Unlike Eric Anderson and Julie Stovall, there were no parental concerns in regards to Spencer arriving late for dinner at the Lawson house that evening, but not because her folks didn't care. Far from it.
The reason was that her mother Maggie was still on nursing duty at Moon Lake Hospital and her father didn't arrive home until another 20 minutes after Spencer did, blissfully unaware of anything amiss.
Evan Lawson was an ex-Navy SEAL who had to retire before anyone in the military started wondering how someone approaching 50 (despite the fact he certainly didn't look his age) could still be as physically fit and active as a new recruit in their 20s. While he still wanted to find gainful employment, for now Evan was happy playing "house husband" and arrived with a trunk full of groceries after running errands all afternoon.
While she was as honest as any teenager could be, Spencer figured what her parents didn't know wouldn't get her in trouble, so remained mum about not having Eric and Julie home on time. Spencer did figure that if asked, she could tell the truth about the phone service not working, but the subject never came up as she helped her father unload the car and get dinner ready.
Because of what had become their normal routine after returning to Moon Lake once her father's military career honorably ended, the Lawsons didn't sit down to eat until well after 7, once Maggie was home for the night.
Of course, only in Moon Lake would it be considered normal to see a werewolf, a werecat who was also part panthress, and the hybrid female daughter of the two sitting around the dining room table in their fursonas eating supper properly off plates with silverware in their paws.
"So, how are things going between you and Morgan?" wondered her mother, after the usual conversation topics of work and school had been exhausted between the three of them.
"Fine. My... itch has been well scratched for now*, but I do find it surprisingly enjoyable to be around Morgan even when I'm not in need," admitted Spencer.
"Oh?" said her mother, which made her father smile, because he had made the initial arrangements which led to the two of them meeting.
Between being a were and moving around so much when I was serving, Spencer couldn't make any real friends, so it's great to see her having a regular social life now, Evan thought.
"What about that boy Eric?" she asked.
"For some reason I'm still lusting after him, and now his girlfriend too," confessed Spencer. "Guess it's part of my bi-werecat nature, but I like being around Morgan also. He's different."
"Different how?" wondered her father.
"It's hard to describe," admitted his daughter. "Morgan is smart. A great person to talk to, and fantastic when it comes to the more basic aspects of were needs," answered Spencer as a smile crossed her muzzle, to which her mother just nodded her head in agreement. They had always been open and honest with Spencer about everything, from being a were in general to a were's libido, especially in their daughter's unique case.
"But being home schooled, he's shy and not always as confident and sure of himself as you'd think a boy his age should be or how some of them over act. Which is a nice change of pace, considering some of the inflated ego jerks I've met during our travels while you were still on active duty dad," added Spencer.
"While we do have to be careful among normals so as not to reveal our true nature, that isn't a problem here in Moon Lake, so I don't understand why Morgan's mother keeps him home," replied Evan.
"That's because his mother doesn't believe in vaccinations," revealed Spencer.
"What?" said her mother. "I've heard about normals like that, but this is the first I've ever heard of a were having no shots."
"I don't understand it neither," agreed Spencer. "On one hand, any state says you have to have specific ones to attend school, so you don't run the risk of hurting yourself or the other kids. Yet on the other paw, while there are a lot of things that a were doesn't have to worry about health wise, what would it hurt to get the vaccinations so you can go to school?"
"That is something only Morgan's parents can answer," admitted her mother. "Yet with everyone involved being a were, I honestly can't think of any reason medically."
"Just because we're more healthy doesn't mean we're totally invulnerable," said Evan. "We can still run the risk of heart disease or cancer."
"And although weres have a much higher sex drive than a normal human's, we don't have to worry about most of the sexually transmitted diseases that exist either. Yet for some reason weres still run the risk of exposure to HIV and developing AIDS from dirty needles and illegal drug use," added Maggie.
"That never really made much sense to me," admitted Spencer. "Sex is wonderful under the right circumstances and drugs aren't under any conditions."
"Even though we enjoy more sexual opportunities than normal humans, we still have our brains and most of the time can control our libidos," Maggie reminded her. "And we make sure to take our birth control pills too."
"Don't worry mom. I do," swore Spencer. "But being the daughter of both a werewolf and a lady who is part werecat and part werepanthress, I do get hornier at times than a normal were, and it doesn't matter to me which gender I enjoy."
"We understand it can be difficult at times," realized Evan Lawson, "which is why we taught you to be open and honest about sex, whether it's discussing it frankly with us or being with your partners."
"Which is why I know that no means no, no matter who the other person is. Yet I also know I'll never be able to have sex with a normal human either."
"What? Why?" asked her parents, practically in unison, because other than not revealing weres exist by accidentally transforming someone, this was a subject they had never discussed before.
"After all, what if you fall in love with someone who started out life human?" asked her mother. "That alone doesn't mean you two can't be together if it was really meant to be."
"It's not that I'm anti-human. Just that I don't dare do so," replied Spencer. "I have no idea what someone might turn into if they're with me. The issue of whether they'd become bi or only prefer their own gender because of the werecat within me aside; would a human become a wolf, a cat, a panther, or some weird combination of the options?" asked Spencer.
"You are not weird. Just a wonderful and planned expression of our love for each other," Evan said reassuringly to Spencer, while reaching out to hold his wife's paw in his.
"I know that dad," she replied with a smile. "But you two were already naturally born and active weres when you first met. Can you say for sure what would happen if I was asked to induct somebody into were society?"
"No," admitted Maggie, "but that doesn't mean you should keep your heart closed to them. After all, a lot of normals are our friends and pro-were."
"I know, but let's face it. No matter what happens to me in life. No matter who I date, let alone might marry someday long after I've graduated college and have a good career going, that unanswered question will still be hanging over me. So I'll always have to be careful around normals, no matter who knows our secret," pointed out Spencer.
Maggie and Evan Lawson looked at each other, and both realized that neither had any kind of response to that statement.
_____________________________________________
*For better or worse, being a hybrid were, Spencer experiences a more intense "heat cycle" than the average female were since the cat, panthress, and wolf all vie for attention at the same time.—tmw.