{Okay. Great minds think alike, but apparently they don't type at the same speed. ;) "Morning Moments (For Those Who Came In Late)" was originally meant to be before "The Next Morning". Que Sera Sera. Other than being a brief recap and character summary of the story to date; Yvette, the fugitive werevixen that is the cause of most of the Anderson family's current problems, has been spotted at Moon Lake itself. Police have been notified of her presence by a local fisherman, but whether they get there in time, let alone capture her, remains to be seen. Meanwhile...}
Eric Anderson awoke again a few hours later. There was no further "incidents", but he did have another pleasant dream about Julie. This time, the two of them went to a Halloween party together. She dressed in a sea-shell bikini outfit while in her Stage Two (webbed hands, scaled legs and feet) were-mermaid form and he as Jacques Cousteau. They had a wonderful time dancing and hanging out together, before her mother dropped Eric off back at his house for the night, but not before Julie gave him a passionate good night kiss.
As he got up and dressed for the day, the distinct aroma of bacon was filling the house. Eric went downstairs and found his parents already at the table eating.
They were sitting next to each other and truly looked happy to be in each other's presence, which Eric took as a positive sign that their marriage was getting better.
"Morning sleepy head," said William, as he passed his wife the butter for her toast.
"Did you sleep well?" asked Martha, looking at her youngest son.
"I think so. Where's Nate?"
"He texted earlier," replied his mother. "Apparently the Twists have a standing arrangement for breakfast at a nearby cafe after every wolf night, so Nate decided to join them because he didn't know whether or not we'd be up by now."
"Okay," said Eric, sitting down to eat. "I guess I'll get to see my big brother the werewolf later."
"We'll make sure you see his new form when he comes home. Did you want some milk?" asked his mother.
"Orange juice first, if we have any," requested Eric.
"I'll go see," replied Martha, as she got up from the table to search the kitchen fridge.
Eric stared down at the big plate of bacon, along with the big plate of sausage, that was on the table. I guess, depending upon what kind of a were you are, you gain a bigger appetite, he surmised, before digging into breakfast, not knowing about the wild night of were-sex his folks had in their bedroom.
After politely turning down an offer for thirds, Eric sat at the table finishing the glass of milk he asked for after the orange juice.
His parents realized their younger son had been strangely silent for most of the meal. Polite when he did speak, but not talking that often.
William looked at Martha, who just shrugged her shoulders. Then William turned to look at Eric and said, "Is there something on your mind son?"
Eric said there was, but then admitted he wasn't sure how to talk about it.
"Is it about Yvette?" cautiously asked his mother.
"No. I'm sure the police will catch her and throw her back in jail as soon as they can," said Eric confidently, unaware of the true threat she posed to his family, and himself.
"The sooner the better," agreed his father. "Then what is it you'd like to talk about?"
Eric thought about what would be the best way to ask his parents, but the only one he knew was the direct approach.
"What is love?"
William and Martha Anderson stared at their youngest son, uncertain how to answer his question.