While Martha and William Anderson worked in the kitchen, with Ben upstairs in Nate's room helping him with homework, Eric took the opportunity to have that chat with Frances he wanted.
They sat on opposite sides of the living room sofa as Eric asked, "How come nobody warned me about the danger mom and I are in concerning Yvette?"
"First off," said Frances in a matter of fact tone without missing a beat, "we didn't want you to worry. Secondly, you are guarded by three werecats, two werewolves, and a werefox, on top of all the weres we know. I seriously doubt Yvette would be successful even if she was stupid enough to try anything, because third: there is no way to know for sure that Yvette will try to harm you or your mother to get to your dad. She could always try a direct attempt at him instead. And finally, even if you weren't in danger, you still have to be careful about not being bit, scratched or having sex with a were until you decide you want to be a were."
Eric just stared at Frances for a moment, and then said, "I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted. But what are you apologizing for?" asked Frances in return.
"Sometimes I think I'm too smart for my own good," admitted Eric. "I'm certainly no child prodigy or a know-it-all, but sometimes I look at something and it just doesn't make sense."
"Like?" said Frances, slipping into professional therapist mode and encouraging Eric to continue.
"The whole thing with Yvette being fixated on my dad to begin with."
Frances nodded her head in agreement. "Samantha told me her lawyer thinks it might be a medical imbalance of some type and wants her tested. I'm thinking it might be more psychological. From what I've heard, Yvette might never have had a father figure in her life. At least, Samantha says there's no official father of record on her birth certificate."
Eric agreed that could be a contributing factor, before expressing the hope that whatever the reason(s), Yvette would be treated during a very long jail term for what she did to his dad. He hadn't overheard or been told the news that Yvette had turned another innocent human during her latest attempt to escape arrest.
Frances stared at Eric for a moment, and then said, "There's more going on here than just concerns about Yvette, isn't there?"
Eric started to blush as he said the one word that explained it all. "Julie."
Frances listened patiently as Eric told her about their earlier and very long cellphone conversation.
"Julie says she likes me, and wants to go on a date too, but when I tried to make the arrangements, that led to finding out the danger about Yvette because she wants to wait until Yvette is back in jail. Then when I suggested maybe becoming a were like my mom did—"
"First off, Yvette only hastened your mother's decision," revealed Frances. "Your mom didn't become a were because of her or what she did to your father, but because she was tired of suppressing her bi-nature and wanted to be with Samantha and myself. Granted, we all would have preferred the decision to have been arrived at over a more natural course and time, but sometimes you have to play the cards life's dealt you."
"Don't worry. Julie told me that was a stupid idea and made me promise not to become a were until the time and the reason were both right, but I didn't even know mom was bi until recently," admitted Eric, "but as long as she's happy."
"She is. Martha has your dad, both you and Nate, along with me and Samantha to love. If you stop and ask her, other than the desire to go back to work now that you boys are getting older and can take care of yourselves more, she'll tell you her life is more fulfilling now."
"It wasn't before?" asked Eric.
"Not to the extent she wanted or needed, no," revealed Frances. "But it is better now. Your folks marriage is improving and your dad is also more accepting of the fact of who your mother is and what she wants."
"Just from becoming weres?"
"That may have been an eye opener, because sometimes it takes a dramatic event for a person to make a change in their lives, but given enough time and effort, I think your folks could have worked it out on their own."
"Yet if I understand everything correctly, dad becoming a werefox has allowed him not only to realize just how much he loves mom and resolve to work on repairing their marriage and never cheat again, but accept her for who and what she is," said Eric.
Instead of answering that directly, Frances leaned a little closer toward Eric and asked, "Do you want to know a secret? When my family moved here, they all decided to become weredogs, but I was too young at the time to change too. When my time did arrive, they wouldn't accept me being anything but a weredog like them. Yet because Samantha and I had already fallen in love, let alone..." then her voice trailed off, realizing she was about to say a little too much.
"I get the idea. Go on," suggested Eric.
"I had my first change into a werecat just as they were about to perform the weredog initiation ceremony. Granted, it wouldn't have worked since I was already a were and didn't know it yet, but that did give me the courage to tell them I was a lesbian too, and they would either have to accept me for who and what I was, or find a new daughter," admitted Frances.
"So it all worked out in the end?"
Frances wanted to say for the most part, thinking about the troubles she still had over the years with her parents, but just simply nodded her head.
"I wish it was that easy with me and Julie," admitted Eric.
"What's the problem?"
"Well, even without Yvette, Julie says she likes me the way I am right now, and if we ever do become more than friends, let alone ever become weres together, that's something that can only be decided in time."
"Sounds pretty reasonable to me," said Frances.
"But I think I'm truly in love with Julie," announced Eric. After telling Frances about what he knew about her and how he felt about those things, he started telling Frances about all his dreams. Eric was polite about how he phased the details, but included the one that left a sticky white mess in his pajamas.
"It sounds to me like you're pretty in to her. Or are kids still using that expression?" asked Frances.
"They are, and I am. But even if our relationship, whatever it is now, does go that far, do I have to become a were-merman to be with her?" wondered Eric. "Nothing personal, but I'm not sure I ever want to actually become a were, let alone that kind."
"No offense taken, but you have plenty of time. I'll let you in on another secret, but you can't let tell anyone, let alone the Stovalls, because it's actually theirs to tell."
"Okay," promised Eric, before Frances related what she knew of the fact that Mayor Stovall courted his girlfriend for ten years, and even after she said yes, his wife didn't become a were until they were on their honeymoon."
"Why so long?"
"Love is difficult to explain, let alone experience. It's different for everyone involved."
"Life's difficult enough as it is for us intellectuals, isn't it?" asked Eric.
"At times it can be. But my advice right now is to just take it one day at a time and not rush into anything," suggested Frances.
"That's basically the same thing my folks, Ms. Tachibana, and Julie said too."
"Then I'm in good company," said Frances with a smile.
Eric stared at her for a moment before saying, "If you don't mind, there's one other thing I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?" wondered Frances.
Eric paused, hesitant before asking, "Do you play chess?"
"What? I haven't had a decent game in ages except against my computer," said Frances, warming up to the subject. "Samantha's never gotten the hang of it and while Ben has tried it, I usually always beat him within 20 moves."
"I've got similar problems trying to find opponents. Do we have time for a game?"
"I think so," said Frances, looking at a wall clock that said it was approaching 5:30.
"I'll run upstairs and get my board," said Eric, as he got up and headed for the staircase. Gee, I'll have to ask Julie if she plays.
As Frances sat alone in the Anderson family living room, she thought to herself, A little smarter than some, but Eric's definitely a good kid and a typical 14 year old. Life has plenty of ups and downs, but I truly hope we all have more good than bad times in the future.