked his mother.
"Yeah. The only thing I know for sure is that Nate and I get married and about a decade later adopt her. But we have no idea about her back story, let alone what species of were she is, provided she is one."
"Son, I wish I had the answers for you, but I do know this," began his father. "If you are at least the good man you are now when all that happens, you have nothing to worry about."
Alex quickly raised his napkin to his face to wipe a tear from his eye.
His parents just simply smiled.
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*Previous episodes between here and our companion thread: Moon Lake, Tad.
**With apologies to Mel Blanc.—tmw.