Samantha Twist and her wife Frances enjoyed a nice quiet dinner together.
After everything they had been through over the last 24 hours, Samantha had gone all out and attempted to fix Frances' favorite French dishes.
Baguettes and some imported cheese from the grocery store was accompanied by Bisque and a Basil Salmon Terrine, Frances knew that while most of this dinner came pre-made and just needed to be thawed and cooked, she knew Samantha had worked hard to make such a meal, although she didn't have the heart to tell Samantha that French Fries weren't truly French.
As the Twists sat down to their dessert of Chocolate Mousse, Samantha took her wife's hands in hers and said, "I am so sorry for yesterday."
"It wasn't your fault honey. You thought you were doing the right thing by letting me sleep in while you went off to that emergency town meeting, and no one could of foreseen Dymixious Drake being such a stubborn fool to the point of getting into a shoot out with the police."*
"I know, but if I had lost you," said Samantha, as Frances saw tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"But the important thing is you didn't," replied Frances with a smile. "I'm here and I still love you at least as much then as I do now, if not more today," she added, before giving Samantha an affectionate kiss.
Although both were still in their human forms at the moment, Frances heard Samantha's inner werecat start to purr and pulled away.
But before Samantha could say anything, Frances reached down and Mrs. Twist soon found herself with a spoon of chocolate mousse in her mouth.
Samantha just smiled and swallowed the delicious treat before taking the spoon out of her mouth.
"That isn't all I wanted to talk to you about though," she revealed.
"Oh?" asked Frances, before taking a bite of her own dessert.
Samantha took both of Frances' hands in her own again and said, "Now that Ben's on the verge of graduating high school and becoming his own man**, I know how much you've been wanting another child. Our child, biologically, that is."
Then Samantha paused before saying, "It just isn't biologically possible for two married lesbian werecats to do so. Even if we could agree on a potential sperm donor, the thought of a man, any man, having that kind of intimate access to you, even if it's only through artificial means, makes me sick. It's not that either of us hate the male gender, and I'm not trying to sound possessive or overbearing. But you're my wife. I don't mind us having our fun with other women from time to time, because that's something we mutually agree on and look forward to. Yet I don't see how you could ever get pregnant without a man being involved somehow. Besides, the odds would still be 50/50 at best of the child being female, and I know how much you want us to raise a daughter."
Frances sat quietly in her chair and listened intently to her wife pour her heart out.
Technically, Samantha said nothing that Frances hadn't heard before, but this time it was so emotional, Frances feared Samantha was going to break down and cry.
Finally, Frances asked, "So what do you propose?"
"Becoming Ben's guardians was an emergency situation. He had just lost his parents, our friends, in a car crash, and there was no one else the town could turn Ben over to without running the risk of him somehow exposing Moon Lake's secrets," began Samantha, recounting past events. "But even though we were in way over our heads in the beginning, I don't regret one second of it. Ben's grown from a hyper active rugrat to a fine young man."
Then Samantha paused, collecting both her thoughts and breath before continuing. "This may have to wait until Ben's out on his own, but what I suggest is that we apply to become foster, if not outright adopted parents. Although this time we wait and hold out for a girl. Especially if there's a female werecat child available."
Frances stared at her mate and contemplated everything Samantha said for awhile.
In the end, she only said the first thought that had crossed her mind. "It wouldn't be the same as having our child."
"Biologically, no," agreed Samantha. "But technically she would still be ours. Ours to raise, to teach, to guide. To make sure a young lady becomes a wonderful woman. We would still be her parents. Despite what some bigots claim, there is no sin in a child having two mothers or two fathers. After all, no one ever says anything along those lines whenever there's a step parent involved."
Frances thought about that for a moment and said, "I think you're mixing apples and oranges."
"I prefer to think of it as mixing apples and tomatoes," replied Samantha. "Technically, tomatoes are considered fruits and not vegetables, but it's a wise person who knows better than to put tomatoes in a fruit salad."
Frances couldn't help herself, and started giggling at Samantha's old joke.
"Nice to see you smile, let alone laugh again," observed Samantha.
"That's because I'm with the woman I love who loves me just as much as I love her," replied Frances, before reaching out and touching Samantha's wedding ring with her own. "Did you really mean what you said about adopting?"
"If it makes you happy, and it's what you want."
What I really want is for that heartfelt dream I had to come true and give birth to a true Samantha-Frances Twist child, is what Frances thought, but what she said was, "What I want right now is to finish this dessert, and then have a more special dessert privately in our bedroom," Frances said with a smile.
Samantha just purred as she hastily started eating the rest of her chocolate mousse.
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*Between past episodes of this thread and Frances' extended guest appearance in our companion Moon Lake, Tad thread.
*Their adopted werewolf son, who's a junior this year.—tmw.