The past few days had been relatively tense for Francine Brooks. There had been the clearly rough response that the Charlestons had had to the revelation that Moon Lake was a sanctuary for were-creatures of some kind, and particularly from Nichole. It had been something that truly hurt Francine at the time in many ways. For she had never felt that the Brooks family had abandoned their long-standing friendship with the Charlestons. And after becoming a weredog after the Brooks family moved to Moon Lake, a weredog's inclination to be a friend, and particularly to those that they were already bonded with, had reinforced that sense of friendship toward the Charlestons, and that was a big part of why she and Dan had been so keen to offer Moon Lake as a sanctuary for the Charlestons from the Gambonis. It would bring her friends back into her life.
That was then the sort of thing that hurt Francine's own feelings and instincts when Nichole had responded has harshly against weres and Moon Lake's secrets as she did initially. It felt like her best friend had turned on her, and was something where she needed some reminder from Dan on who tough the sort of transition would be for new arrivals to Moon Lake and how their transition to the town wasn't all that different from their own transition. That she and Dan had had the same fears as Moe and Nichole when they first arrived and before they became weredogs years ago. She couldn't expect Moe and Nichole to adjust and adapt as quickly she may have hoped for, and in time, some things did indicate that Moe and Nichole were at least willing to listen and learn. Those things made Francine feel better.
Of course, the Gambonis hunting the Charlestons didn't make things easier and the alert that they had been able to find Moon Lake made things worse. The plan that Daniel had had was that the Charlestons would be able to hide out in Moon Lake in peace and the Gambonis would never find the small Washington state town. Thankfully the police and the FBI were able to track things to set up a sting operation that caught the two that were the most immediate threats to the Charlestons, Marcus and Vito, arrested, that wouldn't end all of the present issues regarding the Gambonis. There was a trial still to be had, and the sting operation that Daniel lead had left the Charleston's new home taking some damage from what Daniel told her had been tear gas. With Daniel resting from a long shift and his involvement in the sting, Francine decided to go and check on her family friends, as things had gotten better before the Gambonis came to town.
As she arrived, she found a lone man heading out from the Charleston home. He carried a weredog's scent but wasn't from the pack to which she and Daniel belonged. He nodded to her as they passed and let Francine approach the door. She range the bell and then quietly waited. It wasn't too long before Moe actually opened the door. He gave her a small and surprised smile, but at least it was a smile.
"Hello, Francine... what brings you here?" Moe asked.
"Mostly checking on friends... making sure you were all okay," Francine spoke, "when Daniel and I called to bring you guys here... we'd hope that the Gambonis would never find Moon Lake, let alone find you."
"I'm sure there is a lot the Gambonis did that was a surprise to all of us... thankfully, Dan's trap for them worked," Moe answered, "we were told this morning that Marcus and Vito were caught, arrested, and turned over to the FBI on the bigger crimes that they have jurisdiction on. How's Dan?"
"Tired," Francine answered, "the station gave him the day off after the long days as part of his role in dealing with those mobsters. Right now, he's sleeping... and I'm here to help friends of the family."
"You'd want to help?" Moe blinked, "a lot of it is going to be laundry and things like that... and we've got fans going to try and get the scent of tear gas out of the house."
"It's no problem, Moe," Francine answered, "you and Nichole have been good friends to me and Dan long before all this started. And we tried to do all we can to protect you and your family from the Gambonis... and parts of it didn't work out completely to plan. We owe you that much."
Moe nodded and stepped back while holding the door open. Francine smiled back and stepped into the Chapman home. Many things were left clean, and Francine considered it good that the officers and FBI agents that had been there as part of the sting operation didn't mess up the place, but she could also easily pick up the scent of the tear gas residue. It was thick and heavy and even made her stagger a bit. This was one of the things that she didn't like about being a weredog, the strong sense of smell made the chemical scent of the tear gas very strong. Moe noticed this as he shut the door.
"Karen had about the same reaction when we came in this morning," Moe said to her, "it's why we've gotten some fans running now... hoping that the scent can be vented out of the house through the vents. Though... I don't know how long that will take."
"Karen made her choice?" Francine asked.
"Yes," Moe answered, "she's a weretiger now... it's all different and parts of me are a bit uneasy with certain natures of the conversion. But at least we're in compliance with the city's laws and can't be forced into anything... and that Karen did abide by what Nichole and I wanted from her first. To learn and be certain."
"Can you accept her choice?" Francine wondered.
"I suppose... there are some things that I don't like... but nothing in the guidebook says that that sort of thing is avoidable," Moe admitted.
"Yeah... the whole sex thing as a means of becoming a were and completing the transformation," Francine commented, "it's a surprising, and was surprising to Daniel and I... but... it would seem that Moon Lake is a bit less restrictive with regard trying to monitor what kids get up to. Essentially accepting that as they start to grow up, they will become interested and that it would be better to have lessons on safe sex and self-control than trying to preach not "doing it" at all. The big thing they end up teaching is more on making sure that if a normal teen wants to become a were, they're with someone their own age and not someone older than them. The pack that Dan and I are in gave us that lesson a lot when Peter started getting older and wanted to be a weredog to be like us..."
