Rob and Amy were yet to arrive at the Van Direstag home when Richard and Rose first arrived back at home after her last errand to the lab at the hospital. Of course when they arrived it had only just gotten to around three thirty, and thus Moon Lake High was likely only just letting out when they arrived at their home. They simply went about their work in unloading the clothes they'd gotten at Target. They weren't fancy, and to a degree both Richard and Rose thought about vising the Awareness store that they'd heard about just to get what their actual measurements were in their human forms, but that could wait for no. At the same time, the clothing they did get at Target did fit and would be more comfortable for them. They had an agreement on telling Rob and Rachel the truth about Rose becoming a werelion and going from there with regard to trying to protect their children from being forced into anything or from losing the childlike innocence they felt was deserved until children were no longer children, though as they went about getting their clothes put away and then turning to other things, they ran into other issues.
"So... what were you thinking on for dinner?" Richard asked to his wife as he closed the dresser where he was putting his clothes.
"I was thinking with the same plan we started with before yesterday turned into its adventure," Rose replied, "beef stew... though, I think we may need to head out and get more food and ingredients. I'm actually still feeling a bit hungry."
"Now that you say that... yeah," Richard nodded, "lunch didn't really hold me over that well, either... I guess weres must eat a lot."
"And larger weres even more so," Rose agreed, "even if it means an in and out day."
"Perhaps though, maybe it'll give us more time to think on how to word how you became a werelion to Rachel and Rob," Richard commented with a sigh, which Rose then nodded to.
The two of them then made their way back downstairs where they found Frank seated on the coach and working through with his online classwork.
"Have Rob or Rachel gotten home, yet?" Richard asked to Frank who looked back and up over his shoulder. Frank shook his head "no" before Richard then continued, "your mother and I have some errands to run to make sure we'll have enough food for dinner. We shouldn't bee too long."
That actually got Frank to speak up, "okay... uh, I found online they do have a Safeway here, I'm not sure if you found that yesterday or went to a smaller market, but they do have one. It's on the west end of town and on the south side of Main Street."
"Thank you, dear," Rose answered, "we hadn't gone there yesterday... though we were still looking more for where to go."
They then made their way out. It had become something of an "in and out" day, between taking Frank down to the college to then begin to transfer him from online to in person classes, then picking up Rose from the hospital, and then the adventures that came after Rose got curious about Richard's new form, but things were as they were. They went about their drive with little worry or concern as while it was getting later into the afternoon, the sun wasn't close to setting, yet, and Moon Lake couldn't force anything on Rachel or Rob. All that was left there was just to word things properly and go over letting Rob and Rachel see and understand the changes and thus not be frightened by anything. The drive went easily and they came across the building and noted that it was smaller than most other Safeway stores that they'd been to, but the overall size of Moon Lake and its place in a mountain valley, it'd make sense that it was smaller.
The inside was pretty normal as they came in, though of course that was to be expected. They'd already found that what Moon Lake special was its people, and that was to be expected. Richard collected a cart from a line of carts that was placed along the store's inside front wall and then began to follow Rose through the store as they went about collecting the items that would be needed. Much of this wasn't to surprising as like most Safeway, the layout was the same as ones they had been to before. This in turn let them think through how to say to Rob and Rachel about how things had gone with Rose during the day.
"While we're here... how do you think we should word things with Rachel and Rob?" Richard asked quietly as they made their way toward the produce area where they would get the potatoes that would go with their stew recipe, "I mean... we don't want this to come off as too frightening or weird."
"They'll probably know that I'm different when they see me," Rose replied, "Rachel is very smart."
"Right," Richard nodded, "thus my question on how word this."
"That's where I'm still a bit unsure," Rose said slowly, "I mean how do I tell them... that I got sexually interested in you... thus leading to my transformation and now likely pregnancy and NOT come off as though I have no self control. Particularly when we've both tried to discipline Rob when he's taken a bit too much interest in girls that may not want that kind of attention."
"There is then the fact that a were's instincts are more open to sex," Richard said softly, remembering what had happened after his first interaction with Shelia and then after Rose transformed. Not mentioning it wouldn't work as they might end up betraying those instincts anyway. "So... it won't be like they go to bed and then we can be "quiet" at night... or avoid having activities with our pride."
Rose nodded as she lifted one bag of potatoes and laid it in the cart and then moving on to the rest of things they would need to buy, and largely augment what they had already bought.
"It may be best to explain things completely," Rose signed, "and not try to go around it. Not be crass or anything... but include the facts that weres will be more active with that sort of thing. I don't think we can get around that... and that that nothing we do will directly hurt them or endanger them. It's the only thing I can think of right now."
"And we answer honestly with any and all questions," Richard surmised.
"As best we can," Rose nodded.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Their time at Safeway didn't take too long, as they found that they probably had enough for certain ingredients for dinner and they were soon on their way back home. By now it was pushing four fifteen and Rob and Rachel had to be home by now. They pulled into the driveway and then moved to carry the bags in, and had no difficulty in doing so. They again came in to find that Frank was on the couch, though now he had the television on. As they came in through the door, he heard it open and then turned to look to them. He gave a small smile as they approached with the couch with the grocery bags in hand.
