Peter quietly made his way back to the Brooks home after walking Karen home, though he had proverbial butterflies in his stomach as he thought of her. When they'd last been together before the Brooks moved to Moon Lake where Daniel had been able to get a posting with the Moon Lake Police Department, the two of them had only been in diapers. Yet, as he grew up, Peter had heard countless stories of the Charleston family and how well the Brooks and the Charlestons had gotten along. Daniel had frequently called Moe in the past to catch up and so on, which was soon relayed to the Brooks family.
In a way, for Peter it was almost as if he'd known Karen all his life. He hadn't pushed for the Charlestons to move to Moon Lake. That was more his father's determination to help his old friend. But after hearing so much about the Charleston family and how much his parents got along with them, Peter was honestly afraid for Karen's safety when he heard about the Gambonis. In a way it felt like a good friend was in danger, and he was glad to meet Karen when the Charlestons arrived. Though, he also had to play it fairly "cool," given the issues she'd been through, and the fact that Moon Lake could be rough for those new to the town.
That was a big part of why he had been so willing to help her with regard to the choice that Karen had to make. A part of him was happy that she was willing to be the Charlestons' family were, but he also figured that some of that could just bee teenage hormones combined with fact that Brooks and the Charlestons had been good friends to the point where Daniel had told enough stories that if felt like Karen had always been there in a way. And while Peter had good friends that he'd made growing up in Moon Lake, his greatest priority was to at least keep Karen comfortable enough with regard to her decisions and choices. That way, they'd at least have a shot of being friends together.
But there were still some times where he felt like there were butterflies in his stomach when he talked with her. He knew of her well, but he didn’t know her super well personally and he didn’t want to say the wrong thing. A part of him really wondered on whether or not that was simple friendship or something potentially more, which he knew he couldn’t force. Were society, in Moon Lake at least, was fairly open to mixed were-species couples, so Karen’s preference for some kind of feline were, and preferably one that had male and female members wasn’t a bad thing. But, she’d still been chased around by some teenage mobster… if not a mobster in his early 20s, and had been through a lot. And her first transformation, regardless of what were she eventually became, would likely include some activities that Karen’s parents at least wouldn’t approve of. He couldn’t just declare that he was interested in her. That would put her under too much stress.
And these thoughts continued to run through Peter’s mind as he walked down a couple of houses to the Brooks home. It wasn’t much, but it was home, though with his mind racing he barely took notice of the sounds of activity in the kitchen as he came through the front door. The banging of the door did alert his parents and Peter could soon hear both his father mother call to him as he came in.
"Peter, is that you?" Fran called from the Brooks family kitchen, which Peter entered from the narrow entryway from their front door and ignoring the doorway to the living room.
"Yeah, it's me," Peter answered as he came in to find his parents going back and forth in the kitchen as they set about readying things for dinner.
His father had come home and changed out of his uniform for a pair of blue jeans and a tee shirt as he walked along between the fridge and an area of the counter where a cutting board had been set up. His mother was in a different corner of the room checking on some of the oven's dials.
"So... how was your afternoon?" Daniel asked as he turned to look over his shoulder.
"Good," Peter answered, "I met with Karen after school to take her along to meet with some of the other feline weres in town."
Fran stopped and turned to her son as he paused for a moment. She remembered that Karen had made the comment on being the Charleston's family were. And that was something that she figured would end up being likely. Nichole might bee less "hostile" with regard to Moon Lake and its odd quirks when compared to the rest of the world, but there had been some things that Fran had noticed that did seem to irritate or at least make Nichole uneasy.
"So... how did that go?" Fran wondered.
"I introduced her to Megan, and I think they got along fairly well," Peter gave a shrug, "though... if she's truly made the decision on which were to be... she hasn't said. We'll try with the remaining weres on her list... werelions and wereleopards... tomorrow. I guess she'll make her decision after that."
"It's good of you to be a help and a friend to her," Daniel commented as began chopping some onions, "With all the Gambonis have put on her family and her in particular... she probably needs someone to be kind and gentle and not see her as some kind of romantic conquest."
"Yeah..." Peter agreed, "anyway... I'll have homework to do."
With that, Peter then departed the kitchen and went through the living room and was soon ascending the stairs to focus on his homework. Once she was sure that Peter was on the second floor, Fran turned to her husband.
"You do realize dear that Moe and Nichole will probably be protective enough of their daughter, you don't need to add to it," Fran commented.
"What? They're on the run because some mobster decided that Karen Charleston would be his regardless of her objections!" Daniel answered.
"Yes... but I think Peter likes her," Fran commented, "You saw them talking together the other night..."
"They only just met," Daniel commented, "People don't just fall in love at first sight."
With neither of them being weremers, Fran nodded in agreement at the comment, but still had some difference of opinion with her husband, "Maybe... but that doesn't mean that Peter can't have a romantic interest in her. It may not be true love... but that doesn't mean he can't be interested... and from there it could grow into something more. Need I remind you of a certain man who bumped into me while in college while waiting for Nicks tickets?"