Moe nodded and sincerely hoped that that was all it was so far as Karen was concerned. A part of his mind thought about hooking her up with Peter, after all Dan had been a good family friend and despite the surprises related to Moon Lake, Dan had largely fulfilled his promise to protect Moe and his family. Francine let him think as she followed through living room and then the kitchen/dinning round until they rounded a corner and into the laundry room where the added scent of Clorox and other cleaners assaulted her nose. She could also hear Karen and Nichole rustling around with various sheets.
"Who was at the door, Moe?" came Nichole's voice as they approached the door, "the contractor only just left to get the new window..."
"We actually have a volunteer who's come to help," Moe announced and then gestured to Francine as she entered.
Francine did pick up the weretiger scent on Karen and noted that both Moe and Nichole were still normal. Though, Nichole seemed calm and more focused on the laundry then on the changes in her daughter. Francine took that as a bit of a relief, though she didn't jump to any conclusions in order to be as diplomatic as she could. She couldn't, after all, jump to the rushed assumption that her old friend would take to Moon Lake as quickly as she and Daniel had years ago. People got used to things at their own rate.
"Francine... you came to help?!" Nichole said with surprise.
"Things were big... and Daniel told me that they did catch Marcus and Vito, and they won't be a threat," Francine answered, "so... I thought I would come and help you clean up. It's a bit of a day off for me... and you are my friends. After all you've been through with this... Between the Gambonis and the surprises around Moon Lake, it'd be only fair to help as much as I can."
"Well... thank you," Nichole answered in a voice that sounded fairly genuine, "though... in some ways... I may be a bit surprised. Between everything that's happened, I probably overreacted a bit to some of the Moon Lake things and took it out on you and Dan."
Francine raised her hands dismissively of that. The two of them had had some talks before the Gambonis found Moon Lake and after the dinner on the Charlestons' first night in Moon Lake. That was enough to assure Francine that Nichole had admitted to overreacting, and that while she was uneasy, she wouldn't act in such a rash manner. Francine had long suspected that much of the response was the result of the Gambonis putting the Charlestons under intense pressure.
"Water under the bridge, and probably a result of being chased around the country," Francine answered, "and at the same time... a part of me was very excited to have you and Moe living close by again and that had me excited. And... it is something of a weredog thing... to be close to friends and be by their side. It had me wanting to have you and Moe around again and even hoping that you'd take to Moon Lake as quickly as Daniel and I did. I'll admit that I never considered you might need more time to... accept things."
"Yeah... some things are strange..." Nichole answered, "and maybe... in a way... strange in a good way."
Francine looked up from looking down to her feet and looked to Nichole who was finishing placing the sheets into the washing machine, likely to wash the scent of the tear gas out.
"Strange in a good way?" Nichole wondered tilting her head.
"Yeah," Nichole nodded and looked over to Karen, "Karen, dear, why don't you go and sort through your clothes. See what will still fit the new you, at least for now, and see what won't. From there we can then sort what you can keep into the appropriate wash loads, if need be. Give them a good sniff to see if the scent of tear gas is in them. Those that don't... we won't have to wash, those that do... we will have to wash."
Karen looked between her mother and Mrs. Brooks and then to her father, who was still in the doorway to the laundry room and then nodded.
"Right, mom," Karen answered and then walked out. Once Karen was out Nichole picked up on her answer to Francine.
"As Karen has learned more and actually did some studying," Nichole then spoke, "Moe and I have been talking... about some things that relate to Moon Lake. Our responses... and second chances, and all that. It also led to some curiosity in which we've actually taken to looking through the guidebook that the Town Chancellor left. Particularly as Karen narrowed down what she was looking for."
"So... you're looking at becoming weres now?!" Francine found herself smiling, "that'd be great! It could be like old times... only newer and fuzzier! We'd also be around for a long time!"
"Easy," Nichole said slowly as she pressed a few buttons on the washing machine, "we're just in the research mode right now and a true final decision on going through with it hasn't been made yet. We may go that way... but we'd want more information first. Like is there a way that this could all be done where I don't have to have sex with someone that isn't Moe."
"That last part is unavoidable," Francine said slowly, "and is all part of the process. Moon Lake's doctors have looked into this... but they can't fully find a scientific reasoning for it and thus can't pinpoint a way around it. Which to those that believe in magic only adds to their argument. Though, in the end, it's also something that shouldn't hurt your marriage to Moe. Particularly if you two understand the nature of the conversion and become the same were. Though... some do become different weres. But in my experience, all weres will understand that you two are married and wouldn't try to split you up. Thus, you'd have some measure of control over the ceremony and induction into were-society. It could be big with your knew pack or it could be more intimate with just those involved in the transformation."
"We'd still like to take it slow and figure out all we can," Moe said to her.
"Of course," Francine nodded, "that's always good. Dan and I could give you a lot of help on anything related to weredogs if you want."
"Them and werewolves are actually on the list we crossed out pretty quickly," Nichole answered, "some of it would because of being too generic... and some of it because I don't want to be literally called a... well..."
"I can get that," Francine admitted, "and no female weredog or werewolf would take that name, either."
"And again... sorry for how I reacted at the start of all this," Nichole spoke.
"It's no problem," Francine answered, "now... while I'm here, why don't we go about sorting what other laundry you'll need done. If the tear gas made it all the way to Karen's room and it was your room they threw the tear gas grenade into... your clothes must reek more of it."