It was 8 AM when Julie left to see Madam Serenity and when the pack ate breakfast. As Fran, Darla, and Alice emerged from the mirrorverse, they found the pack beginning break up for a few moments. They slowly approached Jensen who was talking to Nicole about something.
"Cousins, cousins," Alice sang as she skipped between Fran and Darla, hoping that she'd finally be able to bring Abbey and Samantha into the mirror to play with her.
"Are you ready?" Jensen asked as the twins approached with Alice.
"Yes," Fran nodded, "We'll be leaving in a bit, unless you have further instructions..."
"I have none," Jensen replied, "although today will be fairly interesting. Nicole will be giving self-defense lessons."
It was Darla who actually blinked and looked at the gray furred female with a ribbon around one ear. The fact that she was giving the lessons surprised Darla. But then, Nicole had knocked Darla down... twice while human, so the blond she wolf guessed that it would be logical that if self-defense courses were to be taught, either the twins or Nicole would be the teachers.
"May we help?" Darla asked, forgetting about the mission to bring Julie in for the moment.
"You three have you're own mission today," Jensen pointed out.
"Julie, sis, Julie," Fran pleaded.
"She'll still be there tomorrow," Darla answered, "and we don't even know if she is at home..."
"She isn't," Jensen spoke after closing his eyes briefly, "she's headed somewhere in Glendale, but I can't sense where yet."
"How do you know that?" Kaylee asked from her position beside Jensen, looking at her mate in amazement.
"I honestly don't know," Jensen shrugged, "maybe it is part of being the "Big Bad Wolf". He always knew where his victims lived. I mean, Red Riding Hood says her Grandma lived in the cottage in the woods, but that's rather vague in terms of directions. Grandma's cottage could have been anywhere in the forest, yet the Big Bad Wolf easily beat Red Riding Hood there. So he had to instinctively know where his prey was... it's largely my reasoning for being able to find your house, as I'd never even been on that street when I was Jennifer."
"I'm glad you did come as Jensen," Kaylee smiled and licked Jensen's cheek.
Jensen smiled and nodded in response, but then turned his attention back to the twins.
"See, she isn't even home," Darla said to Fran, "Maybe she took your daughters out for something."
"At eight o'clock in the morning?" Fran asked, "they should be watching cartoons right now."
"Darla," Jensen said firmly, yet calmly, "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"It's kinda embarrassing," Darla answered, looking down.
"What happened?" Jensen growled
"It was when the staff joined the Pack," Darla answered, "I think I was chased by what is now Nick into the servants foyer that Marcine was in. When I got away from him, Nicole came in, seemingly pursing Nick... and well she knocked me down..."
Darla wanted to hide behind Fran if it weren't for the fact that Fran and Alice were looking at her with the same looks of amusement as Jensen and Kaylee.
"And before things calmed down enough to begin transforming them, Nicole ended up knocking me down again to yell at Nick more," Darla finished, thoroughly embarrassed as she didn't want to share that story with anyone.
"I am sorry, Beta female, I was not in my right mind at the time," Nicole said politely.
Darla nodded, but it didn't help her embarrassment.
"I take there is more to it then this?" Jensen almost snickered at the sight of Nicole, who when human was relatively short for a woman, knocking Darla, who is one of the pack's two largest females, down twice.
"I want to know how she did it," Darla said weakly, "and when you mentioned self-defense courses, that jogged my memory and restored my curiosity. I mean... I'm bigger and stronger then I was, even when I was a human male..."
"Self-defense, when taught through martial arts isn't about strength," Nicole spoke up, "It can help, but it can also hurt. The Master, and the other males, except for Ulysses might have a slight disadvantage as their muscle mass... while VERY attractive to the eye, might slow down their reaction time to various attacks. It's speed that's commonly the key."
Jensen didn't like being told he would be at a disadvantage, but let it go. He had never taken martial arts as Jennifer, so he couldn't correct Nicole on the subject.
"Still, I'd like to know how you did it," Darla answered.
"All I'm teaching is self-defense," Nicole answered, "You and Fran were probably taught a bit more then that for your police work."
"You mean won't tell me how you did that?" Darla pouted.
"I can tell you, but I'm not licensed to teach martial arts," Nicole spoke, "I would break every code I was taught to follow."
"I don't think your former teachers will have ANY objections to you teaching any wolf that wants to learn," Jensen commented with a toothy grin, "and if they do... then we can "take care" of them."