"Did Rachel and Rob get back?" Richard asked as they approached.
"Rob did, Rachel didn't," Frank answered.
"Did Rob say as to where Rachel went?" Rose wondered, hoping that this was something innocent and not Rachel deciding to go behind their backs on anything.
"No... but he did have another teen with him, named Amy," Frank answered, "so... Rob might have been a bit distracted. That said, I don't think that Rachel would do anything to reckless. Since dad did tell her and Rob about all that went on last night."
"I hope so," Rose sighed, "do you know where Rob went with this Amy?"
"I believe out in the back yard," Frank answered.
"We can start with Rob and figure out if he knows where Rachel is," Richard said to Rose.
Rose nodded and they made their way through the house, dropping the grocery bags off on the kitchen counter and then moving along to the back door. They quickly cam out to find Rob standing about halfway out into the back yard with a young teenage girl, looking as if they were headed out toward the woods. The girl though looked far healthier than what one would expect for a person the same age as their youngest son and both Richard and Rose could pick up the faint scent that told them were, but they weren't quite sure what kind of were. The pair slowly approached and it was that approach that attracted the girl's attention. She looked to Richard and Rose as they approached.
"I thought you said your dad was the only one to become a were?" the girl said to Rob, which got Rob to jump a bit and look to see his parents arriving.
"Mom?!?" Rob gasped in surprise.
"Yes... it's me," Rose said slowly as she approached, "let's just say that I got a bit curious about your father's new form when he brought me back from the hospital... and well... that saw me become a werelion."
Rob heard some traces of embarrassment in his mother's voice, and guessed that this related to some of the sexual related things that were society seemed to like to engage in. He could understand as he didn't think they'd want to talk about their sex lives with their son.
"And this is...?" Richard then asked, looking Amy, who had taken a step back from Rob but hadn't moved that far away.
"This is Amy Nettles, she's a girl from school," Rob answered.
"And you are a were?" Rose asked.
"Yes," Amy answered back somewhat nervously. Her intentions toward Rob were entirely innocent and in line with the idea of finding a lasting romance and not just "casual sex." Not to mention that she also knew that if Rob were to become a were, it would have to be his choice, "a wereskunk, specifically."
"Really?" Richard and Rose wondered, "you don't..."
"A skunk's normal scent is NOT the scent of its spray," Amy answered with some annoyance, "that spray is a defensive weapon to encourage predators to leave the skunk alone. They don't go around leaving that scent behind or where it gets in their fur."
"Interesting," Rose spoke with some curiosity, "and your intentions toward my son?"
"Moooooooooooooom!" Rod protested with his cheeks flushing red at his parents essentially grilling the only girl he could say had taken an honest interest in him and wasn't instantly irritated when teenage curiosity got the better of him.
"Right no... making friends and possibly setting things up for something real and long lasting," Amy managed, "like what my parents have... and what you likely have with your husband. And I wouldn't put any force on Rob at all."
Richard and Rose looked to each other and then accepted that with a nod.
"Okay..." Richard slowly while looking to Rod, "and what were you two up to?"
"Just a bit of exploring," Rod answered.
"Is your homework done?" Rose asked.
"Well... no, but I don't actually have too much today," Rob answered.
"Neither do I," Amy added, "and we weren't going to go too far."
"Well... don't go too far," Richard instructed, "and come back in BEFORE sunset. I wouldn't want my son or a neighbor hurt by a predator... or to have you interrupting some other were's fun at night. It'd only be a repeat of what lead to my transformation last night and what happened with your mother."
"I'm not looking to fall onto a werelioness or get curious about you as a werelion," Rob answered.
"Your father was referring to the mundane Mountain Lion that attacked me," Rose countered.
"Of course," Rob spoke in a more submissive tone as Rose's voice did carry more of a growling tone toward its end.
"Now, for the moment, that can wait as there are some other things that your mother and I will need to share with you and your sister, where is she?" Richard spoke, "the two of you were supposed to come home together."
"I think I saw Rachel walking off with a girl with red hair... looked pretty friendly with her," Rob answered, "I waved to her, but she didn't notice..."
"Doesn't the Jenkins girl have red hair?" Richard wondered to Rose, "she said that she ran into her the other day, didn't she?"
"I believe she said something about meeting Melissa Jenkins here," Rose nodded, "so she did run into an old friend. Maybe they went to work on their homework."
Richard than looked back to Rob.
"I never got close enough to run into her," Rob answered, "I waived and they walked on. If it's her friend from Michigan, they likely went to the friend's house to talk on the stuff they did in Michigan, will work on homework, and will then come home after."
"And Rachel did give us the Jenkins' address here," Rose commented to Richard, "if it takes too long... we can go check on her closer to sunset and bring her home after that point."
Richard nodded and looked back to Rob and Amy, "you may return to your exploring... but you are not to go deep into the woods and are to stay within sight of the house. You are also to come back before sunset."
With that Richard and Rose then moved to head back inside, grateful that there was a window to the backyard in the kitchen. Things hadn't necessarily gone as well as they would have hoped, but the young Nettles girl seemed smart and kind. Both also hoped that Rob didn't do anything that would irritate her.