Daniel blushed at the memory of when he first met Fran. It wasn't true love at first sight, but while Fran didn't have the body then that she does now, Daniel was interested in her, which in turn lead to him finding out who Fran was and a couple of dates soon followed. Eventually all of that lead to real love and Moe being his best man at Fran and Daniel's wedding.
"And if he does... that's fine," Daniel said after a moment, "but remember... they're where we were when we first moved to Moon Lake. And they've been on the run from people who will give them fewer choices than the mandatory were law does. It'd be best to give them the time to let them adjust and not put any pressure on them. For... if Karen only wants Peter as a friend... trying to push things into romance wouldn't be good for either."
Fran accepted that and then turned back to the oven and checked its dials and display. For the moment the oven was warming, which would give them some time to continue assembling things for dinner. With that, Fran then set about moving to keep assembling things for their dinner. It wasn't too far to go as walked to a cabinet near the sink and collected a moderately large dish that they would put their planned dinner in. It wasn't anything fancy. It was just some chicken, onions, herbs, and seasonings that generally tasted good. She could still hear Daniel chopping the onions for it at the cutting board. As she did so, her mind drifted a bit to Nichole's apology earlier in the day, as some of the conversation on their son's potential romantic interests had touched on a few things that stirred up their own memories.
"Do... do you think that Moe and Nichole might decide to become weres, someday?" Fran wondered.
"Huh?" Daniel looked up and over to her.
"Do you think they might become weres themselves some day," Fran asked, "I mean... Karen's said to me that she had some interest in being their family were when they first arrived... and she came out openly on it yesterday, likely in response to her mother's... negativity on the subjects related to the mandatory were law."
"I told you, dear, Nichole was probably just frustrated by a lot of things," Daniel said to her remembering coming home the previous day to find his wife a bit saddened by a breakfast/brunch out with Nichole and Karen that hadn't gone well, "particularly those things related to the mandatory were law. We went through them too... and I remember you were very irritated by the fact that if one of us was to become a were, it'd mean that the first to do so would have to cheat on you or me... But in the end, we both got through that. Moe and Nichole are just going through that now. I'm sure Nichole bore you PERSONALLY no ill will."
"I know, dear," Fran answered, "Nichole actually came by this morning and apologized a bit for how she'd been... and she did seem sincere and in a way felt more like old times. And she even had a few questions... on what it's like being a were."
"And what is it like?" Daniel asked with a smile.
"I told her it was wonderful," Fran answered as she strode over to her husband and kissed his cheek.
Fran had to suppress a giggle when Daniel returned a very happy smile to her. She then went to collect the packet of boneless chicken from the refrigerator.
"I'm sure she and Moe probably had some measure of heart to heart last night on things," Daniel then commented, "as he and I go way back... and you know that friendship is why I urged him to come here... where we could keep him safe."
"I know, dear," Fran replied with a small smile, "but that then raises the question as to whether or not Moe and Nichole will become weres. After all... it's sometimes seems like most people that come to Moon Lake end up becoming weres one way or another. Some did so like we did in order to fulfill the requirements of the law... but there are plenty that end up joining of their own accord. We never forced Peter or made him feel like he HAD to become a were... and yet he did."
Daniel nodded. He remembered the long discussion that he and Peter had had when Peter said that we wanted to become a weredog, like his parents. It included all the standard warnings that doing so couldn't be taken back once done and the assurance that Peter didn't HAVE to become a weredog and shouldn't feel that just because his parents were weres that he had to become a were too, let alone a weredog. He did smile though, as he remembered that Peter had said that he'd thought it through and that it wasn't because of any obligation but because he truly did want to. And by then the Brooks had been in Moon Lake for years and they had grown semi used to many of its unique quirks that all came from its were population.
"Yes... Peter did," Daniel commented as he heard a knife cut into the plastic packaging for the chicken, "and I suppose it's possible that they could. Moe seemed willing to if it meant protecting Karen... though I think that he, like Nichole, was a bit uneasy by things. His only reasoning was to protect Karen. Though, if she's given any official statement that she's willing to be the Charleston family were... and Moe and Nichole chose not to fight with her over the decision... right now, at least, I don't think they'd make that decision."
"Not right now?" Fran wondered, catching the end of her husband's comment.
"Not right now," Daniel nodded, "though... give them some time... if they get to that decision, they'll make it together. And if not... it's not our place to force them."
"I know... but they are friends," Fran said softly, "and I've missed them too... and I'd like to have them around as long as possible."
"It isn't our place to force them," Daniel reminded her, "and remember, Nichole showed no wish to become a were, and even if she's accepting at least some things better now... that DOESN'T mean that she'll want to become a were. There are plenty of people in Moon Lake that have lived their lives here as normal humans and never became weres... and if Karen becomes their family were, then Moe and Nichole will have the full choice to become weres or not. And we must support them, regardless of that decision. Even if it means they choose to stay as normals."
Fran looked down for a moment, though she soon felt a soft pat on the back.
"And if they do... it won't kill our friendship," Daniel answered, "and that's what REALLY matters."