"You're not seriously doing this are you?" Fran asked, "We could lose Julie?"
"Cousins!" Alice added.
"Julie likely won't be leaving town anytime soon," Jensen answered, "and if your sister is that curious about Nicole's martial arts program... I don't think it would hurt to give her a little while."
"It looks as though we'll have to be patient a little while longer," Fran sighed heavily.
+++++
Nicole gave everyone roughly thirty minutes to digest everything, so that there would be no cramping and waited for everyone to come outside to begin her lesson. By the time she had begun, Julie had managed to negotiate surprisingly heavy morning traffic and made it to Madame Serenity's residence.
Jensen did in fact attend the class that Nicole was teaching, while the pups sat near Jenny's flower garden as they watched the self-defense course.
"I wonder what she's teaching everybody," Kevin asked, "Karate?"
"No, Kung Fu," Bart argued.
"I'd prefer Tai Chi," Jenny commented, "to cleanse the soul."
"It's glorified aerobics," Bart grumbled, "How are you going to fight anyone doing that?"
"The hope should be not to fight anyone," Mr. P said calmly from where he lay with Marcy and Alice laying against one side, "they're doing this to be able to defend themselves and Martha has joined them to better protect you."
Bart and Jenny both turned to see Martha going through a series of stretches. Mr. P, meanwhile turned to the glass wolf and Marcy. The red furred pup was powering down, clearly not interested in what was going on. He also guessed that she was close to taking a nap as she had pulled his tail over her, to use as a blanket.
"I thought you slept well..." Mr. P asked her.
"I did," Marcy answered, "forgive me, Mr. P, but I don't find this interesting. Wake me mother and father are done."
Mr. P nodded and licked Marcy on the cheek as the red furred pup at least attempted to look like she would be sleeping. He then turned to Alice who looked to be in a very grumpy mood.
"And what is wrong with you?" Mr. P questioned, licking the glass wolf.
"We were supposed to bring my cousins and Auntie's wife into the Pack today," Alice pouted, "but mother would rather learn martial arts from the grumpy she-wolf."
"I'm sure things will be fine," Mr. P responded and and began licking Alice's stomach hoping his tongue would tickle her a bit and cheer the glass wolf up a bit, "You'll see."
It did tickle the glass wolf a bit, but she did not like the distraction.
"I'm sure she'll be there where they finish," Mr. P licked her again and turned back to watch the exorcising wolves.
+++++++
The lesson, however took up most of the morning and it was early afternoon by the time they had finished and the group had finished the lesson and then went in for lunch. By that time Madame Serenity had left Glendale with Fran's family. Leaving Fran's home, empty, except for a some things.
"Hello," Alice called into Abbey and Samantha's bedroom with Fran and Darla beside her, "are you here?"
There was no response but the flashing of 1:30 on the clock between the two beds. Alice hesitantly came out of the mirror holding Fran and Darla's hands.
"Girls," Fran called, "I'm home."
"Like they'll know you're their father," Darla commented as she walked into the room as there was still no answer.
Fran quietly listened to the sounds of the house as it settled and then noticed her daughter's dressers, while Darla and Alice went about the room and toward the rest of the house. They were open, and Fran's eyes caught that a lot of their clothing was gone.
"Maybe Julie hasn't done any laundry while she's been looking for me," she thought.
Her nose then confirmed that as she could smell the dirty clothes hamper underneath their window. Fran cringed at that. She then turned to leave the room.
"Cousins!" she heard Alice call for them.
She entered the hall to see Alice looking at at some the family photographs hanging in the hall. Fran sighed as she looked at them. She missed them dearly.
"No one's here," came Darla's voice from the front living room that doubled as a entryway and was next to the kitchen and dining area.
Fran and Alice followed Darla's voice and entered the room to find Darla standing quietly by the front door. There was no one else there.
"She's gone..." Fran whimpered on the verge of breaking done, "She left... I told you that we should have come here first."
"I know," Darla answered, feeling just as hurt as her twin, "I know. Remember we feel the same."
She then sniffed something.
"Do you smell something?" Darla asked.
"Yes," Fran answered, "They took Chester with them!"
"No, not the dog," Darla answered, "A human."
Fran approached her twin and sniffed. She caught various scents. From her male form to Julie, to Abbey, to Samantha, to Mary, to Chester, and a cat she'd never known, and then to a human female she'd never known.
"Someone else was here," Fran spoke...